Hello, all.   After our fun and insightful group “power analysis” exercises at last month’s meeting, this Thursday’s July Meeting of the Whole (register here) will be a chance to hear from leaders of our three Action Teams — Voting Rights, Health Equity, and Justice Matters — about how the Teams are processing what we’re learning together, and about how you might want to plug in.  If there was ever a time for some creative and effective bottom-up local and regional organizing, this would seem to be it, right?  

Hope you can join us this week (still virtually at this point) on Thursday July 1, 5:30-6:30 pm — Register at link above.

Cindy Bodewes, cbodewes@umich.edu, 734-358-6994
Tad Wysor, tadwysor@gmail.com, 734-883-3225

Agitation is an act of Love

Want to learn together more about how things work in Washtenaw County? Things that really matter to all of us, especially to our neighbors impacted most by major decisions? Register at this link.

We hope you’ll join WeROC THIS Thursday June 3, 5:30-7pm for a special group Power Analysis exercise. Together, we will support the three new WeROC Action Teams — Justice Matters (local justice system), Health Equity (local public health and mental health systems), and Voter Rights (expanding democracy at all levels) — in identifying key local power players in each of these issue areas, AND more deeply understanding how they influence all our lives.  And of course, how the healthy bottom-up power we are building together can more and more be a part of that…

• This kind of community Power Analysis works by relying not so much on “experts,” but on each other.  So we look forward to your participation, experiences, and insights.
• Homework: If you can, please come to the event with a short list of local officials, decision makers, organizations, etc who you think do or can influence decisions around our three current issue areas above.

Leaders of the 3 new Action Teams that came out of our recent Issues Convention will have updates and info on how you can plug into our local campaigns and our regional and statewide coalitions through MOSES and the Gamaliel Network.  We hope you’ll join us!  Again, register here.

Cindy Bodewes, cbodewes@umich.edu, 734-358-6994
Tad Wysor, tadwysor@gmail.com, 734-883-3225

Agitation is an act of Love

Calling all WeROC members and friends to attend our next Meeting of the Whole, Thursday, May 6th , 5:30-6:30pm —  Click here to register and receive the meeting link, then scroll down for some helpful preparation for putting words into action.    

This Months WeROC Meeting of the Whole, May 6, 5:30pm-6:30 pm will be exciting and empowering.  In last month’s Meeting of the Whole we had a “mini” issues convention and identified the three top issues on the mind and hearts of WeROC members.  The top issues as voted by members were:

• Criminal Justice
• Health Equity
• Voting Rights

In the meeting this Thursday we will discuss these issues and identify which issues members are willing to support with their time and talents.  Please come and bring your questions, comments and ability to work on any of these important issues.    All of these issues represent concerns about the times in which we are living and are critical to creating a just and beloved community.  WeROC Leaders have volunteered to organize each of these Action teams, select team leaders, and recruit members.  Teams will cut the issues, decide who are the targets, and plan actions.  We need your hearts, minds and skills to make these decisions.  See you Thursday!

Cindy Bodewes
cbodewes@umich.edu
734-358-6994

Agitation is an act of Love

WeROC’s Leadership Team wanted our supporters to see this statement from MOSES on the Chauvin verdict, if you hadn’t already. Mixed emotions as we move forward with next steps, including this training we hope that you and others from your congregation, union, or network can join us for, as we work together to build healthy, bottom-up power and become more effective agents for real, transformational change, starting right in our own communities.

Saturday, April 17, 10 AM to 2 PM: “Organizing 101” training with our sister organization MOSES in Detroit. We see all members as leaders.  Please sign up and have your leadership skills honed.

https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZEvf-ipqz0iH9IWvQjnp6yOWpb2Xm3W6eTg

Calling all WeROC members and friends to attend our next Meeting of the Whole, Thursday, April 8, 5:00-6:30pm —  Click here to register, then scroll down for some helpful preparation for this special participatory event…    

We are moving our WeROC Meeting of the Whole one week, from the regular “First Thursday” meeting day (due to conflicts with religious services/gatherings, as well as conflicts with other social justice meetings that some of you let us know about).  We’ll meet April 8th, and we will start a half-hour earlier (5:00 pm) to allow time for us to conduct what we’re calling a “Mini” Issues Convention.  Here’s why we want a broad cross-section of our constituency (you!) on the 8th…

• Normally we would have an Issues Convention in person, for several hours.  Given our restraints due to the Covid virus, we are condensing the time and process in order to still allow our members, friends, and allies to participate democratically in clarifying together the best issues for us to work collectively on in the coming months.
  • To prepare for this meeting, it will help greatly if each of you will give some ahead of time to this question:  Of the (dozens of!) serious problems facing us and our neighbors right now, which are YOU most passionate about, and which might YOU want to devote some of your time and talents to?
• We will then go through a “multi-vote” process together, to hear from each other and prioritize the best organizing issues that we can build Action Teams and healthy community power around.

Nothing’s off the table, so bring your candidate issue(s) and let’s have a meaningful — and fun! — time together.  Some things to think about in considering potential issues…

• It is in line with WeROC’s mission and vision?
• Is there a local decision-maker?
• It it winnable?
• Does it increase WeROC’s visibility in the community?
• Does WeROC have the resources to engage?

Please join us on April 8th and help determine priorities for WeROC and the formation of Action Teams — at what feels like an incredible moment in history.

ALSO, SAVE THE DATE:  Saturday, April 17th 10:00am-2:00pm for an important next step:  an “Organizing 101” training with our sister organization MOSES in Detroit, on ZOOM.  Look for an invitation shortly — and whether you’re a seasoned WeROCer or a newcomer, let’s all keep learning about building blocks like 1:1’s, self-interest, building power, and more.

