ICO Newsletter - 2/19/25
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Your Calls and Testimony Needed Now to Stop SB1/HB6
Last week the Ohio Senate passed Senate Bill 1, the Enact Advance Ohio Higher Education Act – known to us as the Higher Education Destruction Act. The Senate passed the bill despite the fact that only 12 people submitted testimony in favor, while a staggering 840+ submitted testimony against.
Why is SB 1 so bad? It would devastate Ohio’s public colleges and universities by heavily restricting the teaching of “controversial” subjects, banning most diversity policies and programs, placing entire departments, majors, and courses at risk, gutting workers’ rights, banning tenure...and SOOO much more. The economic impact on Ohio would be profound and long-lasting.
(Learn more: Watch this short video from Rachel Coyle, look at these slides listing some of the most troubling pieces of the bill and read a breakdown of SB1 and its identical twin HB 6.)
We need your help stopping this bill in the House, or, at the very least, making the folks supporting the bill feel the pain of publicly supporting a hugely unpopular and backward piece of legislation.
Rachel Coyle has laid out step by step instructions for how we can help in THIS DOCUMENT. It explains in detail the urgent action needed:
Contact Governor DeWine AND his top staff (contact sheet here)
Call your State Rep. Find your state rep HERE.
Call the targeted state reps listed on this explainer (even if they don’t represent you!)
Here are a few more useful links from Rachel:
SB 1 testimony training — slideshow (some slides are focused on Senate testimony and therefore outdated)
Read SB 1 testimonies (840+ opponents, 12 supporters)
Know any college age students interested in getting involved? The Ohio Student Association is amazing! https://ohiostudentassociation.org/
Thank you for stepping up and taking a stand against this harmful bill!
Are your US Senators and Representatives listening to you?
Use the contact info above to contact Bernie Moreno and Jon Husted. Call and email and demand appointments and a town hall! Show up on Wednesdays at Moreno’s Columbus office to demand accountability! Meet outside 200 N High St every Wednesday at 12:30pm. (Sign up to attend HERE.)
Visit Mike Carey’s office this week!
The US House is on recess this week, so it’s a great time to visit your Rep (or their staff). Mike Carey is particularly important to pressure, so sign up HERE to visit him if you are in his district. (Note the instructions on the sign up.)
Ramping Up the Protests
Many Indivisible Central Ohio members attended protests last week – and we hope more will attend in future weeks. Here’s a link to Paul Becker’s album of photos from the “Not my President”s Day protest on 2/17 at the Ohio Statehouse. There were protests in cities across Ohio, and across the country. You can learn a bit more about the Ohio 5050/1 protest group HERE.
Upcoming protests:
Weekly protest at Bernie Moreno’s office, Wednesdays at 12:30pm.
Weekly protest at the Easton Tesla dealership, Saturdays at 4:30pm.
Economic Blackout Day 2/28. Learn more HERE.
It’s important that we don’t accept the lawlessness of Trump and Musk, so we encourage you to join these protests if you can. Since Indivisible Central Ohio is not organizing these protests, we won’t always be able to give you a heads up about them – but we’ll try! When a BIG protest is called by national organizations, we’ll definitely do our best to let you know. That means, read our emails to stay in the loop!
Follow up from the 2/8 Kickoff Meeting
If you missed last week’s newsletter, here are the links you need:
Meeting handout with links to your reps and all kinds of good information.
If you have questions, feel free to email us at indivisiblecentralohio@gmail.com.
Use Every Tool, Hit Every Angle
In this battle, we’re going to have to use every tool in the box. There will always be different ways to do things, and different approaches that appeal to different people. Not every tactic or angle of approach is for you. Find the one that resonates, and keep at it.
We were pleased to hear from an indivisible Central Ohio member about his approach when talking to his elected officials. His message and approach may resonate with some of you. Here’s what he’s saying, after introducing himself:
"I am calling today to express my empathy for the position you find yourself in. You went to DC to apply your creativity to the legislative process, only to have that power and experience usurped by the Trump administration. Your contribution is being stifled by Trump’s willingness to work ONLY with a Congress that will kowtow to HIS wishes and not allowing you to contribute to the process. I encourage you to not give up and to assert the power that was given to you as a US Senator/Representative. Please take actions that force Trump to work with Congress to achieve a policy that serves us all, not just him."
Take Action this Week: Call to Oppose this Bad Educational Bill!
SB 68 – Establish the Non-Chartered Educational Savings Account Program
SB 68 is yet another way for parents to get tax breaks for sending their kids to private schools. See this article to learn more. SB 68 was referred to the Senate Finance Committee and received a first sponsor hearing on 2/18/25.
What can you do now?
Contact these members of the Senate Finance Committee and ask them not to support this bill:
Jerry Cirino, chair - 614-644-7718; cirino@ohiosenate.gov
Brian Chavez, vice chair - 614-466-6508; chavez@ohiosenate.gov
Paula Hicks-Hudson, ranking member - 614-466-5204; hicks-hudson@ohiosenate.gov
Additional Statehouse advocacy resources from Rachel Coyle!
