PEG 12th Congressional District
WAVE - We All Vote Everytime
Newsletter #145
181 weeks down, 40 weeks to go until Election Day!
Census Day Countdown: 75 days
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Tech Note: All Pictures shown are either expandable, printable/downloadable, clickable, or all three!
In the video, Our Defining Moment , the organization GenLess uses excerpts from speeches gifted to us by some of the world's greatest leaders and thinkers. As we approach what would have been Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s 91st birthday, we not only honor his well-known legacy of social justice and civil rights but also by extension the human rights concerns of climate change, voter suppression, and global marginalization. In perusing local events below, keep in mind that "MLK Day" is actually the National MLK Day of Service, "a day on, not a day off" where in recognition of Dr. King we serve and honor each other in the quest for promoting peace and a better world through love for all humankind.
We (you, friend, and me) are the change we wish to see
Featured in the photos above and below this caption, are the grandchildren of retired physical therapist and activist, Bette Cotzin, when she took them to visit the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial in Washington, DC. Bette is one of our longest-serving PEG Newsletter Contributors.

Fun Fact: Bette actually saw Dr. King speak live twice in person as a young adult!!
Featured in the photo above is architect and PEG Newsletter Contributor, Mieko Preston, is the proud recipient of the 2017 U-M MLK Spirit Award. Below is a picture of Mieko receiving the MLK Spirit Award as part of the 2018 architecture student org Initiative for Inclusive Design.

Fun Fact: Mieko served as one of the lead architects on the Martin Luther King Memorial in DC (shown left).
Events
The League of Women Voters sponsors these public presentation covering what the 2020 Census is and why it matters. It describes the What, Why, When, Who, Where and How of the census 2020.

Friday, January 17. Ypsi Emerging
After the wonderful experience of hosting the young Ypsi Schools artists on their way to exhibit in Washington DC, the WCDP wants to continue their mission of supporting and celebrating our community. WCPD will showcase the work of these Ypsilanti Community Schools graduates with a reception and exhibition. 418 W Michigan Ave, Ypsilanti . 6 pm
Friday, January 17 and Friday, 24. Poor People’s Campaign Washtenaw County Coffee & Catch Up
B-24's Espresso Bar Eats and Entertainment, 217 W Michigan Ave, Ypsilanti . 2:30–4 pm
Saturday, January 18. Women's March on Lansing 2020
Michigan State Capitol, 110 N Capitol Ave, Lansing . 2:30–4:30 pm
Saturday, January 18. As part of the Rabhi-Dingell Town Hall
Tappan Middle School, 2251 E Stadium Blvd, Ann Arbor . 10 am

Representative Donna Lasinski Coffee Hours

Senator Jeff Irwin’s Coffee Hours
  • Sunday, January 19. RoosRoast Coffee, 1155 Rosewood St, Ann Arbor. 10 am–noon

  • Saturday, January 25. Cream and Crumb, 44 E Cross St, Ypsilanti. 10 am–noon
Call with MI Resistance. This week’s focus: It's Time to Make Polluters Pay
Sign up for a calling party here .
Monday, January 20. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
These free and public events are a part the University of Michigan's Annual Symposium to commemorate the life and legacy of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. This year's theme is "The (Mis) Education of the US" and includes  dozens of events   held throughout the month. For a full listing of events during the 2020 UM-MLK Symposium, including some that require RSVPs, visit the site here . 
MLK Memorial Keynote Lecture: Angela Davis
Angela Davis has been deeply involved in our nation’s quest for social justice. Her work has always emphasized the importance of building communities of struggle for economic, racial and gender justice. The Memorial Keynote Lecture will be given by civil rights educator, author, and social justice activist Professor Angela Davis. Hill Auditorium,   825 N. University Ave, Ann Arbor . 10–11:30 am (Doors open at 9:30 am. Free and open to the public, not ticketed.)
North Campus Dean’s MLK Spirit Awards
The Martin Luther King Spirit Awards are given to students, student organizations, staff, and faculty members at the University of Michigan North Campus who exemplify the leadership and vision of Dr. King through their commitment to social justice, diversity, equity, and inclusion. Chesebrough Auditorium, Chrysler Building, 2121 Bonisteel Blvd, Ann Arbor. 5–7 pm

