NCJW Weekly Advocacy Wrap-Up:
Friday, April 22, 2022
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In this issue...
NCJW-CA 2022 Lobby Day is Monday!
–Meetings with legislators – April 25 & April 28
Afghan Refugees Have Arrived!
Upcoming Events
–The Price of Whiteness – Tuesday, April 26
–YESS – Thursday, April 28
–Long Beach Mayoral Candidate Forum – Saturday, April 30
Getting Involved
–Vote Forward is kicking off!
Save the Date
–Planned Parenthood Bans Off Abortion Rally – May 14
–CLUE Architects of Justice – May 19
–Make a Difference Date – May 22
NCJW Action Alert
–Affirm that abortion access should be expanded and not eliminated.
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NCJW-California's Virtual Lobby Week
April 25 & April 28
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NCJW - California's Virtual Lobby Week Kicks off on Monday!
Hear from Keynote Speakers:
Assemblywoman Cristina Garcia, chair of the California Legislative Women’s Caucus, about their United Plan on Reproductive Freedom.
Shimica Gaskins, President and CEO of GRACE about the End Child Poverty in California Coalition’s “$10 Billion to Fight Poverty” campaign.
Followed by: Amazing advocates who will present the details of our three priority bills:
Reproductive Freedom: AB 1666 prevents lawsuits in California courts enforcing out-of-state laws that criminalize California medical personnel or anyone else who aids an abortion of a woman from another state.
Affordable Childcare: AB 92 will create an equitable sliding scale for family fees and will temporarily waive family fees for all families through 2023 to reduce the hardships of the pandemic.
Housing and Homelessness: AB 1816 creates a reentry housing and workforce development program to allow people with recent histories of incarceration to exit homelessness and remain stably housed.
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The Virtual Lobby Week Kick-off will be held virtually from 9 am to noon on Monday, April 25th. Our Section has scheduled virtual lobby meetings with legislative aids from the offices of State Senators Lena Gonzalez (Monday the 25th at 2 pm) and Tom Umberg (Thursday the 28th at 10 am).
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Our Afghan Refugees Have Arrived |
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Our Welcome Circle Team is very excited to announce that the three young Afghan women we have been waiting for arrived Monday evening!
Hameeda, Reema and Masoma were met by Core Team members (l-r): Michele Samit, Gail Levy, Natalie Swit and Cynthia Gordon. They all speak several Afghan languages as well as English.
They were - and are - classmates in a graduate education program in Agronomy & Horticulture sponsored by Michigan State University. After they left Afghanistan last August, the program classes continued in another country for several months.
Then, in late February of this year, they were moved to the United States. Here in Long Beach they will be able to complete their studies online as well as learn about living in our community.
After so many changes, they are very excited to be in California, and we are excited to get to know them. There’s much for our Core Team members & volunteers to do!
We have been lucky enough to have a generous member open her home temporarily, as well as the donation of an Airbnb but more stable housing remains our main priority!
Please help NCJW GLB & WOC help these young women integrate into our community by making a donation. Go to AfghanRefugeeResettlement/donate and select Immigration Services Fund.
If you can assist in another way with a special skill or a housing tip, please contact us through the Welcome Circle email: welcomecircle@ncjwlongbeach.org.
Thanks to all of you for your ongoing support for this important project!
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The Price of Whiteness:
Jews, Race, and American Identity
Tuesday, April 26, 7 pm on Zoom
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You are invited on Tuesday evening, April 26, at 7pm (via Zoom) to a talk by Dr. Eric Goldstein on “The Price of Whiteness: Jews, Race, and American Identity.”
What has it meant to be Jewish in a nation defined by the categories of Black and White? Are American Jews of European background members of a vulnerable minority group or part of the privileged white majority? Or both? This discussion will examine the uneasy place Jews have held in America’s racial culture since the late nineteenth century and also ask what role they have to play in today’s movements for racial justice.
An associate professor at Emory University, with a joint appointment in the History Department and the Institute for Jewish Studies, Dr. Goldstein’s work has focused on American Jewish history with particular attention to the complicated status of Jews in the United States. This talk should be both fascinating and timely.
As always, Barbara and Ray Alpert Endowed Chair in Jewish Studies talks are free and open to the public. There is no need to RSVP.
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Youth Empowerment Safety Symposium-
YESS 2022
Thursday, April 28, 4-5 pm
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The Long Beach Human Trafficking Task Force is proud to virtually present this year’s Youth Empowerment Safety Symposium in partnership with the Long Beach Unified School District on Thursday, April 28 from 4-5 pm. Join a panel of dedicated professionals and survivor leaders as they address questions submitted and recorded by students in Long Beach and offer insights across several perspectives to shed light on the issue of human trafficking, and what we can each do to protect ourselves and those we love.
Please note that the full video will be closed-captioned in Spanish and English.
