Our June “first Thursday” Meeting of the Whole is Thursday, June 1, 5:30-7:15 pm, at Strong Tower Ministries, 134 Spencer Ln, Ypsilanti Township. (Light dinner provided). And isn’t this exactly the kind of time when, more than ever, we need good people from a lot of backgrounds and perspectives and experiences to get together and listen to each other? So much around us is changing so fast, and so much of it is unlike anything we’ve ever seen before — especially the rapid increase in major policy decisions being made or considered that seem designed to take more away from those among us who have already have been living with too much economic and racial and social inequity for too long.
Meetings
WeROC May Meeting of the Whole
Thursday, May 4, is our monthly WeROC Meeting of the Whole:
5:30 pm – 7:15 pm
Community Church of God
565 Jefferson Avenue
Ypsilanti, MI 48197.
Light dinner provided. Learn of next actions on education (followup to meeting with Ypsi Community Schools Superintendent Dr. Edmonson) and on public safety (plans for Neighborhood Listening Campaign near Community Church of God in Ypsi).
Come learn how you can make these powerful upcoming actions stronger with your participation.
WeROC Community Conversations Training 4-29-17
WeROC will be hosting a “Community Conversations” training session, Saturday April 29, 9:30am-3:30pm (includes lunch), Community Church of God, 565 Jefferson Ave, Ypsilanti.
April 6 Meeting of the Whole
When: Thursday April 6, 5:30-7:15 pm
Where: Beth Israel Congregation, 2010 Washtenaw, Ann Arbor (Building to the left of the main building).
Light dinner provided. Learn of next actions on education (followup to meeting with Ypsi Community Schools Superintendent Dr. Edmonson) and on public safety (plans for Neighborhood Listening Campaign near Community Church of God in Ypsi).
Protest Trump in Ypsilanti
WeROC leaders welcome whoever may be able to show up at this protest at Willow Run Airport tomorrow (Wednesday 3-15). As you may know, the president is coming to town to drop his announcements about his plans for EPA and our climate change programs.
Our friends at Michigan to Believe In have quickly put this together, gotten the Sheriff on board, and are now looking to build the numbers. Hope you can come.
American Red Cross Opening Two Warming Centers
Posted for those in the WeROC community who may still be without power after this week’s wind storm or otherwise need emergency shelter:
AMERICAN RED CROSS OPENING TWO OVERNIGHT WARMING CENTERS
The American Red Cross will be operating two overnight warming centers in Washtenaw County beginning today.
Washtenaw International High School
510 Emerick St, Ypsilanti, MI 48198
Bates Elementary School
2704 Baker Rd, Dexter, MI 48130
Both of these overnight warming centers will open at 6PM this evening
In addition to these warming centers, the Lincoln School district will be operating a temporary warming center at the high school.
Lincoln High School
7425 Willis Road
Ypsilanti, MI 48197
(Enter through the east entrance by the Main Office)
Open today from 11AM until 9AM Saturday morning
This location will provide a warm space, bathroom facilities, running water, shower facilities, and meals. In partnership with Aramark, free meals will be served to anyone who is at the building during the following times:
Dinner will be served at 6:00 p.m. Showers will be available at 7:00 p.m. on Friday and 7:00 a.m. on Saturday morning. You must bring your own towel and toiletries. In addition, anyone who would like to remain in the building overnight will need to be at LHS by 10:30 p.m. and leave by 9:00 a.m. If you leave the building after 10:30 p.m., you will not be able to re-enter.
CONDITIONS FOR ALL THREE WARMING CENTER LOCATIONS
• Children must be accompanied by an adult the entire time they are in the building
• No pets
• Red Cross will provide cots & blankets along with basic hygiene items
• Bring your own pillows
Further availability of these locations through the weekend will be determined based on need
Please call 734-971-5300 ext. 213 with any additional questions
International Women’s Day Activities
For those who might want to participate, there are activities around the International Women’s Day Strike in Ann Arbor today, March 8 2017:
Rally and March – 5 PM, Liberty Plaza (310 S. Division St), Ann Arbor
Facebook event
Historical background:
The origins of the holiday can be traced back to March 8, 1857, when garment workers in New York City staged a protest against inhumane working conditions and low wages, according to the United Nations. The police attacked the protesters and dispersed them, but the movement continued and led to the creation of the first women’s labor union.
“Fast forward to March 8, 1908: 15,000 women marched in New York City for shorter work hours, better pay, voting rights, and an end to child labor. The slogan “Bread and Roses” emerged, with bread symbolizing economic security and roses for better living standards.
“Many of those who protested for working rights were young immigrants from Europe who came to the United States seeking better opportunities, says Carol Rosenblatt of the Coalition of Labor Union Women.”
http://www.yesmagazine.org/…/where-did-international-women-…
WeROC Meeting of the Whole 3-2-17
Don’t forget our monthly WeROC Meeting of the Whole, our chance to get together with other awesome folks committed to positive change in this community, and to catch up on current actions and plans.
