Time for the ERA full-court press - Minnesota Indivisible CALL TO ACTION!
Two sets of ERA Resolutions related to equality are pending in the MN legislature!
1. Resolutions SF47/HF197 calling for the affirmation that the Equal Rights Amendment is valid and is the 28th Amendment Chief authors: Senator Sandy Pappas & Rep. Kristin Bahner https://eramn.org/2023-minnesota-federal-era-resolution/ This is headed for a floor vote. Similar resolutions have been passed in CA, HI, MI, CO
2. MN' s STATE ERA Bill (SF37 & HF173) Chief authors: Senator Mary Kunesh & Rep Kaohly Her. https://eramn.org/2023-minnesota-state-era-bill/ This a proposed Amendment to the MN Constitution guaranteeing equality for all. This bill is currently being held in the Rules Committee by Representative Long. It needs to get out of committee and pass in 2023 so there is adequate time to educate the public prior to it being placed on the ballot in 2024.
Please contact your legislators and tell them to support both bills now. Most importantly, please contact LEGISLATIVE LEADERS House Speaker Melissa Hortman, House Majority Leader Jamie Long, and Senate Majority Leader Kari Dziedzic and tell them the MN ERA must be a top priority:
- No other movement has waited longer than equal rights for all. Call for the vote on ERA now. The time is always right to do what is right.
- What’s the hold-up? Call for the vote today on the ERA.
- We respectfully request that you take up the Equal Rights Amendment bills post haste. 100 years is too long to wait for equal justice for all.
You can FIND YOUR LEGISLATOR HERE:
https://www.gis.lcc.mn.gov/iMaps/districts/
Read More
Women’s March MN volunteer testifies to support ERA
This week, ERA Minnesota invited me to testify with them to support their bills in the Minnesota House and Senate. (One bill asks legislators to put the Equal Rights Amendment on the ballot to let voters decide if the ERA should be part of the Minnesota constitution. The other bill would send a resolution to Congress urging them to ratify the federal ERA.) I testified with my mom and my youngest daughter – three generations of one family experiencing life without equal rights.
Read More
Six easy steps to getting politically involved in Minnesota
The Legislative Session is happening now. At the most basic level, it’s the time when the House and the Senate are making decisions on laws and budgets. It’s also the time to remind your representatives what you want. Below are actions you can take to get started:
Find out who your reps are online.
Follow your reps on social media and comment on their posts.
Send emails to your legislators to tell them how you want to represent your interests.
Find out if they have town halls coming up and attend them in person or online. Same with city council, school board or other local policymakers. To find city council members, check your city website; for school board members, locate your school district name and search for its website.
Follow bills that interest you. You will get an email when relevant actions or meetings happen. Tell the people around you what's going on. Knowledge is power!
Attend events, such as rallies at the Minnesota Capitol, to stand with others to show the reps what you want. These are powerful and uplifting events. We track them on the WMM calendar. (If you see an item to add, please let us know at admin@womensmarchmn.com.
Read More
Thank you to the Dolly Parton Tribute Show performers
Last night the Little Too Short to be Stormtroopers hosted a benefit for Women’s March Minnesota and ERA Minnesota at the Turf Club. We sold merchandise talked to lots of folks about what’s happening at the Legislature and the need to codify equal right for everyone. We also enjoyed some amazing music with Faith Boblett, Molly Brandt, Clare Doyle, Madison Hallman, Jaedyn James, Leslie Vincent, Savannah Smith, Siri Undlin and Cole Diamond starting the night with songs of Alan Jackson.
Read More
Contact Your Senator Now to Protect Reproductive Rights: Support PRO Act!
The Minnesota Senate will be voting on the PRO Act (Protect Reproductive Options) on Friday. It will protect Minnesotans’ right to contraception, the right to carry a pregnancy to term and the right to abortion – free from interference by anti-abortion politicians who seek to enact or defend medically unnecessary barriers to comprehensive reproductive health care. We have heard that a few senators are getting bombarded with messages (bordering harassment) from anti-abortion activists in advance of the Senate vote on the PRO Act, which is scheduled for this Friday. In addition to sending a note to your own Senator, please send or call with a message of support to these 5 DFL Senators and encourage them to stay strong, remind them that we have their backs, and that the majority of Minnesotans want to protect the right to make their own choices about reproductive healthcare, including access to abortion. Minnesotans want to make their own personal decisions about when and whether to have a family. We cannot allow the anti-abortion extremists to drown out that message.
