Please note: Our monthly informal Democracy and Voting Meetings will be held going forward on the third Wednesday of each month at 5:00 p.m.. They are open to one and all, so please join us, even if you’d just like to listen in.
The next meeting will be on Wednesday, March 19th at 5pm. (A reminder and zoom link will be sent out in advance.)
Our February meeting opened up with a slide of Third Act’s Working Principles. Take care of yourself was highlighted as a means of kicking off our discussion:
We emphasized Take Care of Yourself given the deeply unsettling times we are facing. In our attempts to follow the unfolding news and find ways to respond, it is easy to feel increasingly discouraged and overwhelmed. Attendees shared ways they are trying to strike a balance. Although not all comments were captured, here’s a representative list of what was shared:
- Limiting the amount of news consumption and changing some news sources.
- Attending Lobby Day for Divest Oregon in early February was a very positive experience.
- A couple of attendees said they’d attended 50501 rallies and Tesla protests and found them to be encouraging/uplifting.
- Several attendees have joined Indivisible and are following Indivisible’s updates and learning about suggested actions. (more on the great work of Indivisible and similar partners below)
- Others mentioned taking daily walks and practicing other self-care strategies.
- One attendee mentioned having attended a virtual event put on by Collective Acceleration with a discussion of Norma Wong’s book: When No Things Work
A Big Picture Update from Third Act Central(TAC)
Bill McKibben and the TAC strategy team have recently offered the following guidance for working groups and much of this has been shared via emails to members.
Here is a summary of their recommendations:
- Given the circumstances with the federal government, TAC is focused on being strategic rather than overly reactionary. To this end, TAC encourages working groups to emphasize state and local initiatives that encompass our dual missions of protecting our climate and democracy.
Note: An abundance of new climate legislation is being considered here in Oregon. If you are interested in learning more and getting involved with TAO’s Citizen Advocacy Team, contact Margaret Sherraden at: msherraden@gmail.com
- In terms of confronting the unfolding threats to our democracy, TAC is calling on members and working groups to actively engage and participate in the great work of very well organized groups. These include partners like Indivisible, Field Team 6, Seed the Vote, Environmental Voter Project, Activate America, and others. There will be specific Third Act “Calls to Action” and these will be shared with members.
Note: More information on resources and actions available through these groups is below.
- TAC is in the process of developing a large coalition for a nationwide celebration called Sun Day. This coalition building will ensure a massive turnout, is intended to be celebratory, and a great unifier for the many climate based groups around the country. As the celebration’s name indicates, the focus will be on the rising importance and potential of renewable energy, especially solar energy. This may be a multi-day event, although the Sun Day Celebration will happen on the Autumnal Equinox which will be Sunday, September 21st.
Note: More information to come. And as we learn more, there will be a need for MANY volunteers to help ensure wonderful and well-attended events here in Oregon. For now, be sure to mark your calendars for the weekend of September 20-21.
Sharing and Building a List of Actions
As a group, we took some time to brainstorm ideas of ways members are engaging and can begin to engage in climate work and in taking actions to confront the ongoing threats to our democracy.
As a group, we took some time to brainstorm ideas of ways members are engaging and can begin to engage in climate work and in taking actions to confront the ongoing threats to our democracy.