Blog 23

March 21, 2017

Get Out of the Bubble

At our latest Indivisible Euclid meeting we were reminded once again that even those of us who have worked on anti-racism for years still get trapped in our bubble of white privilege.  Rather than coming up with our plan with how to stand with the immigrant community in our neighborhoods, we need to join in on the work that they are already doing.   Perhaps hard to swallow as a white person working every day on resisting the current administration’s agenda, but part of that work is to keep acknowledging our bubble and committing to working as allies with the leaders who live and work for justice in marginalized communities.  At a recent inter-faith Sanctuary organizing meeting, with mainly representatives from white churches, a woman who identified as a Latina here on DACA asked the group to “shine their light” on what her community is already doing to protect itself and resist ICE.  Another minister reminded us that there are already programs in place where we can volunteer. And then, there is our Red State/Blue State Bubble.  In fact, in every community, in every state people think and feel differently about what is happening in our country.  We cannot be separated from one another by generalizing about all those folks who voted for you know who.  My husband has been writing to Republicans who question the administration congratulating them and encouraging them to continue their work.  Right now, as I write this 12 Republicans in the House of Representatives are considering voting No on the ACA bill being rushed through the House and others leaning NO (see list below). 

I am encouraged by a growing acknowledgement particularly on social media of white peoples’ struggle with privilege.  Frank Bruni in his NYTimes  article and  review of the film “Get Out”, https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/18/opinion/sunday/the-horror-of-smug-liberals.html points to how it is being received especially by  many young people who do not see us in a post-racial age. He quotes a typical twitter post: “What if the blind man in #getout represents white people who claim ‘not to see color’, but still end up contributing to oppression and racism. It was retweeted more than 1000 times and liked by more than 1700.

I am not here to beat my breast and say over and over “mea culpa”, but to stay current and active with an anti-racist perspective that takes me out my bubble and allows me to be an ally with others for social justice. 

Wise Words

Poem from Indivisible Euclid Meeting:

Yikes

We are vulnerable to the overload of

Slithering silver- tongued politicians and pundits

Whose distractions mask our choices.

Emergent sliver of choices, requiring

                Discernment and focus.

                Ellen Coffey

Feathers- East European Hasidic Story

Excerpt:

Words, like feathers, fly

In the wind, in the wind.

Reaching far and wide,

In the wind, in the wind.

Careless words, tossed about,

Cannot again be swallowed up.

Tongues like swords can cut the heart.

Words fly out.

The rumors start.

Cruel words, like feathers fly.

Cruel words reach far and wide.

Try and try to gather them again,

But they fly away in the wind.

Actions:

This week call Moc’s  and pressure them not to allow House to rush through ACA bill. Call or email with encouragement the following Republicans who say they will vote no or are leaning no:

Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (Florida) -- "I plan to vote no."

2. Tom Garrett (Virginia) -- "Right now I'm a no. I'm a firm no."

3. Mark Meadows (North Carolina) - "What is conservative about a new entitlement program and a new tax increase?"

4. Rob Wittman (Virginia) -- "I do not think this bill will do what is necessary for the short and long-term best interests of Virginians and therefore, I must oppose it."

5. Dave Brat (Virginia) -- "I can't support."

6. Andy Harris (Maryland) -- Opposes in its current form

7. Darrell Issa (California) -- Bill "not in a form I can approve of"

8. Tom Massie (Kentucky) -- "Stinking pile of garbage"

9. Ted Yoho (Florida) -- "I could not support the bill as it is right now."

10. Justin Amash (Michigan)

11. Raul Labrador (Idaho)

12. Warren Davidson (Ohio) — "If we called the votes today, I would be a no."

Leans no or has very serious concerns

1. Trent Franks (Arizona)

2. Jim Jordan (Ohio) -- Very critical. Introduced "clean repeal" bill

3. Louie Gohmert (Texas) -- "Just one thing is not going to fix it"

4. Mark Sanford (South Carolina) -- "Lean no"

5. Walter Jones (North Carolina) -- Said Congress needs to slow down.

6. Mo Brooks (Alabama)

7. Leonard Lance (New Jersey) -- "I do not want to vote on a bill that has no chance of passing over in the Senate."

8. Claudia Tenney (New York) -- "Just looking at what the CBO report came out with, and some of the issues in New York, I'm leaning toward voting no."

9. Gary Palmer (Alabama) -- "In my opinion, the current bill does not answer this crisis."

10. Tom McClintock (California) -- "I don't think it's defensible or sustainable for us to be giving massive tax cuts to investors while we have not assured that the tax system is supporting low-income families as they try to reach out for new health care insurance in the new market we are creating," he said n MSNBC.

11. Ken Buck (Colorado) -- "I'm leaning against this bill as it stands now," he told CNN's John Berman.

Proposed Education Bill  House Bill 619- We cannot let this happen. From Esther Rosenfeld by way of Joan Carney
To those of you not in the education field, you may not understand a lot of the educational jargon and the foundation of the American education system. Having a school voucher system proposed by Trump's Education secretary Betsy DeVos) doesn't just mean you can choose any school you want your kid to go to. It also means the public education program will be dismantled. Let me explain...
If your child has an IEP, frame it. Then kiss it good-bye.
If you have a job in special-education, meaning if you're a: special education teacher, physical therapist, occupational therapist, speech pathologist, a para, or a teacher's aid, you're in the same boat.
If you are in ESL teacher, you'll go first.
House Bill 610 makes some large changes.
Inform yourselves.
This bill will effectively start the school voucher system to be used by children ages 5-17 and starts the defunding process of public schools.
The bill will eliminate the Elementary and Education Act of 1965, which is the nation's educational law that provides equal opportunity in education.
ESSA is a big comprehensive program that covers programs for struggling learners, advanced and gifted kids in AP classes, ESL classes, classes for minorities such as Native Americans, Rural Education, Education for the Homeless, School Safety (Gun-Free schools), Monitoring and Compliance, and Federal Accountability Programs. Yes, there are all of these programs happening in our education system, in addition to just academics.
The Bill also abolishes the Nutritional Act of 2012 (No Hungry Kids Act) which provides nutritional standards in school breakfast and lunch.
The bill has no wording whatsoever protecting Special Needs kids, no mention of IDEA, and FAPE.
Some things ESSA does for Children with Disabilities:
-Ensures access to the general education curriculum.
-Ensures access to accommodations on assessments.
-Ensures concepts of Universal Design for Learning.
-Includes provisions that require local education agencies to provide evidence-based interventions in schools with consistently underperforming subgroups.
-Requires states in Title I plans to address how they will improve conditions for learning including reducing incidents of bullying and harassment in schools, overuse of discipline practices and reduce the use of aversive behavioral interventions (such as restraints and seclusion).
Please call your representative and ask him/her to vote NO on House Bill 610 (HR 610) introduced by three Republican reps.

Let Barbaara Lee House Representative know that you support her bill to stop troops from being sent to Syria. https://lee.house.gov/news/press-releases/congresswoman-barbara-lee-introduces-bipartisan-bill-to-block-the-deployment-of-ground-troops-in-syria