These are the 5 Senators who need to hear from us now (and please share with your groups):
Here is a sample message (but of course, please you can write your own):
"Senator xxx, I want to thank you so much for your work supporting women's healthcare decisions. It is so important to me to be able to talk privately with my healthcare team to make the best decisions for myself around my reproductive health care. I have heard that you have been receiving some pretty hateful messages from people who are trying to restrict women's rights to bodily autonomy. I know how vitriolic the speech can get and I'm sorry you have to endure that. I stand with you and support you as you vote Yes for the Pro Act on Friday morning."
These are the 5 Senators who need to hear from us now (and please share with your groups):
Here is a sample message (but of course, please you can write your own):
"Senator xxx, I want to thank you so much for your work supporting women's healthcare decisions. It is so important to me to be able to talk privately with my healthcare team to make the best decisions for myself around my reproductive health care. I have heard that you have been receiving some pretty hateful messages from people who are trying to restrict women's rights to bodily autonomy. I know how vitriolic the speech can get and I'm sorry you have to endure that. I stand with you and support you as you vote Yes for the Pro Act on Friday morning."
Read More
EVENT Nov 14: Zoom to learn more about Ongoing Rallies in Solidarity with the Iranian People: Saturdays 4-6pm in Minneapolis
The Minnesota Committee in Support of a Democratic Iran (MCSDI) is hosting a rally every Saturdays from 4-6pm starting at Orchestra Hall on Nicollet Mall and 11th Street. The rally is to support the first female led Revolution of our time called “Zan Zendegi Azadi “ which means “Woman Life Freedom”.
Iranian Women, despite brutal crackdown and the shutting down of the internet, have not back down. MN protests are happening at the same time as other protests around the world and and have had hundreds of people to match. All are welcome.
We are going to talk to the planners of the event on November 14 to learn more about what is happening and what it means to the people in Iran and to those of us outside the country. We will hear from:
Afsaneh Motameni who worked as a consultant and System Architect for Fortune 500 Companies including Delta Airlines, Northwest Airlines, ING and holds two Master’s degrees and a certification in Executive Program Artificial Intelligence from MIT. She was the co-founder of Visible Customer, software which was sold to MN Automobile Dealers Association. She is the visionary behind the new startup Body Zoom, a software using advance Artificial Intelligence for exercise rehabilitation programs to decrease health care and workers comp cost
Christopher Behnam who is the founder of Help Free Iran and United Airlines 777Captain and proud recipient of the 2018 Superior Airmanship Award. He was born in Iran and is a passionate Iranian human rights advocate and motivational speaker. His book, The Flying Lion, is due to release early next year.
Read More
Thanks for supporting #MNWeekendofAction
Thank you to the planners, the volunteers, the people who honked at us on the bridges and the passersby who joined us for our MN Weekend of Action. On Friday, we made posters and signs for Sunday’s Pro-Choice Bridge Brigade. Saturday, 20 people came out to write postcards to help Flip the MN Senate; more than 700 postcards were created! We enjoyed perfect Fall weather as we door knocked for a phenomenal Pro-Choice candidate, Judy Seeberger (SD41) on Saturday afternoon in Cottage Grove. Sunday morning, 30 plus volunteers held up Vote Pro-Choice signs on three prominent bridges in the Twin Cities before the Vikings game. (Let’s hope their win rubs off on us!)
Some of us attended the live taping of the Island of Discarded Women (IODW) Sunday night. We helped attendees register to vote and sent postcards to select addresses encouraging folks to vote for pro-choice candidates.
At the event, Oogie_Push from the Meskwaki Nation near Tama, Iowa told a story about making calls to encourage voters in her community. They made hundreds of calls - often reaching people they knew. Many decided after the call to vote. In the end, their candidate won by 48 votes. (You can hear more stories once the podcast IOWD broadcasts!)
We make a difference! Know that and please continue to make a difference. It’s going to take all of us!
If you have an event you want us to promote, please send it to us admin@womensmarchmn.com. We have postcards and scripts if you want to send them, again email us and we’ll find a way to get you the supplies. (Like the woman who needs 400+ for her apartment neighbors to fill out!) We will continue to keep our calendar updated.
We can do it together!!
Read More
Weekend of Action: Oct 7-9 - find an event!
We're so excited about our upcoming Weekend of Action (Oct7-9)! Join us to remind people that Reproductive Freedom is on the ballot this November. Join us to Get Out the Vote for Pro-Choice candidates in the Midterms. It’s going to take all of us!
