ICO Newsletter - 11/20/24
View this email in your browser
ICO Grows and the Action Continues
Did you know that, since the election, over 200 people have joined or asked to join Indivisible Central Ohio? Wow! Yes, we took a blow on November 5, but so many of us are determined to continue to take action to defend democracy and make the world a better place for everyone. If that’s how you feel, you are in the right place!
We are planning some meetings and get togethers and will have more info about that soon, but for now, we want to share info about some immediate opportunities for action, plus let you know about new groups forming within Indivisible where your help and participation are needed.
Needed RIGHT NOW!
ICO members are exceptionally generous. Please help supply Thanksgiving dinner to 5 Columbus Violence Reduction participant families! Learn more about the Columbus Violence Reduction (CVR) program HERE.
Very quick turnaround: donations must be delivered to the porch at 437 Piedmont Rd by Thursday, 11/21 at 11am. (Any extra supplies will be donated to the mothers of Casey Goodson and Donovan Lewis for their Thanksgiving food giveaway or the Westerville food pantry.) Contact Ann Shroyer with questions: 773-308-6794.
The following items are requested:
Canned green beans
Instant mashed potatoes
Gravy
Instant stuffing mix
Cornbread mix
Cranberry sauce
Turkeys (leave $$ for turkeys or Ann can arrange to pick up from you on Thursday)
Three New Projects and a Survey
After the November 2024 election, many Indivisible Central Ohio members are looking for opportunities to take action and have a tangible positive impact. Individuals and small groups are coming up with their own ideas and figuring out how to implement them. Below is a list of the first three of these ideas, along with links to join or get more info. You can also help us track your interest by filling out our ICO survey.
We are tracking these new projects and ideas in this living document! Please check it out for more details and for new project ideas that will be added as they are developed.
By the way, if you have your own idea for a project, subgroup, or activity, please let us know by emailing us at indivisiblecentralohio@gmail.com. We will add your project to the running list.
1. Singing Group: Rise Up and Sing Together!
Alissa Friedman and Will Petrik are thrilled to announce the start of an Indivisible Central Ohio singing group, Rise Up and Sing Together. They believe in the power of singing together to build community, and they invite you and anyone passionate about freedom, justice, and community to join them in song.
“We plan to come together once a month to sing songs that inspire and ground us in our shared values. Each member is invited to (definitely not required) choose a song from Rise Up Singing to teach the group. Whether you sing, play an instrument, or just love the idea of connecting with like-minded people through music, we welcome you. If you are interested in joining, please complete this form to let us know. Thanks!”
2. Three Friends for Democracy
If you followed the 3Friends4Kamala account you already know that they have pivoted to a new project. Here’s what Colleen Crook, Mary Klain, and Susan Dlouhy are up to next.
“Going forward our focus will be shifting to preserving our democracy and protecting vulnerable communities. We are committed to sharing:
Factual Information
Action Steps that you can implement where you live
Thought provoking information from trusted sources
The new home for our content will be BlueSky: @3Friends4Democracy.bsky.social. Please follow us and tag us there! Or, contact us at our new email address, 3Friends4Democracy@gmail.com.”
3. Adopt a Family with CRIS (Community Refugee and Immigration Services)
Mia Lewis and others are exploring the possibility of forming a CRIS “welcome team – a small group of people (6-15 people) who make a six-month commitment to welcome and support an incoming refugee family.” Team activities include gathering supplies for the family, raising money, meeting the family at the airport, English conversation help, and optionally much more. There are actually a couple of levels of partnership support, one more intense and the other really quite a low bar.
If you are interested in joining the team or learning more, email Mia at mialewis34@gmail.com. We are looking to set up a meeting with CRIS asap to hear more about the partnership options and responsibilities.
Don’t forget to look at this living document for more info, and to take our ICO “What’s Next?” Survey!
ICO Behind the Scenes: Meet Emily Oquendo
Indivisible Central Ohio has quite a few people helping behind the scenes to make sure our group keeps humming along. In the next few weeks we are going to highlight some of those folks!
