Citizen Action Weekly; Friday, December 3rd
Friday, December 3rd
Attend Citizen Action of Wisconsin’s Virtual Annual Meeting, next Saturday, December 11, 10:00 AM
It’s that time of year again! Time for Citizen Action of Wisconsin’s Annual Meeting! Join the staff and other members from around the state for member awards, an overview and celebration of the great work we accomplished over the last year, and a preview of what’s coming up in 2022!
Please RSVP and you will receive the Zoom link in an email.
Thanks Attendees of Our 2021 Annual Fundraiser, Featuring U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin and U.S. Congressman Mark Pocan.
Thanks to everyone who attended and donate this Wednesday evening at our annual fundraiser. This year, like 2020, we had to go virtual to hold the event. Congressman Mark Pocan and Senator Tammy Baldwin spoke about the historic Build Back Better fight and the growth of progressive power in Congress this session.
Thank you for your continued and generous support!
Welcome NEW Citizen Action North Side Rising Lead Organizer, Valerie Ricks.
I’m a child of the 60’s, when labor, civil rights, criminal justice, gay rights, environment, women’s rights issues started to bubble up all over in America. My family was active so I never questioned being part of the fight in some kind of way.
I started advocating for BIPOC students’ rights in high school and at Marquette after moving to Milwaukee. I was lucky to find like-minded people who helped me create two Black Student Unions and Marquette’s Ethnic Minority Association under the office of Student Affairs.
After working in the electrical industry I ran my own distribution company from 1989-2001. I had no intention of fighting for racial equality but that was not the case. I was the only Black-owner female distributor of electrical apparatus and supply at a state, county and city level. I discovered that career equity is a major issue for the BIPOC population and women of all backgrounds. Yet, I was able to reach annual sales of 1,000,000. I also worked in the field and developed an appreciation of how construction, manufacturing, distribution, government and banking all come together impacting commerce, health, national security and overall well-being in society.
I then took on a short stint with an attorney to help him expand his customer base and address some operational issues.
Switching to the service industry in 2008 I became a union steward. I was instrumental in successful contract negotiation for SEIU Local 122, while holding the union against efforts by management. Our efforts were supported by LULAC, the Milwaukee Bucks, and Bernie Sanders.
After leaving the hotel in 2019 I was happy to make a transition to involve myself more with labor issues and political canvassing through SEIU. We helped to canvas the 2020 election with a push for livable wages and healthcare. I also started working as a poll worker.
I recently accepted the opportunity and challenge as the Citizen Action North Side Rising Lead Field Organizer. I look forward to working with a team of like-minded people to build a strong, enduring, influential community co-op.
Welcome NEW Citizen Action Health Equity Organizer, Zipporah Turnbull.
My name is Zipporah Turnbull, I was born and raised in Milwaukee, WI. I attended UW-Stout where I majored in Applied Social Science, with a concentration in Anthropology and Sociology.
I have a fur baby named Jazzy who loves to cuddle.
Growing up on the north side of Milwaukee I was desensitized to what was going on around me, it wasn’t until I left for college that I started to realize the injustices happening around me. Since 2017, I made it my mission to be involved in politics, community, and civic engagement.
An interesting fact about me is that I spent the Summer of 2017 in Selma Alabama where I studied nonviolence and the civil rights movement at the Selma Center of Nonviolence. There I had learned the power of organizing, people power, and media.
My goal is to engage and support those around through organizing and sustaining positive relationships. I am excited for my new role as the Health Equity Organizer with Citizen Action of Wisconsin.
Attend Standing up for Change, a Rally for Climate Justice at UWL
Join Citizen Action Driftless Co-op for a rally and press event to demand that UWL becomes a leader in the fight against climate change on Monday, December 11th at 11:00 AM in front of the clock tower.
We are calling on UWL:
- To hire a sustainability coordinator
- Create a Climate Action Plan
- Invest in solar and divest from fossil fuels
Speakers from UWL and the community will be on hand to speak at our press event. Signs will be available. Students are also encouraged to make homemade signs in support of climate justice. After the press conference we will be marching as a group to drop petition signatures off with UWL administration. You can get involved by attending the rally, telling your story at the event, marching, or by making signs.
We will be meeting at the clock tower starting at 10:30. This will be an outdoor, COVID safe, event. Masks are highly encouraged.
Citizen Action in the News
The Real News Network did an in-depth story this week on voter suppression in Wisconsin that featured the door-to-door canvassing of BLOC in Milwaukee and an interview with Citizen Action’s Robert Kraig. Watch and read the story here.
Citizen Action’s Robert Kraig was on WCLO Radio this week for an in-depth look at the price gouging of Big Pharma and how Build Back Better will address it. Listen to the entire interview here.
Catch back to back interviews on the state of play in Congress on President Biden’s agenda with John Nichols and Citizen Action’s Robert Kraig on the Jeff Santos Show. Listen here.
Calling all Family Caregivers-The Healthcare for All Co-op Needs You
On the heels of the House’s passage of the Build Back Better Bill, grandmas across the country are gathering in Washington, D.C. to turn up the pressure on the Senate to swiftly pass this legislation that will transform the way people access care now and in future generations.
Elected leaders, care workers, family caregivers and people with disabilities will meet in front of the Capitol to share our decades of experience holding our families and communities together, and call on Congress to seize on this once-in-a-generation opportunity to improve care across the lifespan, protect the environment and rebuild the middle class
We are working with a Caring Across Generations to raise the profile of this subject so please join us in this easy action. In person and online, we’ll be highlighting inter-generational families and the commitment of abuelas, nanas, yayas, amas, and community elders to the well-being of their children and grandchildren.
Photo Action
Submit a photo that reflects your multi-generational family and write 1-2 sentences about why it’s important to you and your family that Congress pass the Build Back Better bill.
Video Action
Record a video (no more than 2 minutes) with your family or loved ones explaining why the Build Back Better bill is so important for you and younger generations you’ve raised. We’ll collect these stories and post them on social media to alert your Senators and House members.
In person
Thursday, December 9, 2021 at 12:00 pm ET
In-person event: Outside the Capitol in Washington, D.C.
Virtual event: livestream and FB page
“Most under covered story of 2021: Rich counties block a COVID vaccine patent waiver.” Battleground Wisconsin Podcast
We review our discussion with Senator Tammy Baldwin and Congressman Mark Pocan at our fundraiser Wednesday evening. In the process, we get critical inside information on the big Build Back Better Act debate in Congress. Sachin Chheda, director of the Fair Elections Project and a Citizen Action member, joins us to review the hyper-partisan Wisconsin Supreme Court decision giving legal cover to Republican rigged election maps. Will we be stuck with the Scott Walker districts for another 10 years? Our panel then talks about the COVID spike in infections, hospitalization rates and deaths in Wisconsin, ahead of the likely arrival of the latest COVID variant. We are joined by Ben Levenson, from our national network People’s Action, to discuss whether President Biden and America are really fighting for a COVID vaccine patent waiver. The waiver is critically needed to produce enough vaccine to immunize the entire world, saving millions of lives and stopping the production of even more threatening variants.
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