Attend an event hosted by Women’s March MN:
10/8
- Doorknock with WMM to help Flip the MN Senate Join us at the Day of 2,000 Doors for Judy Seeberger (SD41) 1:30-4pm. Cottage Grove. Register here
- Postcard Party to help Flip the Senate Join us in an important part of our #FlipTheMNSenate effort as we write postcards to support pro-choice candidates. 3-5 pm Bear Cave Brewing, Hopkins. Register here
10/9
- Pro-Choice Sign Brigade 10am-noon. Join friends from Women's March Minnesota, Edina Indivisible and Indivisible St. Paul for a "bridge brigade" to encourage drivers with our pro-choice voting messages. We will be standing on three bridges strategically in the path of drivers heading toward downtown Minneapolis for the Vikings game. Register here
- Island of Deserted Women Get Out the Vote table Visit Women’s March MN at the Island of Discarded Women show at the Minneapolis Women’s Club, 410 OakGrove St., Minneapolis. We’ll be in the lobby before and after the show helping people get registered and/or hearing more about the upcoming midterm elections. Show is at 5.30-8.30pm and tickets are available online.
10/7 - 10/9
Adopt a Clinic Join us all weekend as we support a women’s clinic in Duluth and help them reach their goal of providing sexual and reproductive health care for all. Donate directly or purchase items on their We Health Amazon wish list.
Other Weekend of Action Events NOT hosted by Women’s March MN:
Two weeks ago, we put out the call for you to host Weekend of Action events. You responded. Here are the events that we know of so far. Let us know if you’ve heard of more. Please find one near you and support it.
10/8
- Rally in Lindstrom for Women’s Rights 9am-12noon. Oberstar Plaza, 12650 Lake Blvd, Lindstrom, MN, 55045
.- Doorknock for Jen Schultz and Kate Malchow 10am and 1pm. Central ParkPavilion, 6250 Main Street, North Branch.
- Sign Holding in Coon Rapids 11am-1pm. Join Sign Holding event in high traffic area - Highway 10 overpass on Main Street in Coon Rapids. 3045 Main Street, Coon Rapids, MN.
- Women’s Wave MN 12 noon, MN State Capitol, St Paul. Register here.
10/9
Doorknock for Jen Schultz and Katie Malchow. 11am. Goodview Park Pavilion, Goodview Ave South of 262nd St., Wyoming, MN.
Read More
Weekend of Action: Donate to Women’s Clinic in Duluth
Join us in supporting the Women’s Health Clinic in Duluth. Abortion Clinics are under attack and we need to support them, especially since they provide services to individuals who can’t access care in their own state. Please consider donating to them directly or through their wish list on Amazon. You can also consider sending them gift cards to Duluth area restaurants to provide meals for staff.
Read More
EVENT Oct 9: Island of Discarded Women
Visit Women’s March MN at the Island of Discarded Women. We’ll be in the lobby before and after the show helping people get registered and/or get informed about the upcoming Mid Term Elections.
It’s a special night of a live broadcast of a podcast that lifts of women. Sue Scott and her guests share powerful stories, original music and inspiring conversation! + Food & drink!
The special guest is Marcie Rendon. Marcie is a member of the White Earth Nation and an author, playwright, poet and community arts activist. She is an award-winning author of a fresh new murder mystery series and will share with us excerpts from a new powerful play she is writing that shines a light on the issue of missing and murdered Indigenous women.
Musical guest will be Jaspar Lepak, with new music that is sure to inspire action.
Tickets for the show: $20
Doors open at 5:30 to purchase Food + Drink at your table (service continues during show!)
Show time: 7:00 to 8:30pm
At the Woman’s Club of Minneapolis!
410 Oak Grove St. Minneapolis, MN 55403
https://www.islandofdiscardedwomen.com/
Read More
MN Senate Candidates - #FlipTheMNSenate
For an immediate list for supported House candidates, Women Winning has a list of Senate and House candidates that have been vetted and written up.
Read More
Help WMM to #FlipTheMNSenate
Minnesota is the only state in the country with a split Legislature - the House is controlled by one party (DFL) and the Senate by another (GOP). This makes it very difficult to get bills passed in both chambers and very hard to get progressive legislation passed into law. So, this election we’re focusing our efforts on flipping the MN Senate.
We’ve identified races that we believe will help #FlipTheMNSenate and we’re actively working to support the following candidates in these MN Senate races
Read More
Help Pro-Choice candidates get elected
We are determined to finally elect a pro-choice majority in both the MN House and the MN Senate. This is the only way to protect and expand the right of all Minnesotans to abortion and reproductive healthcare.
There are many ways to help pro-choice candidates get elected, whether you live in their district or not.
