Anti-protest bills aimed at chilling dissent and stopping resistance need your attention.
2 extreme anti-protest bills have almost made it through committee, ready for a final vote in the Mn House and Senate at any time.
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Did you know that African American kids are 3 x more likely to be reported to Child Protection Services than white kids? They are 3 x more likely to be removed from their families for the same allegation, and 3 x more likely to become a state ward.
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Rural voices need broadband for civic engagement
The Women's March Minnesota is committed to ensuring that the voices of women from all backgrounds and identities are heard. That includes the voices of the rural populations that lack affordable access to broadband technology.
Kudos to State Rep. Jamie Becker-Finn for taking matters into her own hands. After bill HF3030 (to set up a sexual harassment task force) failed to get a hearing last week, she announced she will convene a work group to address issues of sexual assault and harassment at the State Capitol. As Becker-Finn says - it's time to clean house!
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Mn Professor to be deported by ICE. Show up!
Prof. Wanyama of Ausgberg College, Minneapolis, is one of a growing number of immigrants who are being targeted for deportation by ICE (Immigration & Customs Enforcement) and have no criminal record. Wanyama has been in the US for 25+ years. He has a family, a home, a career and a community here in Minnesota.
Interested in volunteering with Women's March MN? We have some specific positions open - Find out more!
Really interesting evening and much ground was covered. What a privilege to have both Minority Leaders! With less than 4 weeks left of the 2018 MN Leg Session, these were our main takeaways:
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Women's March Minnesota strongly echoes the statement below by Women's March on the acquittal of the officers who killed Alton Sterling two years ago.
We also strongly protest the shooting death of Stephon Clark in Sacramento last week, yet another Black man killed by the police. This violence and injustice against Black and Brown people has to stop and we must do all we can to make this happen.
“White privilege is staging a walkout for gun control and having colleges and Universities say you will not be punished and your admission won’t be changed, when the same was not happening for Ferguson and Baltimore school walkouts...White privileged is not a curse word. It’s not meant to blame or shame anyone. It’s a lens to understand how race works in this country."
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Notes from Third Thursdays event in March - “The Fight for Equal Pay” - hosted by MSP NOW.
Facts:
- Women earn 81cents in the dollar compared to men. When compared with White men, Asian women earn 87 cents, White women earn 79 cents, Black women earn 63 cents and Latina women earn 54 cents.
- The wage gap increases with age, maxing at 55-64 years due to the Opportunity Gap (i.e. women are less likely to get promoted than men). As a result, men are 85% more likely to be in positions of senior leadership, and over 60% of women are individual contributors towards the end of their careers, compared to just 40% of men.
- Of all the Fortune 500 CEOs, just 5% are women, 0.4% are women of color, and there are no Black women Fortune 500 CEOs.
- Minnesota is ranked 12th in the country for gender pay equality, and 49th for racial inequality (above WI).
Watch Your Reps
For a good run-down of bills worth paying attention to straight away, see @WatchYourRepMn's weekly update. Choose the bills you care about and take action. Call, email, tweet the committee members and particularly the committee Chair. Attend the hearing. Testify at the hearing.
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Victims of sexually violent crimes should be able to come forward when they are ready.
Representative Ilhan Omar and Senator Sandy Pappas have introduced a bill (HF3434/SF3206) to remove time limits for charging sexually violent crimes. If this passes, victims of these crimes, including sex trafficking, could report a crime against them when they feel ready.
This bill needs your support. Here's how you can help:
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Congress is on recess, U.S. Reps and Senators are home. It's a good time to get in touch with your Congresspeople on issues that concern you….gun control, DACA, tax bill…. Find out if they have a Town Hall planned, arrange to visit them at their office, call them or email them.
MN Legislature still has a week to go and they're busy. For a list of bills that need some noise made about them, see Watch Your Reps MN's weekly update. (Warning: it's long.) Find bills on the issues you care about, call the appropriate legislators, write an email, tweet a message, attend a hearing.
This is a short session and things are moving fast. They are already starting to put together omnibus bills. If you feel strongly about a bill, get on it now.
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On Thursday March 29, Women’s March Minnesota is participating in Our Justice’s 25th Annual Bowl-A-Thon. Our Justice has always worked to provide people with the resources they need now, while also advocating for policy change that would make these resources more available and remove many of these challenges altogether. Founded in 1967 by a small group of doctors, clergy, and community members to assist Minnesota women in accessing abortion care, Our Justice continues to support people’s reproductive and sexual human rights.
Women’s March Minnesota created a team to raise money and we need your support! Donate to our team page and help us support Our Justice.
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Take Action on Anti-abortion bills
Here are 2 bills that are working their way through the legislative process. Although Governor Dayton will most likely veto them, they may well be used as a bargaining chip in later omnibus bills, and so it is better to make your position on these bills clear now. Contact your state representatives as well as the Governor and let them know why you oppose these bills. Try also to get your representative to go on record with their position on these bills and why.
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There’s still time to fight for gun control bills in Minnesota
Despite HUGE public support for sensible gun laws, there have been NO hearings in the MN Legislature of gun control legislation, apart from 15 minute hearings of 2 bills, forced on the Public Safety Committee by Rep. Dave Pinto. (The bills were then immediately tabled). However, the session is not over and there is slowly growing bi-partisan support for this issue. This is a subject where people in the suburbs should, in particular, take action.
Your legislators are listening and they know the tide is turning.
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Town Halls – great opportunities to get to know your representatives and vice versa.
It’s always useful to have face-to-face conversations with your reps. This way they will remember you when you call them or email them about bills that you care about. Here are some upcoming town halls with state representatives.
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In the words of the students; “Revolution is coming.”
Hundreds of thousands of students from across the country participated in a march for their lives on March 24. In Saint Paul they took to the streets 20,000 strong in order to have their voices heard on gun control.
The event, organized by students with guidance from organizations like Protect MN, Mom’s Demand Action, Students Demand Action, Women’s March Minnesota, and Black Lives Matter featured several local student speakers and a few surprise guests from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School who were in town for a national hockey tournament.
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Don’t give up on talking about gun control bills!
Congress is on Spring recess. Your US Senators and Representative should be home. Check to see if they have a Town Hall planned and if not, ask them for one or go to their office to talk about issues and legislation that concern you. Or simply call or email them.
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