What They Did Not Want Martin Talking About
Before his death, it is not common knowledge that Dr. King was speaking out more against war, though some criticized him for doing so. The local chapter of Veterans For Peace will present a talk which concentrates on his speeches relating to war and militarism, showing them as relevant today as they were nearly 50 years ago. Wolverine Room, Michigan League, 911 N. University Ave, Ann Arbor. 2–4 pm 
Outdoor MLK March cancelled
Due to the extremely cold weather, the annual march has been cancelled. The indoor rally will be extended and the community meal and cultural event will take place as planned. St. Matthew and St. Joseph Episcopol Church, 8850 Woodward Ave, Detroit , Noon
Tuesday, January 21. MLK Jr’s Legacy and the Crisis of Racial Capitalism -- What’s Next?
Barbara Ransby, Ph.D, is a professor of history and gender studies; and African American studies at the University of Illinois-Chicago. Her lecture will explore the history of racial capitalism and strategies for how the moves forward in light of it’s growing awareness of the true cost of today’s faulty socioeconomic construct. 1014 Tisch Hall, 435 S State St., Ann Arbor. 4–6 pm
Thursday, January 23. 30 in 30 Ann Arbor
Come learn about the innovative and increasingly popular Ranked Choice electoral reform that reduces extremism in our politics. University of Michigan, Weil Hall-Betty Ford Classroom 1100, 735 S. State St , Ann Arbor. 7 pm

Saturday, January 25. GOTV
Mark Grebner, a Michigan political consultant, will discuss his findings on the best use of resources to Get Out the Vote. When does it work? When is it wasted effort? How best to focus resources? Sunward Cohousing Common House, 424 Little Lake Dr., Ann Arbor . 3–5 pm
eaders take an action, so think about inserting phrases like "for a limited time only" or "only 7 remaining!"
Saturday, January 25. “Yousef and You” Forum
Anyone in our district can come to get an update on legislative issues, ask questions, and participate in open discussion. Community Room, RoosRoast Coffee,  1155 Rosewood St, Ann Arbor.   10 am
Sunday, January 26, 2020. WCDP 2020 Social Kickoff
This will be a critically important year and the WCDP would like to kick off the year with an enjoyable community-building event. All are welcome and we look forward to a great convivial evening with members from across the County. For more information contact info@washtenawdems.org . Cultivate Coffee & Tap House , 307 N River S, Ypsilanti . 5–7 pm
Things to do
IMMEDIATE
Contact the Chairs of the Environmental Quality Committees in the House and Senate to schedule a hearing on these bills
PFAS polluters across Michigan are not held to sufficient standards. Last year, Rep. Yousef Rabhi and Sen. Jeff Irwin introduced bills in the House (HB 4212) and Senate (SB 116) which would require polluters to pay for the cleanup, but the bills have seen no movement at all.
  • Senator Rick Outman: P.O. Box 30036 Lansing, MI 48909-7536, Phone: (517) 373-3760, Fax: (517) 373-8661, SenROutman@senate.michigan.gov
  • Representative Gary Howell: S-1186 House Office Building P.O. Box 30014 Lansing, MI 48909, Phone: (517) 373-1800, GaryHowell@house.mi.gov

