ICO Newsletter - 1/22/25
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Feb 8 Meeting Plans in Progress
Our planning team is excited about the upcoming Indivisible Central Ohio 2025 Kickoff Meeting! In the face of Trump & MAGA’s relentless shitstorm of awful, we’re pumped to be gathering to strategize and set plans in motion to fight back and have a positive impact.
Below is a tentative list of the tables we plan to have during the info and sign up portion of the program.
Voter registration and education
Pressuring local government entities
Ohio statehouse (& federal) advocacy
Vouchers Hurt Ohio
Release Time for Religious Instruction (RTRI)/Families Against LifeWise
Protecting immigrant children and families in our schools
Repro rights advocacy
Resistance tactics info and training
Winning the communications war
If you want to help at one of these tables or have an idea for another, reply to this email! We’d love to hear from you.
Let’s pack the house! We already have more than 75 people registered, and with your help, we’ll double or triple that or more. Here’s how you can help:
Register to join us on Saturday, February 8, from 1-2:30pm at the First UU Church, 93 W Weisheimer in Clintonville.
Invite 2-3 friends or neighbors who might be looking for an avenue for activism.
Share the registration link in all your other groups!
RSVP for the 2/8 Kickoff Meeting
MLK Day Actions
Thanks to Cheryl Grossman, Jim Prater, Jo-Ann Prater, and Jay Zenitsky for running a food drive during a bitter cold snap, and thanks to all who stopped by or brought donations to other drop-off locations. An impressive amount of goods were collected that will be donated to the Clintonville Community Resource Center Food Pantry.
Meanwhile, donations are still coming in from indivisible members to the fundraisers below, even though they are officially closed. Y’all are amazing!
MidOhio Food Collective Indivisible Central Ohio Team ($886/500)
Indivisible Central Ohio Fundraiser for Abortion Fund of Ohio ($585/500)
Kaleidoscope Youth Center: Indivisible Ohio Gives Back ($626/500)
Take Action this Week
1) Check in on the Status of Lame Duck session bills: LameDuck.WTF
2) Get ready to track bills: A great way to track bills is by signing up for committee mailing lists. This guide will walk you through signing up for these mailing lists. Note: If you signed up last year or in previous years, you will need to re-sign up to continue receiving emails.
3) Vouchers Hurt Ohio lawsuit: Go to vouchershurtohio.com/ to find out if your public school district has joined the lawsuit to challenge the constitutionality of the expanded school voucher program. To learn more, consider attending the next VHO meeting. Contact Debby Cooper at cooper.deborah3@gmail.com for more information.
Ideas and Inspirations for You
* Catch Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde speaking truth to power in this amazing short clip from the DC Cathedral service 1/21.
* Read this Pro-publica article about public school funding and vouchers in Ohio.
* Join the Parents against Lifewise Facebook group.
* Check out this issue of the Grassroots Connector and consider subscribing!
Upcoming Events (Calendar view)
Thursday, 1/30/2025: Ramp Up for Repro Zoom training, 6pm. This training from Abortion Forward will further acquaint you with political advocacy tactics, repro lingo, and help you find the best way to get involved. Every month, we dive into movement ecology, abortion messaging, the current landscape of abortion access, and provide next steps for you to take action!
Thursday, 1/30/2025: Science Lecture Series: Psychology & Climate Change with Dr. Susan Clayton, 6-7:30pm, Battelle Fine Arts Center, 170 West Park Street, Westerville. This talk will review several ways in which psychological research and expertise can help us to understand reactions to climate change, and to encourage more positive responses. Dr. Clayton will discuss how to better understand the ways in which people perceive the risks of climate change, the ways in which climate change threatens psychological well-being and undermines social justice, and how behavioral interventions can be used to encourage adaptive responses. Free tickets HERE.
Saturday, 2/8/2025: Indivisible Central Ohio 2025 Kickoff Meeting, 1pm, First UU Church, 93 W Weisheimer Rd, Columbus. Are you ready to take action? Join Indivisible Central Ohio for their 2025 kick-off meeting. We're ready to orient and engage new members, as well as refresh and re-energize those who have been with us from the beginning. All are welcome! With Trump back in office, there is much work to be done, at the local, state, and federal levels. Join fellow activists to learn how we can keep working for the world we want to see and pushing back against the nonsense. RSVP at this link!
Wednesday, 2/12/2025: Fair Districts All Volunteer Huddle, 6pm, via Zoom. At the Huddle we’ll take a look at what’s ahead in 2025 for redistricting in Ohio. We’ll touch on local Ohio redistricting efforts (recent and upcoming).
Wednesday, 2/12/2025: Documentary “BAD FAITH” with Upper Arlington Progressive Action, 6pm, Phoenix Theaters, Lennox Town Center, 777 Kinnear Rd, Columbus. BAD FAITH is a must watch documentary for those who want to learn the history behind the rise of Christian Nationalism in the United States, and the dire implications it could have if they succeed in their goals. Join UAPA members and friends for a FREE screening of this important movie, followed by discussion. See the trailer. Read the Variety review.
Saturday, 2/22/2025: Ramp Up for Repro Columbus in person training, noon. This training from Abortion Forward will further acquaint you with political advocacy tactics, repro lingo, and help you find the best way to get involved. Every month, we dive into movement ecology, abortion messaging, the current landscape of abortion access, and provide next steps for you to take action! Register HERE.
Mia for the OHCentral Team
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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 Threads, Instagram, Bluesky, and YouTube.