Visit the IHB website at: https://www.indivisible-IHB.org.
Dear {{ FirstName | default: 'Friend' }},
Key actions for the upcoming week include the following:
We are so very grateful for all that you do each week!
The IHB Leadership Team
“When you stand on a street corner, roadside, or freeway overpass to challenge Trump’s illegal actions, you inspire and sustain others in ways that you will never know. Tens of millions of Americans are angry and motivated to act but are holding two jobs or caring for young children or elderly parents. They may be struggling with health issues or crushing debt. When you protest, you speak for those whose circumstances preclude them from doing so.
Most importantly, when they see you taking action, they know that Americans have not given up. Your persistence in the face of exhaustion and bewilderment is a blessing to others. Someone who “honks” at “bridge brigade” protesters may be motivated to show-up at the polls in November despite their own weariness and feelings of helplessness because you inspired them by saying, “I will not quit. I am here in 14-degree cold and will be here in 95-degree heat. Follow me!” – Robert Hubbell, January 7.
Join IHB THIS AFTERNOON FOR
"ICE Out for Good" Actions!
Come stand with our community (and others across Delaware and the nation) to demand accountability, honor the life of Renee Good and others, and make visible the human cost of ICE’s actions. IHB has 2 actions going on today! They will both be focused on speaking out against ICE violence.
Actions Organized by IHB:
!! 1. Honk and Wave
!! 2. Bridge Visibility
If you won't be in Wilmington this afternoon, you can join an "ICE OUT FOR GOOD" event in Newark or Dover this afternoon!
!! Weekly - IHB Honk and Wave Update
If you have questions about any of the above (or to share your ideas for rally themes and/or locations), contact Nancy Wahler: nancywahler@gmail.com.
COURAGE COLLECTIVES
SUMMARY: An explanation of Courage Collectives, the action-oriented evolution of Indivisible’s One Million Rising (OMR) initiative, was presented at the November 17th Monday Meeting at WBW. The presentation can be accessed HERE if you missed it.
We are seeing cracks in the Pillars supporting the regime. While their frustration grows, we need to lean in. There will be a Zoom meeting on January 15 at 4:30 p.m. to kick-off this campaign. You can sign-up for this informational meeting at our next Monday IHB meeting (January 12). You can also contact Deb at dstravers@comcast.net to sign-up or get more information. Deb is typically at WBW by 3:30 p.m. for every Monday Meeting.
IHB has been supporting four Courage Collective initiatives which are focused on the Business pillar:
For more information regarding Courage Collective, please contact Deb Travers at dstravers@comcast.net.
Courage Collective - ACTIONS:
!! 1. Pivoting the "Ground Avelo Campaign"
Summary: First, another big THANK YOU for all that each of you did to help deliver the change that Avelo announced this week, that they will cease flying ICE deportation flights by the end of the month. You did this with many actions, including:
Through this work, we built relationships, learned many things, and called for our state leaders to do more.
With success comes a need to reprioritize and focus our efforts. The DE Stop Avelo Coalition is currently sorting through these many learnings and reprioritizing the work, based on Avelo exiting deportation flights.
The work is not done, as there could easily be "another Avelo" that contracts with ICE and seeks state support (tax incentives, advertising funds, below market rent rates, etc.). Future arrangements should affirm that due process rights will be followed and also allow the state to exit contracts when there are human rights, safety, or due process violations.
Stay tuned for future actions in the coming weeks.
Once again, this very positive outcome was all thanks to your many, many undertakings!
For more details, please contact Gayle Gibson at (gibeck@comcast.net).
!!2. Don't Stream Fascism: Cancel Spotify - Update
Our goal with Spotify was to get them to cease recruiting ads for ICE agents, who have been involved in thug tactics that have resulted in injuries, and just this week, a fatality, when engaging in their enforcement of Stephen Miller’s quotas for rounding up immigrants.
I’m happy to say that Spotify is no longer running the ads – we believe they let the contract with ICE expire without renewal. Thanks to all of you who moved your music from Spotify to other platforms. Just as Disney found out when they cancelled Jimmy Kimmel, Spotify discovered that customers would walk when they believed a moral line had been crossed.
Along with Avelo, Spotify is success #2 for our efforts!
!!3. Shame on Citizens Bank – Let’s take what we learned from our Avelo campaign and apply it to Citizens Bank!
Summary: We want to force Citizens Bank (CB) to quit funding CoreCivic and GEO, who build and run the for-profit prisons being used to hold ICE detainees under deplorable conditions. Citizens Bank has not pulled the trigger on this yet, but we are about to turn up the heat!
Action 1: Social Media Campaign.
We continue to target the Citizens Bank Facebook page this week. As people go to the page to write wonderful things about CB’s customer service and philanthropy, they will also get a dose of the truth about Citizens’ funding of for-profit prisons. Get to their Facebook page using this link: https://www.facebook.com/CitizensBank.MortgageLoans/mentions and feel free to leave them a comment yourself. We need to amplify this message.
Action 2: Send an email to Dan Fitzpatrick (daniel.k.fitzpatrick@citizensbank.com).
If you haven't already done so, write a letter to Citizen's Bank executives to voice your anger. We continue to “correspond” with emails to Dan Fitzpatrick, President, CB Mid-Atlantic, letting him know where we plan to protest next. Click HERE to see an example. Remember that it is very important to use your own words and not make something a form letter.
We have Mr. Fitzpatrick's attention; he is sending people from his team to support the branch manager on the days we protest at the Concord Pike location. We need to keep up the pressure.