Where: Ekklesia Fellowship Ministries, 123 N. Adams, Ypsilanti
When: Thursday 3/2/17, 5:30 PM – 7:15 PM
Three ways to experience how we’re building healthy collective power locally right now:
- Ypsilanti Community Schools Superintendent Dr. Benjamin Edmondson will be present as we explore with him how our broad-based, collective voice can be best engaged in continuing to reduce suspensions and unnecessary expulsions. (Thanks to our Education Action Team for organizing this!)
- Report from WeROC Training Event Planning Committee about the plans-in-progress for our major local community organizing training session
set for Saturday, March 25(to be rescheduled for another date).
- Keeping the momentum going for all of us to set up and do short but serious one-on-one meetings with those we need in our web of relationships.
One more thing…celebrating community victories: EMU Administration dropped all charges against students who protested the racist grafitti on campus after hours at the Student Center. Broad support from WeROC clergy, local union leaders, allies, and the broader community were key to the University reversing its position! Let’s never underestimate our influence when large numbers of us are united around our bedrock values of community, caring, equality, and solidarity — especially when democracy seems to be in more danger than it has for many decades.
WeROC Meeting of The Whole 2-2-17
WeROC Meeting of the Whole Thursday, Feb 2, 5:30-7:15, First Congregational UCC, 218 N. Adams, Ypsi, 48197, between Washtenaw and Emmet. Light food provided. We’ll continue our focus on relationship-building for the long haul, and planning a major local community organizing training in March/April.
Dear WeROC Colleagues…so glad that we’re together at a time like this…
Using our WeROC/MOSES/Gamaliel way of thinking about the challenges facing us, we can see that the power of organized money is up against the power of organized people, especially those among us who were already hurting before the latest wave of attacks on working and lower-income families. Nothing new there, really, right? But it does feel different right now. The people that control huge and growing hoards of organized dollars are getting people who will do their bidding elected to office at all levels. It seems they are beefing up their old techniques and coming up with alarming new ones to try to get what they want — especially trying to keep voters fragmented, discouraged, and weak. And they are more “in our face” than we’ve seen in many, many years.
So what a wonderful blessing that, rather than roll over and wait 4 or 8 years, historic numbers of Americans who care about each other and our country are ALSO brushing up old organizing techniques and inventing new ones. And more quickly and in larger numbers and with more solidarity than most of us have seen, maybe ever. We are beginning to take powerful action together that is nationally coordinated, but also very local — even before the other side can settle in and fully get their footing,
Many of us are participating in these historic, ongoing democratic actions. Among the most important are: The emerging next local action steps after the inspiring and record-breaking Women’s Marches in DC and 600+(!!) other places. “Our First Stand” rally in Macomb County and 70 other communities 2 Sundays ago, to save health care (6000+ in the cold in Michigan alone). The viral downloading of the brand new “Indivisible Guide” handbook, and the 1500+ local Indivisible groups that have already formed to put effective and constant pressure on Members of Congress in every District, Republican and Democratic. And Rev. William Barber II’s “Restoring the Breach” coalition, building on the experience of the “Moral Mondays” movement in North Carolina, fusing together progressive movements for racial and economic and social justice in powerful new ways in many states. All of these have online portals for plugging in.
And we need you, and all of us, to be a part of figuring out how WeROC and MOSES can play our special roles as things quickly develop. Nobody has all the answers, but we in WeROC have some collective know-how. We exercise a disciplined focus on relationship-building, on building healthy grassroots power, on training ourselves and new partners in techniques shown to work (so we don’t waste that precious volunteer time and energy), and on taking powerful, strategic, smart action together around thoughtful local issues with larger connections.
Next Thursday’s monthly meeting will be our next chance together to “be the grownups in the room.” We’ll keep fine-tuning our current plans to 1) continue our Listening Campaign to complete “One-on-Ones” with targeted new folks and potential leaders within our organizations and networks and 2) Schedule a major, in depth community organization training event for ourselves and our new and potential allies. Please try to be a part of this major new movement for justice and equality.
Blessings and Solidarity — Tad Wysor, Volunteer WeROC Organizer
Local Solidarity Rallies With Immigrants
Progressives in Southeast Michigan have 3 opportunities today to demonstrate solidarity with immigrants and oppose Trump’s Muslim Ban:
- Peaceful Protest Against Immigration Ban (And Everything Else)
Where: Federal Building, 200 E. Liberty St, Ann Arbor
When: 12 PM, Sunday Jan 29
Facebook event - Emergency Protest Hamtramck: We Stand in Solidarity with Muslims
Where: Hamtramck City Hall, 3401 Evaline Ave, Hamtramck MI 48212
When: 2 PM, Sunday Jan 29
Facebook event - DTW: Emergency Protest Against Muslim Ban
Where: DTW Airport – McNamara Terminal- International Arrivals
When: 4 PM, Sunday Jan 29
Facebook event
Last night, unionized taxi drivers with the New York Taxi Workers Alliance used their power in an inspiring demonstration of solidarity with the rally against the Muslim Ban. Labor and faith communities in Southeast Michigan should do the same and stand with our immigrant brothers and sisters.
