The ACLU has a comprehensive list of these bills, divided by category and has links to each specific bill in the state legislature showing descriptions, status, and more. Here’s the only one for Michigan. SB0218, referred to committee on 3/10/21, “Education: athletics; requirement that only biological males may compete for a position on and compete on a boys' high school team in an interscholastic activity and only biological females may compete for a position on and compete on a girls' high school team in an interscholastic activity.” Read more here. -ACLU

The Movement Advancement Project has great graphs and charts and lots of data. View the overall policy tally for each state which counts the number of laws and policies within the state that help drive equality for LGBTQ people. The major categories of laws covered by the policy tally include: Relationship & Parental Recognition, Nondiscrimination, Religious Exemptions, LGBTQ Youth, Health Care, Criminal Justice, and Identity Documents. View your own state. Search data for a particular sub-issue. Learn much more here. -Movement Advancement Project

Join Voting Access for All in launching their Voting Ambassadors program in 1 of 5 pilot cities — Detroit, Pontiac, Jackson, Lansing, or Grand Rapids. Help by reaching out to folks in county jails and communities across Michigan to speak up for the rights of all who are voiceless or vulnerable by being voting ambassadors to help those who may be misinformed to know their rights. Every citizen deserves a vote. RSVP here. 12:30–2 pm

Join organizers Field Team 6 in calling eligible voters in North Carolina's 24th district! Callers will be targeting Richard Hudson, who voted to overturn the 2020 Biden election results. In November, Hudson won his district (NC-08) by 6.6 points, or 24,993 votes. There are 33,938 eligible voters to call in his district. Volunteers will be reaching out to people likely registered as Democrats, or signed up to vote from home (vote by mail) if they're already registered. Read and register here. 3–5 pm on each subsequent Sunday in June. **Actually June 13, 27 and July 11, 18, 25.**

Juneteenth is an American holiday that commemorates the June 19,1865 announcement of the abolition of slavery in the state of Texas and other parts of the southwest. The day is honored or recognized as a day of remembrance in 47 states. 2021 marks the 27th anniversary of the A2-NAACP’s Juneteenth observation here in Ann Arbor, however this is the first year the city officially recognizes the date as a holiday. Futhermore, PEG is proud to be a sponsor for the Ann Arbor NAACP celebration for the second year in a row. Be sure to check out the special Juneteenth Event section for celebrations near you.

This virtual conversation will be William Hampton, the President of the Ann Arbor Branch of the NAACP who grew up in Tyler, Texas which had two African American police officers who were not allowed to arrest white people. He will be joined by Leslie McGraw whose great-grand uncle, Elbert Williams, was an officer of the NAACP lynched in Tennessee for attempting to help blacks register to vote. She will share her efforts to get his story told. The discussion will explore their role in the fight for racial justice and the significance of Juneteenth for all of us. Hosted by Chuck Newman. Register for the Zoom event here. Registrants will be sent the link to the show. 7:30 pm

June 14–18. Juneteenth Symposium: Celebrating Black Joy, Hope, And Healing

The hope is to bring together the U-M and Ann Arbor communities virtually to underscore the importance of Juneteenth and to ensure that all students, staff, faculty, and residents feel a deep sense of belonging. U-M hopes everyone can join the celebration, while we advance our educational mission as a university and seek to collaborate, enrich, and empower the community in a longstanding annual tradition to promote Black liberation and excellence. Read the full schedule and stream events here.

Temple Beth Emeth is celebrating "June for Justice," with a different focus each Friday night of the month at "Erev Shabbat" services. On the night before Juneteenth (i.e., Erev Juneteenth), TBE will be welcoming a special guest speaker, Trische’ Duckworth from Survivors Speak. The community is welcome to attend. Join in by clicking here. 7:30 pm

Join the Women of Color Task Force for their observance of Juneteenth with a day-long conference consisting of panel discussions and keynote speeches. The theme for the event is “Improving Intercultural Race Relations to Develop Intercultural Solidarity.” For a full listing of panelists and speakers, please visit their site. 8:30 am–1:30 pm

Join in the next run of the United Way of Washtenaw County’s 21 Day Equity Challenge - kicking off Juneteenth. The Challenge examines the history and impacts of racism on people’s lived experience in Washtenaw County. Take this self-guided journey, and along, participants will also receive examples and tools on how to undo racism and build racial equity and justice. Register here.

According to Common Cause, it is critically important to pass both pieces of legislation.

According to Common Cause, “these two bills really depend on each other. While the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act will protect the right to vote which is absolutely crucial as state legislatures across the country are creating new barriers to voting. The For the People Act will also move the ball forward by creating new national standards that expand the freedom to vote and make our elections more accessible. Without the For the People Act, the Voting Rights Act would only combat current voter suppression efforts.”

Democracy Docket notes that while Senator Joe Manchin has stated his opposition to the For the People Act, he did signal support for the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, stating that he will “continue to engage with my Republican and Democratic colleagues about the value” of the bill and work to move it forward in the Senate on a bipartisan basis. Time will tell……

We encourage you to send a message to your State Senator urging them to oppose this legislation. We have an action alert set up with a pre-written message to get you started. As always, we encourage you to customize your message. We also hope you will share this action alert with your friends and family, so we can all work together to protect Michigan’s freedom to vote. 

The Big Lie >the Insurrection> those who want to cover it up. “It’s also no coincidence that of the 147 House and Senate Republicans who voted in January to overturn the election, 139 of them also just voted to stop an independent commission from investigating the insurrection. It’s all connected. They attacked democracy in January and capped it off last week with a second attack on democracy, all in plain sight and with the intention of preserving the lie.” Know their names. Read more

A special thanks to our Newsletter contributors: Ellen Halter, Mieko Preston, Leslie McGraw, Leslie Kamil, Lisa Kamil, Richard Gaeth, Susie Ayer, Bette Cotzin, 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.