Apply for Election Worker jobs to help Detroiters exercise their right to vote!
The City of Detroit is looking for people willing to serve as in two different jobs:
1) poll workers, i.e. Electronic Poll Book Inspectors , and
2) Absentee Counting Board Inspectors
for the March 10 presidential primary, as well as during the August 4 primary and the Nov 10 election. The city needs several poll workers for each of its 500+ election precincts. In addition, hundreds of poll workers are needed to process absentee ballots on Election Day at TCF Center in downtown Detroit (formerly Cobo Hall). Details about the two different jobs, including qualifications, hours of work, training, and pay can all be found at this site . The Detroit Poll Workers application form itself can be found here . 
Make an important contribution to our democracy by working in a polling place on Election Day
Almost every city/township needs more qualified election inspectors, but some places have particular needs, e.g. in 2020, Detroit will open six satellite clerk's offices, in addition to the main clerk's office, where people can register and vote early via absentee ballot. They plan to have these offices open for at least 30 days before Election Day, including some weekend hours, and will be hiring temporary staff before each election (including the March 2020 presidential primary) to staff all of these offices. These won't be poll workers -- they'll be temporary clerk staff who will be asked to commit to a month or more. For more information, contact Deb Olson at dgolson@c2be.org .
Things to read, watch, or listen to
Voter suppression in Michigan!
Priorities USA , a progressive national super PAC, has filed lawsuits against two laws which restrict access to voting in Michigan. According to a report in Bridge Magazine , one lawsuit (filed against Attorney General Dana Nessel) prohibits people from hiring vehicles to transport voters who can otherwise walk to the polls. The other lawsuit , filed against Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, requires “ signatures on applications for absentee ballots to match that person’s signature from when they registered to vote.” The magazine report indicates that “a state Republican leader said the restrictions are important to discourage voter fraud.” Priorities USA argues that the two Michigan laws are unreasonable and unnecessary obstacles to voting and are therefore unconstitutional.
Help insure a fair and accurate census!
It is critical to our communities to have a fair and accurate census. As the census website states, “Health clinics. Fire departments. Schools. Even roads and highways. The census can shape many different aspects of your community.”
Stacey Abrams is leading the way through her new organization, Fair Count . According to The Hill , Fair Count stated that many of those who go uncounted include racial and ethnic minorities, low-income residents, non-English speakers and those experiencing homelessness. Her goal is to reach out to “hard-to-count populations” in Georgia before counting begins.” As she states in her recent article, They’ll Erase Us From the Future’: Stacey Abrams Understands Why We Fear the Census But Says We Must Participate Anyway .
On her website, Stacey asks us all to make a commitment to be counted.
Furthermore, the US Census Bureau is hiring for a variety of temporary jobs, including census takers, recruiting assistants, office staff, and supervisory staff. Consider applying for a job with the US Census Bureau by going to their website .
WAVE Updates
Yalcin Yanikoglu and Debby Dingell
Yalcin Yanikoglu and Chuck Newman enjoying Debbie Dingell's pastry
Meeting with Debbie Dingell
On January 11, 2020, Chuck Newman, Yulchin Yanikoglu, the developer of the WAVE software and Leslie H. Kamil met with Debbie Dingell to explain the benefits of using this software to increase the number of absentee voters.  Dingell endorsed the use of the software and collaboration with her team for training and development and implementation of a strategy to roll out this software.
Congress approves Federal funding for gun violence research
Last month, Congress approved the allocation of $25 million toward gun violence research as part of its overall $1.4 trillion 2020 spending plan. The spending package was signed by the president on December 20th. The research funding falls short of the $50 million dollars that Democrats had requested, yet it marks a significant milestone in efforts to better understand the causes and prevention of gun violence in America. Until the passage of this spending bill, efforts to study gun violence had been stymied by the 1996 “Dicky Amendment,” that prohibited the use of federal dollars for the purpose of “advocating or promoting gun control.” Although the Dickey Amendment did not explicitly ban gun violence research, in practical terms, it was interpreted as such, as CDC leaders and others feared that engaging in research in this area could negatively impact future funding. As a result, there has been a dearth of research on this public health emergency that claims the lives of 40,000 Americans annually. 
About PEG and WAVE
WAVE  (We All Vote Every time)  is its own entity. However, to alleviate redundancies, information is distributed via the Protectors of Equality (PEG) Newsletter. Stay tuned for important WAVE updates in the next few weeks! The PEG Newsletter typically goes out each Thursday, with a repeat send on Sunday to recipients that have not opened it Thursday. PEG is a non-partisan volunteer organization whose mission is to assure that our government will treat all Americans with equality and acceptance. PEG's work is primarily done by recruiting, educating and nurturing supporters for worthy organizations, actions and events that reflect our beliefs.

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Thanks to Newsletter contributors: Bernie Banet, Leslie McGraw, Richard Gaeth, Ellen Halter, Lisa Kamil, Leslie Kamil, Bette Cotzin, Susie Ayer, Sonya Lewis, Mieko Preston, and Chuck Newman for their help preparing our newsletters. Write us at equalityingovinfo@gmail.com if you would like help create our weekly newsletter. It’s fun and no ongoing commitment is required.
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