GETTING STARTED — List of Ohio Statehouse advocacy resources
Ohio news outlets with especially strong Statehouse coverage
INCOMPLETE list of Advocacy Orgs Most Active at the Ohio Statehouse
Join "How Things Work at the Ohio Statehouse":
Follow “How Things Work” on Facebook, Twitter, Bluesky, TikTok, and YouTube
Donate online: https://square.link/u/3iynlb3C or via Venmo: RachelCoyleOhio
Ideas and Inspirations for You
Upcoming Events (Calendar view)
Wednesday, 2/19/2025: Wednesdays at Bernie’s! Meet outside 200 N High St every Wednesday at 12:30pm. Sign up to attend HERE.
Wednesday, 2/19/2025: Calling all Budget Baddies! 6-6:30pm. Join OWA Action Fund and Policy Matters Ohio for “Part 1: What is the state budget?” to discover how the Ohio Budget impacts each of us IRL. Tune in while you’re making dinner or doing laundry. RSVP here.
Thursday, 2/20/2025: Community Conversation: Advancing a Humanizing Narrative Around Immigration, 12-1:30pm with leaders from Ohio Immigrant Alliance, Haitian Community Help & Support Center, Mauritanian Network for Human Rights in US, and OPAWL -- Building AAPI Feminist Leadership (moderated by Ohio Voice). You will leave this webinar with a better understanding about public opinion on immigration, how the current narrative often dehumanizes immigrants, and how it should change — from the perspective of immigrant leaders. Leave with key points you can make in media interviews and letters to the editor, social media posts, and conversations with elected officials — and around the dinner table. Info and register here.
Thursday, 2/20/2025: The Civic Speakeasy, 6:30-9pm, Up Front Performance Space, 503 S Front St, Columbus. “Looking for an exciting way to plug into the civic discourse in Columbus? At The Civic Speakeasy, we’re surprising our guests with an unannounced speaker and unannounced topic that will take the form of a live conversation with prominent local thought leaders. The topic could range from urban planning to political activism to small business development — and no matter what, we promise an interesting dialogue! Come dive into the deep end with us, learn something new about Columbus, and meet with your peers in an evening of fun conversation and new connections. Tickets are $15 and 100% of funding supports local journalism at Columbus Underground. Tickets HERE.
Friday, 2/21/2025: Rep Cockley Office Hours, 9:15am-12:15pm, Hilltop Branch Library, 511 A Hague Ave, Columbus. “Excited to host my first open office hours next week! Stop by and chat with me about your priorities and concerns. I look forward to hearing directly from you!”
Saturday, 2/22/2025: Protest against Elon Musk at the Easton Tesla Dealership, 4:30pm, weekly!
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!
Thursday, 2/27/2025: Candidate Forum for City Council and School Board, 6:30pm, New Birth Christian Ministries, 3475 Refugee Rd, Columbus. Sponsored by Columbus Stand Up. Come out and hear from candidates for Columbus City Council and Columbus School Board who would like to earn your vote! Register here.
Thursday, 2/27/2025: 'Not All Speed is Movement': Innovation, Inequity, and Imagination in the 21st Century, talk by Ruha Benjamin at Denison University in Granville. Click here for details. Ruha Benjamin is a transdisciplinary scholar, writer, and educator, currently Professor of African American Studies at Princeton University, founding director of the Ida B. Wells JUST Data Lab. She writes, teaches, and speaks widely about the relationship between innovation and inequity, knowledge and power, race and citizenship, health and justice.
Friday, 2/28/2025: Economic Blackout Day!
Tuesday, 3/4/2025: CAP– Meet 2025 Candidates for Columbus City Council, 7pm, Whetstone Library, 3909N. High St, Columbus. For the Clintonville Area Progressives (CAP) March meeting, they are welcoming 2025 candidates for Columbus City Council. Candidates will talk about their priorities, and will be on hand to take your questions. Event starts at 7pm, doors at 6:30pm.
Saturday, 3/8/2025: Queen City United, Stand in Solidarity Against White Supremacy, noon, Washington Park, 1230 Elm St, Cincinnati. “Hate has no home here. Cincinnati is a city of resilience, strength, and above all—love. When white supremacists try to march through our streets, we don’t respond with fear. We respond with unity. We respond with music, with laughter, with art, and with joy. We come together, hand in hand, to show that the Queen City belongs to all of us—not to hate. Join us for a day of community, where we celebrate the rich diversity that makes our city strong. Let’s make it clear: white supremacy is not welcome here. Sign up to volunteer HERE.
Monday, 3/24/2025: Save the Date: An Evening with Loretta Ross, 5-6:30pm. The FREE Center is thrilled to welcome academic, feminist, and activist Loretta Ross. Ross is a cofounder of SisterSong and Women of Color Reproductive Justice Collective, and is one of twelve women credited with coining the phrase and framework “reproductive justice.” Learn more 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.