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2022 Nonpartisan Virtual Candidates Forum:
Long Beach City Mayoral Election
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Long Beach Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority and ifs strategic community partners, including the League of Women Voters, formally invite you to attend a Nonpartisan Virtual Candidates Forum to engage, educate and empower the underserved communities around the mayoral election of Long Beach. The event is virtual, free and open to the public.
Saturday, April 30, 2022
10 AM to 12 PM
Moderator Dr. Amber Johnson is a respected educator, public health scholar and community leader. Dr. Johnson is responsible for maintaining neutrality, timeliness, appropriateness and facilitation of the questions during the event.
Zoom log-in details will be shared with the registered attendees prior to the event.
ALL QUALIFIED CANDIDATES WERE INVITED TO PARTICIPATE.
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Vote Forward is Kicking Off! |
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Vote Forward’s first 2022 letter writing campaigns are here.
Why now? Starting early gives us time to write more letters and reach more voters. And with so much at stake, there’s no time to spare. NCJW Greater Long Beach and West Orange County invites you to participate in the non-partisan (social) campaigns that are offered by Vote Forward.
We are writing “please vote” letters to voters and keeping them stockpiled somewhere safe, and then mailing them on the same day in late October—just before the midterm elections, when research shows our letters have the greatest impact.
If you have already participated in Vote Forward, you know the drill, log in at https://votefwd.org and pick the “social” campaign marked with an "S".
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Planned Parenthood Bans Off Abortion Rally
Saturday, May 14, 10 am
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The U.S. Supreme Court (SCOTUS) is expected to release its decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization within the next couple of months, which could strip back the rights provided by Roe v. Wade, and turn back the clock on 50 years of progress in reproductive freedom.
However, many states are not waiting for the SCOTUS decision to pass bans with immediate effective dates. In just the first three months of 2022, over 500 anti-abortion restrictions were introduced in 41 states, meaning access to abortion is already being stripped away from millions of people seeking care.
The threat to abortion access is real and NOW is the time to mobilize with supporters like YOU from across the country to demonstrate that the vast majority of Americans support abortion access and will rise up to defend it!
Join the Planned Parenthood national day of action at the Bans Off Abortion Rally on Saturday, May 14th, at 10 am in Santa Ana, CA
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Join CLUE for Architects of Justice!
Thursday, May 19, 5 pm
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Thursday, May 19, 2022
5 PM Ingathering | 5:30 PM Broadcast | 6:30 PM Reception
& Streaming Online Everywhere!
Please join CLUE to celebrate the courage and commitment of leaders and community members working tirelessly to build a more equitable and just society!
Architects of Justice is an inspiring event that reminds us: when we stand in solidarity, lifting up the dignity of workers and immigrants and demanding justice in the workplace, we win. And people’s lives are transformed.
The Architects of Justice Awards will bring together hundreds of diverse clergy and essential workers to hear stories of hope, faith, persistence, and victory in the struggle to create an economy that offers dignity and freedom for all.
We are excited to return in-person and honor the extraordinary work of honorees including the workers of Kingspan Light and Air and the Sisters of St. Joseph of Orange. You will be welcomed to the live broadcast event with live music beginning at 5 p.m. and enjoy a post-broadcast reception at 6:30.
Whether you sponsor, buy tickets, or just donate online, every gift you make helps to advocate for a just economy that works for all and protects those most vulnerable: low-wage workers. All donations made are charitable contributions and benefit CLUE.
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Make a Difference Day
Sunday, May 22, 11:30 am
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Festivities and Check-in
11:30 am
Marina Vista Park
Make A Difference Day is back and is going BIGGER than ever!
There are more than 32 DIFFERENT PROJECTS that benefit Long Beach non-profits and we need all the help we can get. This year we are in need of almost 650, that's right, 650 volunteers to make the biggest difference in the community.
REGISTRATION IS NOW OPEN! Some projects have limited spaces available, so register today.
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The issue: Throughout the pandemic, Title 42 has blocked most asylum seekers at the US-Mexico border.
The good news: The Biden administration announced it will end Title 42 on May 23.
Our task: Some lawmakers want Title 42 to continue, and we must tell them we support asylum seekers in our country!
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The issue: On December 1, 2021, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization a case that has the potential to overturn the constitutional right to abortion granted by Roe v. Wade. More than 20 states are poised to immediately restrict access to abortion if that happens, which will lead to millions of vulnerable pregnant people struggling to find services, being forced to travel long distances, and spending significant funds they may not have to secure abortion care.
The good news: The Constitution — and public opinion — are on our side! Since 1973, the Supreme Court has affirmed and reaffirmed the constitutional guarantee that each person has the right to choose abortion. And, an April 2021 poll from the Pew Research Center found that an overwhelming majority of Americans think abortion should be legal.
Our task: Sign this pledge to affirm that abortion access should be expanded and not eliminated.
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