Dear friends,
It’s time for some good news and some hope. Here are some stories that matter:
A group of scientists, concerned about the urgency of climate action, has launched Science Moms, an education and advocacy group that is hoping to capitalize on the indefatigability of mothers:
They have a long track record of political activity: Mothers Against Drunk Driving helped lower the legal limit for blood alcohol content in drivers. Moms Demand Action has lobbied for initiatives to prevent gun violence. Politicians prize their votes; corporations go after their pocketbooks. They are also disproportionately likely to say they are already concerned about climate change, making it easier to move them to act.
Add your voice to the chorus calling for climate legislation to be a priority. Check out the resources available to educate yourself, your children, and anyone you teach.
Here in Brooklyn, neighborhood activists are cheering the announcement of a new offshore wind turbine assembly hub in Sunset Park. UPROSE, an organization led by women of color that promotes sustainability and resiliency, was involved in decades of advocacy to bring green industry to the waterfront and jobs to the Latinx and immigrant community surrounding South Brooklyn Marine Terminal.
Learn more about Sunset Park Solar, another UPROSE initiative, and find out how you can be part of New York City’s first cooperatively-owned community solar project.
Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation offers a number of amazing resources to educate the public about the important work done to advance human rights, including an African American History Tour and a Civil Rights and Social Justice map.
Sign the petition to call on leaders in NY to support landmark designation for the area south of Union Square and its many civil rights landmarks.
A group of a few hundred veterans took it upon themselves to clean up the area around the Capitol following the siege on January 6. A recently retired combat medic led the clean-up, which included the removal of stickers with hateful messages from lampposts and buildings. Many participants were members of Continue to Serve, an organization of veterans devoted to social justice and public service.
Support Continue to Serve.
Jose Andrés of World Central Kitchen stepped into the breach once again this weekend. Having seen pictures of National Guard troops sprawled on marble floors when on breaks from defending the Capitol, Andrés realized that the hasty plans to mobilize tens of thousands of troops were hard on those who serve. So Andrés and his people got in touch with Nancy Pelosi, among others, and offered to serve dinner. They started with Friday night dinners.
Support World Central Kitchen, a non-profit that “uses the power of food to heal communities and strengthen economies in times of crisis.”
A lot of the good news today is an imminent end (we hope) of bad news. Some of it is too obvious (and plentiful!) to enumerate, but here are some things you may have missed:
We are coming to the end of the scotch-tape era of presidential records. The outgoing president frequently tore up correspondence after reading it, in spite of directives from the Chief of Staff’s office. A fun personal fact you may not know is that every member of my immediate family has direct experience working in libraries and/or archives. Our research, writing, teaching, art, and activism is intimately connected with the existence of public records. So, three cheers for the National Archives and Records Administration and an incoming administration that understands its importance.
with love,
L