In This Issue ●Risking Arrest at Voter Protection Rally ● All Volunteer Roundup on Nov 21 at 5 pm ● Talk to Your Friends in NH● Get a Head Start on Defending Democracy
Civil Disobedience for Voting Rights
This photo of Swing Blue Alliance volunteer Jamie French waiting to be processed went viral on Twitter.
On November 17, Susan Labandibar and Jamie French were arrested in front of the White House. The two members of Swing Blue Alliance were cited along with 123 other protesters, including civil rights leaders from across the country. Among them were Dr. Reverend Barber of the Poor People's campaign and Reverend Kevin Peterson from the New Democracy Coalition, a Massachusetts-based voting rights organization.
The arrests were part of a series of rallies. The protests and civil disobedience actions had a strong message: President Biden should pressure the Senate to pass the Freedom to Vote Act, the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, and the DC statehood bill.
The experience of getting arrested alongside faith leaders helped me understand that this wave of attacks on voting rights is part of the long history of oppression for people of color. As Ben Jealous, President of People for the American Way, said at the rally, 'We are at risk of seeing the end of the Second Reconstruction.'--Susan Labandibar
When arrested, Jamie, Susan, and members of the New Democracy Coalition were holding three giant banners of "Letters to Biden" that presented hundreds of signatures gathered at Massachusetts voting rights rallies the previous week. Thank you to Indivisible Mass Coalition for organizing the cross-state week of action.
“Party unity is the only way to win.” “Gratitude is the surest antidote to bad news.” “We’ve pulled out of this [kind of political turmoil] time and time again.”
So says Bill Scher, political analyst and Contributing Editor to Washington Monthly and Real Clear Politics. Hear more from Bill about opportunities he sees for Swing Blue Alliance volunteers. Afterwards, hang out with us to chat with your fellow activists.
Right before SBA's All Volunteer Roundup on Sunday, November 21, you can get a head start on defending the country by learning how you can stop the disinformation that’s threatening our democracy.
Julie Greenberg of the Defenders of Democracy Against Disinformation (DDAD) will walk us through specific actions we can take to tackle political misinformation. DDAD is a new organization dedicated to countering the forces of lies and misleading statements, even taking on Fox News.
Swing Blue Alliance (formerly Swing Left Greater Boston) is the largest all-volunteer Democratic grassroots organization headquartered in Massachusetts. We use proven methods to protect our Democracy, work on competitive local and national elections, and strengthen the Democratic party at the grassroots level.