We’re excited to start out with Emily Oquendo! Emily vets requests to join our Facebook group. She’s been doing that work for the past 6 or 7 years! She carefully checks the person’s online presence to make sure they are a good fit for the group. Thanks to Emily’s work, our Facebook group is a pleasant place to hangout and share ideas!
Useful Do’s and Don'ts from Emily:
DO: answer the questions when joining the group.
DON'T: invite all your friends to join without telling them.
Protect Our Kids' IEP and 504 Plans
Some of you may know Nick Tuell from Innovation Ohio. His young son has an IEP that mandates he receive necessary specialized educational services. Nick has started a group for parents of children with special needs and ALL their allies. Here’s what Nick says about it: “We are recruiting parents, friends, aunts, uncles, cousins of children experiencing special needs to join us in calling on the President-Elect to protect our kids' learning by not dismantling the Department of Education. President-Elect Donald Trump has stated: "I say it all the time, I'm dying to get back to do this. We will ultimately eliminate the federal Department of Education." We know decisions like these are detrimental to our kids' learning and their access to vital school services. Please use this sign up sheet to get involved and help us prevent unintended consequences.”
Want to Take a Quick Action?
Contact your representatives and tell them to oppose these two bills.
SB 304 – Establish the Non-Chartered Educational Savings Account Program
SB 304 is the Senate’s version of HB 339. William Phillis of OE&A says this is "a clever, devious way to subsidize these schools that are not currently eligible for vouchers or other tax support."
What can you do now?
Tell these members of the Senate Education Committee you OPPOSE this bill:
Andrew Brenner (bill co-sponsor/committee chair) – 614-466-8086; brenner@ohiosenate.gov
Sandra O’Brien (vice chair) – 614-466-7182; obrien@ohiosenate.gov
Catherine Ingram (ranking member) – 614-466-5980; ingram@ohiosenate.gov
HB 686 – Prohibit Public College from Using Preferred Pronoun Applications
This bill would prohibit public colleges from using employment and admissions applications that ask for preferred gender pronouns.
What can you do now?
Tell these members of the House Higher Education Committee you OPPOSE HB 686:
Tom Young, chair – 614-466-6504; rep37@ohiohouse.gov
Gayle Manning, vice chair – 614-644-5076; rep52@ohiohouse.gov
Joseph Miller, ranking member – 614-466-5141; rep53@ohiohouse.gov
Want to know what’s going on during Lame Duck?
Rachel Coyle has created an incredible way to track what is happening during Lame Duck, complete with calls to action and more. Simply go to the URL LameDuck.wtf.
Upcoming Events (Calendar view)
Wednesday, 11/20/2024: Dark Money & Judicial Ads: Behind the Scenes of the 2024 Ohio Supreme Court Election, 6pm, register HERE. This virtual event will review the political ads run in the 2024 Ohio Supreme Court election. Experts from True North Research will give a behind the scenes look at the dark money spent on these ads and who may have paid for them. As the new term is fast approaching, we will also provide an overview on upcoming Ohio Supreme Court cases.
Thursday, 11/21/2024: Thursday Action Group Meeting, noon-1:30. Rachel Coyle will join our Zoom meeting to introduce us to the newly formed organization, Ohioans Against Extremism. Ohioans Against Extremism is a multi-issue, coalition-informed 501(c) 4 organization that directly and strategically targets extremism in Ohio’s state and local governments through year-round legislative advocacy, community organizing, and voter education. Its staff translates Statehouse and local political madness to Ohioans and connects them with opportunities to engage the legislature or their local government. Join the Zoom call HERE.
Mia for the OHCentral Team
Enjoying this newsletter? Forward it to a friend!
Find us at our website indivisiblecentralohio.org. Follow us here and on our public and closed Facebook pages to stay current with all our activities. Add our Indivisible Central Ohio Google Calendar so you can follow all our events. You can also follow us on Twitter, Instagram, Bluesky, and YouTube.