Cindy Bodewes
cbodewes@umich.edu
734-358-6994

Agitation is an act of Love

WeROC’s easy-to-use website:  www.werocmi.org

And follow us at Facebook.com/werocmi

WeROC Members, Friends, Supporters —  Click here to register before this month’s WeROC Meeting of the Whole.  THIS Thursday, March 4, 5:30-6:30.

Attached are the Agenda for Thursday’s Meeting of the Whole and a one-page tutorial for powerful 1 on 1’s.

Building relationships to build long-term grassroots power through 1 on 1’s.  Our agenda Thursday will help us all learn more about why our ability to make real change depends on building our networks of strong human relationships with each other, with our allies, and with local decision-makers.  Ongoing 1 on 1’s are the foundation of the organizing tools that WeROC and MOSES share with our fellow Gamaliel Network affiliated organizations around Michigan and the country.

We will have a demonstration of a 1 on 1 (as requested in the February meeting).  This will better prepare us for additional training opportunities we’ll be offering in the coming months in techniques for long-term organizing for community power.

The relationships we build now are the path to winning real improvements in County residents’ lives through campaigns for more equitable criminal justice, mental health, and COVID services — and other equity improvements that bubble up from you and your congregations, union locals, community organizations, and neighbors.

We hope you’ll register now for some healthy power-building this Thursday….!

Cindy Bodewes for the WeROC Leadership Team

Leadership Team Contact info on our updated Website: werocmi.org;

Like and follow our Facebook Page:  Facebook.com/werocmi.

Cindy Bodewes
cbodewes@umich.edu
734-358-6994

Agitation is an act of Love

WeROC Members, Friends, Supporters —  Click here to register before this month’s WeROC Meeting of the Whole.

Please join us this Thursday, February 4th, 5:30-6:30 where we will talk about building power in relation to our past, current, and future initiatives like the Justice Matters Campaign and our Mental Health Equity work.  We will have a short tutorial on power-building using a “case study” of our Mental Health Equity Action Team (attached), followed by a discussion of the next steps and actions for digging into criminal justice, mental health equity issues, and the intersection of the two.

We will talk about the Gamaliel Network’s brand of power-building and next steps in planning WeROC actions to grow the power and voice of people on the margins.  The new WeROC Leadership Team wants to hear your thoughts and aspirations for our organization and for your role in helping to build the Beloved Community.

Please plan to be with us on Thursday the 4th to share your thoughts for power-building for a more just, united, and caring Washtenaw.

Cindy Bodewes for the WeROC Leadership Team

Leadership Team Contact info on our updated Website: werocmi.org;

Like and follow our Facebook Page:  Facebook.com/werocmi.

Hello WeROC Community–

Despite it all, an incredible year for this organization:  From several very effective voter engagement efforts — to a broad bottom-up Justice Matters campaign where we all learned much about the role of County Prosecutor and the candidates — to new relationships with officials in a position to transform our local criminal justice system…WeROC is hitting the ground running for 2021.  

Join us for our January First Thursday “Meeting of the Whole” on January 7 and help elect officers to the new WeROC Provisional Leadership Team.  Register at this link.

• The informal WeROC leadership table of the past 2 years, the “Reset Committee,” agreed that a more formal leadership structure will be needed for the exciting but challenging fights WeROC will be taking on in 2021, and for building our capacity.  They commissioned a Nominating Committee (Pastor Jeff Harrold, Cindy Bodewes, and Tad Wysor), who are very pleased to propose the slate below of long-time and connected WeROC leaders who have agreed to serve if elected.
• The Leadership Team elected January 7 will serve for one year, or less if WeROC is able to pick up where COVID forced us to leave off — when we’ll formalize memberships from local institutions and individuals, delegates from which will then create our first Board of Directors and Executive Officers.

Proposed Slate for the WeROC Provisional Leadership Team (with affiliations for identification), to be voted on at the January 7 meeting:

President:  Cindy Bodewes, Church of the Good Shepherd
Vice President:  Charlotte Tillerson, President, Ypsilanti Community Education Association
Secretary:  Audrey Anderson, Community Church of God
Treasurer:  Rita Turner-Sheerin, Voters not Politicians
Clergy Representative:  Rev. Jeff Harrold, Pastor, New Beginnings Community Church of Washtenaw County
Lead Organizer:  Tad Wysor, First Congregational UCC (Ypsi), AFGE Local 3907 (EPA), Huron Valley Area Labor Federation (AFL-CIO)

Please contact any of us on the Nominating Committee with any questions.

Cindy Bodewes (cbodewes@umich.edu, 734-358-6994)
Pastor Jeff Harrold (revharrold@gmail.com, 734-417-0782)
Tad Wysor (tadwysor@gmail.com, 734-883-3225)

Stay tuned for more about our major upcoming Justice Matters Teach-In on Organizing for Local Criminal Justice Reform. 

•  AND let’s all find ways to spread the word about what appear to be safe, effective, and life-saving COVID vaccines — especially among our neighbors who have every reason to be skeptical in light of our country’s past bad failures in providing medical care for all. 

Thanks to Betsy and Jill for keeping our online and social media presence fresh:  Website: werocmi.org;  Facebook Page:  Facebook.com/werocmi.

Here’s the Zoom video recording of the 12/3/20 Meeting of the Whole announced below: reflections and learnings about the election and what it all may mean for WeROC’s next steps.

https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/share/MjqpBF2bvl3TLUQfjulxNOBiajPOe9hVyrEzx-yz8HaneDAaivQLW_B_hG4atb04.5jjGltuiZQQL7v3Z

Access passcode: WeROC!01