At last Monday evening’s membership meeting, we ticked off an impressive list of successes over the past months, in both elections and legislative actions. Many of you spoke proudly of how you moved out of your comfort zone to ACT in ways that made a difference.
As we look ahead to 2019, with a new House majority and a new legislative agenda ready to burst out of the gates, the leadership of MI is assessing the health of our organization, with a critical eye toward what our needs are to sustain our momentum and its impact. The Board is moving toward a Steering Committee model, trying to stay away from a formal structure of “team leaders” reporting in from their areas of interest, and trying to maintain a unified organization with a shared mission.
The Steering Committee is eager to move forward in leading Minuteman Indivisible, but we agree that we need a few more folks to serve on the Committee. We have identified three roles that, if filled, would allow the Steering Committee to fulfill its leadership mandate:
Two Social Committee Co-Chairs - Do you like to throw parties? Scout out new venues for groups, large and small, to gather? We need a pair of party planners to plan and coordinate our quarterly social gatherings.
A Communications Partner - Have you ever worked on a newsletter as a volunteer with your temple, church, local non-profit, or other group? Edited publications? Written articles? Worked in Public Relations? We need someone to work closely with Lisa and Sarah to keep the Muster, the calendar, and the website up to date with the latest information in cooperation with Judy Keeley and John Santamaria, our website gurus. This person will also help MI communicate our offerings and our needs to Indivisible Massachusetts.
Joining the Steering Committee in one of these roles would require attendance (perhaps by Zoom call) at our monthly 2-hour meeting and regular participation on MI’s Slack, with a bit of outside work on one’s specific tasks, averaging 1 to 3 hours per week. Prospective Steering Committee members should be enthusiastic about guiding the organization, both by engaging in discussion of our work and mission and by diving into the tasks that make us successful.
WE CAN’T DO THIS WITHOUT MORE HELP.
If we can’t fill these roles, we may need to re-assess our capacity to maintain our current functioning as an organization.
Please take some time in the next few weeks to consider whether you might feel called to step out of your comfort zone and to step into one of these roles. Minuteman Indivisible is YOUR grassroots organization; the power comes from your engagement.
Please contact Sarah at elections@minutemanindivisible.org to talk about these opportunities. And please click here to read a longer version of this letter, including more detail on the Board's process and brief descriptions of the current Steering Committee members and their roles.
Wishing you a happy holiday season full of joy and hope,
Lisa Baci, Sarah Higginbotham, Susan Jureidini, Jean Milburn, and John Santamaria
MI Steering Committee
The volunteers who lead Minuteman Indivisible are a truly special group of people; they offer their skill and know-how to all our efforts, and they devote time to planning and strategy.
After the midterm elections, as the Board made a shift to the new structure of Steering Committee, several Board members decided to step down from their leadership positions. We acknowledge and celebrate them, giving thanks for the time and talent they have offered to MI: Marci Cemenska, President Kim Wright, Democracy Team leader Michelle Olson, Indivisible-MA Liaison and MI Founder Bob Kvaal, Climate & Environment Team leader Amy Garbis, Weekday Warriors leader
Tuesday, December 11: MI Book Club
The MI Book Club will be meeting tomorrow at 7:15 in Room 221 at the Lexington Community Center to discuss Fear by Bob Woodward. Don’t worry if you haven’t read the book - the main themes will be familiar and the links on our Book Club webpage provide a quick overview. New members are always welcome! RSVP here.
Tuesday, December 11: Indivisible-MA Call - Planning for January 3
Indivisible Massachusetts is hosting a call on Tuesday evening at 8:00 p.m. to learn more about the Day of Action planned for January 3, the first day of the new Congress. Be ready to hit the ground running in support of H.R. 1, making sure that our representatives support a bold call for reforms on voter empowerment and access, money in politics, and corruption.
The call agenda includes a congressional update from Rep. Joe Kennedy, guidance and Q&A from National Indivisible, and planning for Massachusetts' actions on January 3. Join the call, listen in, and learn how actions come to life!
Looking for "Whose House? OUR House!" merch to wear/bring to actions in 2019? Go to the Indivisible Storeto see the latest selection and get yours in time for January 3.
January 3, 2019: A Day of Action
Katherine Clark's District Office
701 Concord Ave. Suite 101
Cambridge, MA 02138
The Indivisible groups of MA-05 (Katherine Clark's district) are planning a coordinated action at her district office in Cambridge on Thursday, January 3, 2019. Tentatively scheduled for early afternoon, we will meet with members of Clark's staff to thank our Congresswoman for her work on the Hill and in the midterm elections, and we will combine our voices to share our vision of bold, progressive action in the new legislative session.
Foremost, on our list is strong support of H.R.1, the Democrats' planned first bill to preserve our democracy with reforms to our voting processes and to campaign finance regulations. Other issues we hope our member of congress will lift up and support include the Green New Deal, a clean Dream Act, and common sense gun violence legislation.
There will be more information coming about January 3 in subsequent emails this month, so stay tuned. For now, if you would like to carpool to Cambridge for the event, please fill out this short form; Harriet will be in touch to coordinate.
Sunday, January 20: Ranked Choice Voting Workshop, Lincoln
Are you worried about the handling of midterm elections in North Carolina, Wisconsin, and Michigan? Are you curious about why Maine has become the first state in the US to use Ranked Choice Voting? Are you wondering how US citizens can make the electoral process more fair and effective?
You'll want to attend the lively presentation offered by Jim Henderson on the topic of Ranked Choice Voting on January 20 at 3:00 p.m. at Bemis Hall in Lincoln. Henderson is a member of the Board of Directors ofVoter Choice Massachusetts, a non-partisan, non-profit organization dedicated to educating the Massachusetts public about electoral reforms and Ranked Choice Voting.
Save the date!
Dan McCready's race is not over!!
The MI Elections Team celebrated wins for 3 out of the 5 House candidates we supported in 2018, but there's a chance that number will improve. Alarming allegations of voter fraud in the 9th District of North Carolina have led to the lack of certification of the results of Dan McCready's loss in that race.You can read all the details here.
McCready may find soon himself campaigning all over again, as it's possible that a new election will be called. Stay tuned to hear how you can support Dan again! If you'd like to send him a donation, our MI ActBlue page for Danis still active - be generous!
Watch your inbox for the next Muster on December 17.
We'll bring you the latest on the plans
for the January 3 Action.
Meanwhile, keep checking theMI Calendar on our website for the full line-up
of events and opportunities.
Andjoin our Slackto stay in the loop!
Your input is welcome!
