Dear friends,
This will never stop being back-to-school season for me. What I feel, above all, is the excitement of reconnecting with people, with new opportunities to learn, and with projects that were set aside — for one reason or another — over the summer.
MassReconnect, a new program offering free community college to students over age 25, has just launched in the state of Massachusetts. Governor Maura Healy has championed the program as a means of
“breaking cycles of intergenerational poverty by helping residents complete their higher education credentials so they can attain good jobs and build a career path.”
Reconnecting adults with educational opportunity is a beautiful thing.
The state of Minnesota is returning land to the Dakota people. The land, now in a state park, holds the buried remains of many Dakota people who were deliberately starved to death during the US-Dakota war of 1862 as well as those of the 38 warriors who were hanged for trying to defend their people.
Kevin Jensvold, chairman of the Upper Sioux Community, has been asking the state to return the land for 18 years. At last, the people will be reconnected to their land and the burial site of their ancestors.
The funds are part of the Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness Program, which provides planning grants to assess and mitigate potential climate hazards such as flooding and extreme heat—along with funds to implement these plans. It also helps cities and towns focus on populations that are most affected by the impacts of climate change.
A reader and friend sent around an email to her circle of friends this weekend, encouraging everyone to get back into the streets to demand climate action. We recently attended an organizing meeting for the September 17th March to End Fossil Fuels.
I had promised to say more about why you should go; instead, I’ll let my friend say it:
Our lives have gotten busy again, and many of us had the chance to enjoy our first post-pandemic summer.
At the same time, there's so much to worry about that it's paralyzing.
For both of these reasons, many of us have stopped going to marches over the past year or two.
But the climate emergency came into absolute focus this summer - extreme heat, extreme fires, extreme floods - in ways that need to move us to do something.
A wide range of organizations have come together to provide that something in this moment, as representatives from around the globe gather at the UN for a Climate Summit - all we have to do is show up.
It won't be enough, but it is a place to start.
Another reason to come out and march is to reconnect with friends. We are working to assemble a huge contingent, and you are part of our plan.
The mass street protest is intended to amplify the same climate demands we make each week right here, from home.
Tell the President again to declare a climate emergency.
We still have time to contact the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) about phasing out fossil fuel extraction. The BLM is supposed to manage public lands for public benefit.
According to Earth Justice, a proposed rule change would finally rein in fossil fuel exploitation on public land by raising the rent on leases, increasing royalties paid to the government, and requiring larger bonds cover the real costs of capping wells.
The proposed rule change isn’t perfect, and it is an important step.
As with most public comments, making yours unique helps. The Earth Justice page has plenty of information and there are also key points from Great Old Broads, which created this action. We have until September 22 to comment.
Make a public comment to the BLM on a proposed rule to improve the management of existing oil and gas leases on public land.
Plus, here’s a quick action to urge NY state Governor Kathy Hochul to enact bipartisan legislation that will prevent the state from allowing taxpayer dollars to fund “climate destruction via tropical deforestation, tropical primary forest degradation and associated abuses of the rights of Indigenous Peoples and local tropical communities.”
Tell the governor to sign the Tropical Deforestation-Free Procurement Act! This quick action is from Stop the Money Pipeline.
If you have young people in your life who struggle with anxiety, read the following hopeful piece about how to help them cope in a challenging world.
Read “This Simple Fix Could Help Anxious Kids” by Camilo Ortiz and Lenore Skenazy.
For further inspiration — from two extraordinary young Black athletes — on how to look out for yourself, read this great story about Coco Gauff and “It’s Simone Biles’s Most Daring Move — and You Can Do It, Too.”
with love,
L