Maryville Huddle Mandates: April 18 – Mayday

Ruth Holloway

Maryville Huddle Women’s March

Progressive Mandates

Week of April 18, 2021

 

The Zoom  Redistricting meeting on Wed, April 21, at 7PM. is of the utmost important event to attend this week. See details in the Events list below. It is just one of many interesting events happening this week!

Blount County JOBS FAIR, Tues, April 27, 9AM- Noon. See this list of participating employers.

The Environment Working Group has launched a blog: https://bcgreenhuddle.blogspot.com/. You can reach it at any time through the EWG page from the tab on the Huddle’s website. Very cool! Great job, Ladies!

Actions for Week of April 18, 2021

1. Support Austin-East School – As you know, a student was killed in Austin-East School last week. It is the 5^th student they’ve lost to gun violence since January. Mom’s Demand Action is recommending we send cards of support to the students who will be returning to school this week. Address: Austin-East High School, 2768 Martin Luther King Avenue, Knoxville TN 37914.

2. Contact Publisher – The police officer, Jonathan Mattingly, who was shot by Breonna Taylor’s boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, during their home invasion and who is suing Mr. Walker for battery, assault and emotional distress has written a book entitled “The Fight For Truth: The Inside Story Behind the Breonna Taylor Tragedy.” Although Simon & Schuster says they won’t distribute the book, the TN publisher plans to proceed. Please consider contacting Post Hill Press at 8115 Isabella Lane, Suite 4, Brentwood T 37027, 615-261-4646 to ask them not to publish the book. You can also email them at contact@posthillpress.com and  publicity@posthillpress.com.

3. Good News!
   1. Pres. Biden is nominating the first woman to serve as Secretary of the Army.
   2. The House Oversight Committee has advanced the DC Statehood bill, so it now goes to the floor for a full vote.
   3. Big corporations and Big law are joining the fight against voter suppression.
   4. Temporary Protective Status has been granted for Venezuelans already in the USA.
   5. Pres. Biden announced several anti-gun violence measures last week, including nominating David Chipman to head the ATF. Mr. Chipman is an anti-gun violence advocate who serves as a policy advisor to the Giffords Foundation.

4. Educate Yourself
   1. Read about the guaranteed monthly income payments that Cambridge MA is will be giving to 120 low-income households.
   2. The Army has concluded the DC Guard misused helicopters in its low-flying confrontation with BLM/George Floyd protestors last summer.
   3. Calls are growing for WHO and USA to enact patent waivers on COVID vaccine technology so they could be manufactured more widely.
   4. Six US Senators voted against the bill to combat hate crimes against Asian-Americans. No surprise here: Sen. Cotton, Cruz, Hawley, Marshall, Paul, Tuberville.
   5. Watch the video of a 4^th grader shaming the TX Senate over their anti-transgender law.

5. Postcard Writing Group is Working from Home – Until the group is able to meet again in person, they will be sending emails to elected officials. Issues, sample scripts and contact information for elected officials will be emailed to Postcard Group members once a week for state/local issues, and on the last Monday of the month for federal issues. If you would like to be included in the Postcard Group email distribution list, please email maryvilletnhuddle@gmail.com

UPCOMING EVENTS

See & Bookmark this calendar:  https://sites.google.com/view/wmcethuddle/calendar?authuser=0

Gun Violence in America: A Raging Epidemic; Apr 20^th, Tues 7 PM: Sponsored by US Representative Jim Cooper. Register here. Facebook event: https://www.facebook.com/JimCooper/photos/gm.3900126356734638/10159319592106392

How East TN can Harness the Power of the Sun.; Apr 20^th, Tue 8-9PM: Join Jason Carney, Founder and CEO of Energy Electives, and Bryan Jacob, Solar Program Director at the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy for a discussion on the benefits of community solar and how residents can harness the power of the sun to power their homes and businesses. Facebook event: https://www.facebook.com/events/1312309115817338/ Zoom link: zoom.us

Creating Community with Our Insect Neighbors webinar, Apr 21^st Wed, 12-1PM; Speaker: Dr. Nancy Lee Adamson of Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation. Sponsored by Ecological Landscape Alliance. The event is free. Register here.

Redistricting Program, Apr 21^st, Wed 7-8PM: Sponsored by League of Women Voters Blount County. Film and Discussion featuring Dr. Katie Cahill, The Baker Center, UTK and Dr. Mark O’Gorman, Maryville College. Zoom meeting: us02web.zoom.us. Facebook event: https://fb.me/e/22qvWqdsU

Earth Day 2021 Virtual Celebration, Apr 22^nd, Thurs 6-8PM: Hosted by Narrow Ridge Earth Literacy Center. Event includes songs, poetry, stories, networking, etc. Visit this link for Facebook event.

Equality Action Series: Child Care Tax Credit, Apr 22^nd, Thurs 8PM: Sponsored by ACLU. Register here.

Alcoa-BC NAACP Zoom meeting, Apr 24^th, Sat 11:45AM-12:45PM: Followed at 1PM by BC United Zoom Meeting. At the BCU meeting Sherri Nakamoto and Brenda Bell will offer an introduction to “Preparing for challenging Interactions.”  This 3-part interactive workshop is grounded in principles of nonviolent communication and develops self-awareness and conversation skills. For Zoom information contact ramaloha@hotmail.com.

Virtual Recycling & Waste Disposal Seminar, Apr 27^th, Tues 10 AM: Sponsored by Keep Blount Beautiful, Blount County Highway Department, City of Alcoa Sanitation and Recycling, City of Maryville Sanitation, and Alcoa/Maryville/Blount County Landfill. Discussion on recycling and other waste disposal information specific to Blount County. Register here.

Blount County Ecumenical Action Council Meeting, Apr 27^th, Tues 11:30AM-1PM:  For Zoom information contact bcecumenicalactioncouncil@gmail.com. Dues are $20 per year.

Maryville Huddle Meeting: 150 Years of Economic Inequality, Apr 29, 7-9PM: Speaker: Dr. Marianne Wanamaker, Assoc. Professor Economics at UT. Presentation will provide a history of relative income for black relative to white workers, from 1865 through today. Register here.  Join from PC, Mac, Linux, iOS or Android: Click Here to Join. Passcode: 565761

Town of Louisville Cleanup, May 1^st, Sat 8:30 AM-Noon: Sponsored by Keep Blount Beautiful. For details and to register, visit this website.