Read More
#BeAVoter and encourage others to #BeAVoter
Join us to build the 2022 Blue wave, just like 2018 and 2020!
#BeAVoter
Encourage others to #BeAVoter
Read More
OPPORTUNITY September 10: Volunteer with Women's March at Open Streets West Broadway
Come visit us and/or volunteer at the WMM booth on West Broadway at Open Streets on September 10!
Volunteers Needed!
We are looking for volunteers to help us at the WMM booth. If you've been looking for an easy fun way to get involved - this is it! Shifts will be:
· 10:00am-12:30pm
· 12:00pm-2:30pm
· 2:30pm-5:00pm
You can work one shift or more. Any necessary training will be provided. Please contact us at admin@womensmarchmn.com if you are interested and let us know which shift works best for you. Thank you!
Read More
July 17: Our Future: March for Abortion Access
Join us to demand that Minnesota be a leader in securing reproductive freedom with a day of action on Sunday, July 17 starting at 11:00 am at St. Paul College with a march to the Capitol at noon.
Our Future: March for Abortion Access is an action for everyone to show our leaders and our country what Minnesotans really stand for in this historic moment. Join us!
Read More
Protecting Reproductive Rights event with Sen. Tina Smith!! 6/15. Join us!!
The US Supreme Court is poised to undo 50 years of formal federal protections for access to abortion care in America! How will this ideological attack on reproductive rights and reproductive health care affect us? What could happen next? What can we do to protect and expand Abortion Access, Reproductive Freedom and Reproductive Justice? What are the options at the federal level, including the path toward Supreme Court Reform/Expansion in America? How secure is legal abortion here in MN and what needs to happen to safeguard and expand reproductive rights in our state?
We’re co-hosting a lunch hour event on the subject with Sen. Tina Smith - Protecting Reproductive Freedom in MN - June 15th, 11.30-12.30. Join us!
We'll hear from... U.S. Senator Tina Smith, 11:30-11:45am Meagan Hatcher Mays, Indivisible National, 11:45-12:05 * Maggie Meyer, Pro-Choice Minnesota, 12:05-12:25
Sign up here.
Read More
Fire Prison Guard Who Sexually Assaulted Inmate and End Pattern of Abuse at Shakopee
Twin Cities Incarcerated Workers Organizing Committee have shared a Call to Action…
This April 13th, 2022, Department of Corrections officer Christopher Wendover sexually assaulted Angela Jackson, in solitary confinement, groping her breasts and vaginal area while she was in handcuffs, and threatening her with violence not to tell. Another male guard was present, and while he didn’t directly intervene he did press the panic button, which ended the assault. Angela Jackson reported the information to the people at Shakopee prison and the police. The entire incident should be captured on prison video.
The Department of Corrections has closed this investigation without firing the officer, and until another incarcerated person complained, had officer Wendover staring at Mrs. Jackson every day in the cafeteria. Shakopee Prison has a history of sexual and other abuse, particularly after adding male staff in 1992, including lack of accountability for white officers. Just a few years ago, Sergeant Boegeman was fired from Shakopee for similar misconduct but was rehired in arbitration, so he continues to work at the facility, as well as others implicated.
These are also Department of Corrections wide issues, from failing to stop sexual assault or violence, to holding the mentally ill to solitary confinement, to policy 301.083 which allows the use of segregation for “overflow”, to holding people who are suicidal or a 'threat' naked in "wet cells". Shakopee prison also has bought but refuses to use an airport style body scanner to prevent the regular strip searching of incarcerated people, a procedure many consider sexual assault. Note that a majority of incarcerated women are survivors of sexual violence.
Angela Jackson needs your help via phone call and email --
Call the Scott County Attorney 952-496-8240 and tell them you believe it's important that they prosecute officer Christopher Wendover, Police Case Number 22007875.
Call or email the Commissioner of Corrections paul.schnell@state.mn.us 651-361-7226 and tell him to fire officer Wendover and ensure Angela Jackson is not retaliated against in her job, treatment, and work release placement. Also:
Ask him what he will do to end this pattern of abuse against vulnerable adults in his care
Tell him to start using the body scanner at Shakopee Prison to prevent strip searches which many consider to be sexual assaults, and to invest in them at all facilities
Tell him to medically release the mentally ill instead of sending them to solitary confinement
Finally, call the Attorney General’s office and ask them to investigate the pattern of abuse of in the Department of Corrections and Shakopee Prison in particular: 651-296-3353 -- they can contact us at tc.iwoc@gmail.com.
Sign the petition
Read More
