5 Scary Things That Happen When You Don’t Vote…

Posted October 31, 2014

On this Halloween, only four days away from a major election, there are a few things I am pretty darn scared for in our state if every eligible voter in our state DOESN’T get out to the polls by 8pm on November 4th.

Here they are:

1. We will continue to have the worst-in-the-nation voting gap between voters of color and white voters. We will not hear the voices, demands, and needs from people of color. Our votes = our representation. No vote. No representation.

2. More of us losing our voting rights. Right now, people living in our community who have served their time but are still on probation/parole do not have the right to vote. If we don’t vote, that will just be the beginning of silencing as many voices in our community as possible.

3. Our kids’ future. Our votes determine what kind of laws and policies we are able to create to make our lives and our future better. Future generations are relying on me and you to vote for them.

4. Our countries prisons have become something someone can profit on. The same people who build those prisons, locking people in our community up and out, are the same ones who rely on progressives like me and you to NOT vote, so they can build more prisons and profit more off of our communities.… Continue reading »

Calling with babies.

Posted September 18, 2014

I don’t have kids myself. Perhaps that is why I am so elated when kiddos come to our office with their parents. 

Last week we had a little four month old girl come to a night of calling with her mother. (I spent a good portion of the evening calling with a sleeping baby on my lap!)

As I called other women in the 8th CD that night and heard babies crying or kids refusing to eat dinner or giggles of bedtime shenanigans, I felt an incredible resolve to talk to these families about why the elections mattered to them.

This is bigger than a victory on election night. This is about women talking to other women about what we need in Minnesota for women and families to succeed- paid time off to care for a sick child, paid paternity leave, affordable childcare.

It is so compelling and honest to watch our Duluth office fill to the brim each Monday and Thursday with a group of women ready to work. The elections aren’t the answer to the big daunting problems we face. But they are a start. They are a place we gather to share what isn’t working, and begin talking about what we can do next.… Continue reading »

What’s happening on Grandparents Day

Posted September 3, 2014

Last weekend, I used “FaceTime” with my Grandma Marion who lives in North Carolina. FaceTime isn’t complicated, it’s just an app on a cell phone that lets you video chat. But what this simple tool gave me was a chance to see my Grandma’s smile, give her a virtual tour of my apartment and vegetable garden, and actually wave hello and goodbye as we greeted each other and said goodbye.

It was great to see my Grandma’s face. And as we hung up, I thought about all the things she’s taught me about the more “traditional” kind of face time – the kind of engagement in community that doesn’t require a cell phone.

Over the years, I’ve watched her carefully staying in touch with friends in far off places through hand-written letters, Christmas cards, and newspaper clippings and I’ve learned about the power of building relationships and being present in people’s lives. As I watched her meet, talk with, and become close to my friends (I swear most of them liked hanging out with her more than hanging out with just me), I learned that differences in generations don’t need to divide us, and that they can be bridged through stories, conversation, and shared values.… Continue reading »

What’s happening in the North Country

Posted August 13, 2014

It’s been a busy summer in the North Country for TakeAction Minnesota. We wanted to make sure you knew what we’ve been up to, so we’ll be writing a blog post every month. Here’s our first installment…

It is election season. Picnics, parades, and door knocking abounds in the beautiful land of tall pines and big lakes. It’s my favorite time of the year.  As much as I love running on the amazing trails we have, I am equally jazzed to work hard to elect a slate of progressive Northlanders who will work to create a community that works for everyone.

From Grand Rapids to Duluth we are talking about why the elections matter to us. In Grand Rapids two 90 year old Rosie the Riveters marched in the Tall Timber Days parade to highlight the long way we have come, and the long way we have to go, on women’s economic justice. In Duluth we are hosting working families’ phone banks to talk about why paid sick days matter to working families.

Yes, it’s nice outside. Yes, we could all be dipping our feet off the dock. But would that get us where we want to be in November? Not so much.… Continue reading »

Locked Up Locked Out

Posted July 14, 2014

This past Saturday at Locked up Locked out, community members came together to talk about the impact of the criminal justice system on our community. Shvonne Johnson Associate Dean of Students at St. Catherine’s offered a powerful spoken word piece that ask the question, what is our response to the system that criminalizes us? I think it is safe to say that 122+ signatures (and that is just the begining) for Governor Dayton to stop by North MPLS and talk about this issue is a solid response.

See you on the doors, but until then, here is Professor Johnsons spoken word piece.

Thank you to everyone who made #LockedUpLockedOut a success!

Locked up, Locked Out…

“To discuss the inhumanity of a system that is failing is not what this is about…
Although the system is failing…
To discuss a system that is broken is not what this poem is about.
Although it is broken…
This is about the pain of not having a place for mistakes and it being socially acceptable, and expected to be on the outskirts of humanity which might make you feel locked out.
We can talk about the socialization of our penal system which deems it lawful to subject a human being entirely to the domination of some influence or person.… Continue reading »

Building economic security across Minnesota

Posted May 23, 2014

At the end of February, we laid out for you a vision to expand economic equity in the 2014 legislative session.

Three months (and 2,000+ emails to legislators, almost 30,000 doors knocked on, 8,000 petition signatures, 1,500 conversations on the phone, and one very (very) cold march with single moms later) much of that vision has been realized.

More than 300,000 Minnesotans will get a raise come August 1. Soon grandmothers will be able to stay home from work to take care of their grandchildren, and employers won’t be able to fire women simply because they’re a mom. More Minnesotans will get a second chance, and Minnesota will continue to lead the nation in health care through MinnesotaCare.

None of this would have been possible without Minnesotans like standing hand in hand with bold champions at the Capitol fighting for progress every day – while under immense pressure from corporate interests to back down.

We know that there’s more work to do. We’re still fighting to make sure that no mom worries about getting fired for staying home with sick kids. To make sure that all our neighbors can participate in our democracy. And to make sure that all Minnesotans have access to the affordable health care they need.… Continue reading »