Citizen Action Weekend E Newsletter, August 25th – 27th
Citizen Action is hiring Deep Canvass Field Organizers in Green Bay and Milwaukee.
For more information contact Priscilla Bort at [email protected]
Learn more about Citizen Action’s Movement Politics Academy.
Applications for the Movement Politics Academy are due Sunday, September 3rd
Milwaukee Neighbors Come Together for a Cookout + Community.
This Saturday, Citizen Action North Side Rising held the summer “Cookout with Resources” outside the Milwaukee office. Led by Citizen Action North Side Rising Health Justice Organizer Maletha Jones, the event highlighted the power of grassroots organizing efforts to bring people together.
A core team of North Side Rising member-leaders managed the entire event, handling sign-ins, preparing food, and even knocking doors to bring folks to the cookout. As a result, over twice as many people attended than expected, and the new folks were greeted with brats, hotdogs, a back-to-school backpack raffle, and empowering information about the things that truly matter: the health and well-being of our families and neighborhoods.
Speakers included Citizen Action Healthcare Organizer Brandon Williford and North Side Rising Lead Field Organizer Valerie Ricks, with Planned Parenthood also present to inform and educate. The conversation focused on North Side Rising’s core issues, from healthcare justice to energy burden concerns, emphasizing the importance of people-focused policies over corporate interests.
Many people in attendance were moved when Brandon shared Carly’s experience. After her insurance company denied her a lifesaving surgery, Carly turned to People’s Action for help. It took work from the Care Over Cost campaign, assistance from an ex-insurance industry lawyer, a petition signed by thousands, and the support of a U.S. Senator, but finally Carly was able to get the care she needed.
Carly’s story is a reminder that when we come together, we have power. This power was in evidence at the cookout, too. The success of the cookout event was driven by strong organizing, by reaching out to new leaders and new neighbors, working together to build the power we need to shape the future.
For more information about getting active with North Side Rising contact: [email protected]
Join and support Citizen Action North Side Rising.
Republican Legislative leaders block Wausau Pilot & Review on Legislative commuters.
Following this week’s introduction of anti SLAPP legislation from Democratic legislators to protect activists, journalists and others from lawsuits meant to silence or intimidate them, Republican legislative leaders blocked the Wausau Pilot Review. It comes as state Sen. Cory Tomczyk (R-Mosinee) is continuing a lawsuit against a local Wausau publication, which has accused him of trying to bankrupt them.
Listen to our interview with Wausau Pilot and Review publisher and editor Shereen Siewert on the Battleground Wisconsin Podcast.
Appleton educators win important improvements, with Citizen Action Northeast Coop members providing support.
After a frustrating and tedious negotiation process with the district, Appleton Area school teachers and the school board were finally able to settle on a better deal than what was originally offered. The school board accepted the proposal from our partners at Wisconsin Education Association Council (WEAC) this past week and after a union ratification vote, the board will finalize the negotiation process on Monday. Our teachers deserve better pay, so this is a huge win!
In addition, Kat Klawes the Citizen Action Southeast Co-op Organizer joined Citizen Action members in Kenosha on August 22nd for the Kenosha Unified School District (KUSD) meeting. Community members and educators met to voice their concerns about lack of pay increase for teachers and school staff amid record inflation. Specific asks from the KUSD union include an 8% pay increase and a step on the pay scale for experienced staff. Over 100+ community members attended the meeting.
Citizen Action in the news
Citizen Action’s Movement Politics Director, Priscilla Bort, was on the latest podcast from Black Leaders Organizing for Communites (BLOC) to discuss Citizen Action’s work, the GOP debate, and a host of other topics!
The new show features unfiltered conversations from Black Leaders Organizing for Communities on the Northside of Milwaukee, Racine, and Kenosha.
Citizen Action’s executive director, Robert Kraig, was on the Earl Ingram Show, broadcasting on location, to preview the GOP Debate.
Listen to the “Bad week for public education” Battleground Wisconsin Podcast
We welcome Milwaukee Teachers Education Association President Amy Mizialko back to the show to talk about the devastating news about a huge expansion of a private religious voucher school the former Cardinal Stritch University campus. The school’s owner said the expansion is the direct result of the historic increase in voucher school funding from the terrible shared revenue deal negotiated by Governor Evers. Is this the beginning of a massive expansion of unaccountable and discriminatory voucher schools?
We debrief the circus-like Republican Presidential debate which hit Milwaukee Wednesday. What does the “debate” say about the current state of the party and who stood out?
Next, we assess the news that Republicans filed motions in an attempt to force recently elected Supreme Court justice Justice Protasiewicz to recuse from the gerrymandering case. Does this latest power grab have a chance to succeed?
Following last week’s appearance by Wausau Pilot and Review publisher & editor Shereen Siewert on the Battleground Wisconsin Podcast, Legislative Democrats proposed anti-SLAPP lawsuit legislation on Wednesday.
Priscilla reminds us that this week was the 3 year anniversary of the Jacob Blake shooting in Kenosha, only a month following the wrongful arrest of an innocent black man by Kenosha Police with his family at an Applebees.
Listen to the show!
Social media post of the week