Action 3: Anne Elmlinger set-up a meeting with Vicki Miller of Indivisible Philadelphia to discuss their plans for a multi-state day of protest against Citizens Bank. Stay tuned for more information from the Rally Team as it develops.
During this meeting, we shared other tactics that both groups are implementing and agreed to utilize each other’s ideas – why reinvent the wheel? One of these tactics is targeting companies who are “employing” ICE detainees as slave labor, which is illegal. Indivisible Philadelphia is in the process of targeting suspected companies in this area. The IHB Courage Collective Team will be doing research to determine if there are Delaware companies who might be employing ICE detainees in this manner.
!! 4. The Faith Pillar - Getting Started - NEW
If any of you want to start your own Courage Collective with your Faith Community (yes, Faith is one of the Pillars), Deb Travers can help you get started. This pillar was mentioned at the brainstorming session on Courage Collective. Deb will be sharing her experience at tomorrow’s Monday meeting at WBW.
For more details, please contact Deb Travers at (dstravers@comcast.net).
Save the contact information below on your computer and/or in your phone:
[If you have not tried it, please take a look at Democracy I/O. This tool will allow you to send an e-mail to all three of our MOCs with just a few clicks.].
As part of our on-going advocacy efforts, the following are actions for your attention and action this week:
!! 1. To: Senator Chris Coons and Senator Lisa Blunt Rochester (contacts 1 and 2 above).
ACTION: Follow-up contact to Senators Coons and Blunt Rochester regarding Venezuela position.
SAMPLE MESSAGE:
BACKGROUND: The good news is that five Senate Republicans joined with Democrats to advance a resolution to stop President Trump from ordering new unilateral military action against Venezuela. This does not mean that the fight is over, only that we have the potential for a floor discussion in the Senate about authorization of the war in Venezuela.
Follow this link to for more information from Indivisible National Take Action: Stop Trump’s War in Venezuela | Indivisible Guide.
!!2. To: Senator Chris Coons and Senator Lisa Blunt Rochester and Representative Sarah McBride (contacts 1, 2, and 3 above).
ACTION: Contact our MOCs asking that they speak-out against the ICE action in Minnesota (and Oregon).
SAMPLE MESSAGE:
!! 3. To: All IHB members - Immigration Education
Summary: If you missed the presentation on Immigration that Beth Anne Gluck delivered on Monday, January 5, there are at least two ways that you can still be involved.
Action a: See a copy of Beth Anne's presentation by clicking HERE, just to review key topics.
Action b: If you missed the entire presentation or would like to rehear what was said, please feel free to listen to a recording of her presentation by clicking HERE.
!! 4. To: All IHB Members - Critical Action for Each of Us to Take on January 13!!
Summary: HB 94, to provide for "safe places" in schools, hospitals, and places of worship, is on the ready list in the House and is waiting for a floor vote. We must help ensure that it gets that hearing.
Background: Don't forget to include the bill number in the email subject line and "the ask" for the floor vote. In the body of your email, include the date for the vote (by the end of January). If you are a constituent, say that as well. Tell why this bill is important to you personally, make it "real" to the reader, BUT short and snappy.
!! 5. To: All IHB Members - Let's Take Action to the Next Level
Summary: We are looking for innovative ways to engage our growing membership. We have heard from many of you that you want to do more and are looking for ways to get more deeply involved.
Background: There are numerous things which are open to be done in this Immigration area. There is an Immigration Sub-Committee which is working on specific plans and projects. After signing-up, you will be contacted by a member of the Immigration Sub-Committee.
!! 6. To: All IHB members - Phone Banking Opportunity!
Summary: There are a couple of critical Constitutional Amendments related to voting, which will be voted on in this Legislative session, SB 2 and SB 3!
Background: Expanding voting is a top tier issue for IHB and has been from the very beginning of our history! We need our members to commit to this important effort.
The Social Capital Work Group - We Build Community.
!! New Member Meetings - If You Are a Newbie or Want to Learn More.
IHB Community Sing – Join the fun, all voices welcome, even off-key.
!! Unless noted otherwise, all meetings start at 4:00 p.m. and take place at Wilmington Brew Works (WBW), 3129 Miller Road in Wilmington. Join us!
Reminders: Please come early (3:30 or 3:45 p.m.), to give yourself time to get your drink and socialize so that we may start promptly at 4:00 p.m. Because our membership is growing, do consider carpooling. And please don't forget to generously tip the wait staff at Wilmington Brew Works for making this great facility available to us! Members are encouraged to wear their IHB name tags.
Indivisible Highland and Beyond’s mission: Preserve and expand participation in our democracy by electing pro-democracy candidates and by promoting legislation and policies that advance an inclusive, representative democracy.
Find IHB on TikTok @ihbdelaware and Instagram @indivisiblehighlandsandbeyond.
Visit the IHB website at: https://www.indivisible-IHB.org. If you need help setting up your IHB account or have trouble logging in, contact IHB webmaster Sandy Dobbs at indivisiblebeyond1@gmail.com).
IHB Leaders:
| Electoral |
Lucy Comstock-Gay (lucy.comstockgay@gmail.com) |
| Legislative Advocacy: | Sheila Grant (sgrant62@gmail.com) |
|
Legislative & Electoral Mailings: |
Sarah Baylin (sjbaylin66@gmail.com) |
|
One Million Rising (OMR): |
Deb Travers (dstravers@comcast.net) |
|
Operations: |
Nancy Hannigan (njhannigan@yahoo.com) |
|
Social Capital: |
Jill Gaumer (jill.gaumer@gmail.com) Maxine Robbins (maxinerobbins@gmail.com) |
|
Communications: | Gwen Jolley (gmjolley@bellsouth.net) |