RESULTS Campaigns Weekly Update June 30, 2020

Quote of the Week

“I am so heartened that you are continuing to work together to mobilize in unprecedented times. You are truly unsung heroes, making an impact in the lives of millions, both now and for years to come. So keep going; keep up the great work.”

– Rep. Nita Lowey (D-NY-17) speaking at the 2020 RESULTS International Conference

Table of Contents

• Global Poverty Campaigns Update
• U.S. Poverty Campaigns Update
• RESULTS Announcements
• Upcoming Events
• Grassroots Resources

Global Poverty Campaigns Update

QUICK ACTION Write a letter to the editor on prioritizing global health and education during the COVID-19 crisis

Got Fifteen Minutes? Ensure that the U.S. includes at least $20 billion for a global COVID-19 response.

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on a global scale is still unfolding, but it’s poor and middle-income nations that face the greatest risks. A World Bank estimate suggests that COVID-19 could drive over 70 million additional people into extreme poverty in 2020. The World Food Program projects global hunger could double. And we are already seeing outbreaks of diphtheria, cholera, and measles due to suspension of vaccination programs. As a leader in global health and development, the United States must urgently respond to contain and mitigate the impact of COVID-19 and protect hard-fought gains in global health in low-income countries. Providing resources to programs that successfully impact poverty and have demonstrable track-records for improving health outcomes will be critical in the fight against COVID-19 and its effect on those most at-risk. As Congress considers emergency COVID-19 funding, we urge them to prioritize the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria; Gavi, The Vaccine Alliance; and funding to stave off hunger and malnutrition. Ask Congress to include at least $20 billion for this necessary global response.

TAKE ACTION: Contact your senators and representative. Call on them to speak to Senate and House leadership about ensuring that the U.S. includes a global pandemic response of at least $20 billion in their next COVID-19 emergency spending bill.

Got Another Ten Minutes? Plan with your group to attend the July 11 RESULTS United Webinar

Mark the July 11 RESULTS United Webinar on your calendars. It’s one you surely won’t want to miss, as our global campaigns guest is Dr. Jim Kim, former World Bank president. It will be a terrific conversation. It starts at 1 pm ET for U.S. poverty campaigns, 1:30 pm for the Grassroots Café, and 2:00 pm ET for global poverty campaigns. We will also debrief on the IC and look ahead to what is next. (P.S. While you’re talking with your fellow advocates, work with them to fill out your lobby report forms and send your follow-up emails for your Week of Action meetings!)

TAKE ACTION: Remind your fellow advocates of the RESULTS United Webinar and make plans to attend. Join at https://results.zoom.us/j/994444828. You can also join by phone at (669) 900-6833 or (929) 436-2866, meeting ID 994 444 828.

QUICK NEWS ON GLOBAL POVERTY

Stand in solidarity and take action. As Executive Director Joanne Carter has said, RESULTS recognizes the persistent burden of racism and police brutality, especially on Black people, including our grassroots volunteers, partners, staff, and board who are directly impacted when society fails to recognize that Black lives matter. But condolences aren’t enough. As advocates we must confront racism and fight to change the policies that perpetuate it. Follow the expertise, leadership, and guidance of Black-led organizations and community networks focused on racial justice and donate to support their work. As a RESULTS advocate, you know how to write to the media and push your member of Congress into action. Use those skills. At RESULTS we’re not experts on legislative solutions to police violence or criminal justice reform, but we encourage you to lend your support to local, state, and national organizations that are (such as the Movement for Black Lives, the NAACP, and the Equal Justice Initiative). If you have feedback on how else RESULTS should be responding, please let us know.

ACTION applauds Gavi replenishment. Remarkably, the world has committed financial resources that will help deliver more than 3.2 billion doses of life-saving vaccines, reaching 300 million children by 2025. Read more online.

U.S. Poverty Campaigns Update

QUICK ACTION Tell Congress to provide emergency rental assistance

Got Fifteen Minutes? Follow up from recent lobby meetings

Thank you to everyone who participated in the 2020 RESULTS International Conference last week. Based on initial reactions from volunteers, you enjoyed the sessions, the trainings, the music, and the Conference agenda helped get you fired up for the hundreds of lobby meetings you did during Advocacy Week. We are grateful for your participation and helping make our first virtual Conference a resounding success.

But Advocacy Week is not over yet. Remember, a lobby meeting is not done until the follow-up is complete. Before you get festive for Independence Day this weekend, focus on making sure you’ve done all the follow-up from your meetings last week.

TAKE ACTION: Take fifteen minutes to complete your follow up from lobby meetings last week by doing the following. Be sure to coordinate with your group on who is responsible for these actions:

• Request meetings for those you haven’t met with. If you were not able to get a virtual lobby meeting last week with an office you want to meet with, follow-up with schedulers to get on the books in the next few weeks. Congress is on recess July 3-17 so they should have time to meet.
• Follow up with aides. Unless otherwise needed, designate one person from your group per congressional office to contact the appropriate aide(s) you met with to thank them for their time and to reiterate your requests. Use our template follow-up e-mail to get started (please personalize it before sending). Plan to follow up again in the next week to check on the status of your request.
• Fill out the lobby report form. Please take time to let us know what happened in each of your meetings at: tinyurl.com/RESLRF. Thank you for the nearly 180 reports that have already been entered. This information is critical in helping us strategize our next actions and in helping you develop relationships with your members of Congress.

Find all the resources from the International Conference, including meeting requests, lobby materials, and workshop resources on the Conferences Resources page.

Got Another Fifteen Minutes? Use media to push for rental assistance now

Your advocacy on America’s housing crisis is working. Yesterday, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) introduced the Protecting Renters from Evictions and Fees Act, which would enact a one-year national moratorium on evictions (retroactive to March 27, 2020) (see more below). Also, yesterday the House passed H.R. 7301, the Emergency Housing Protections and Relief Act of 2020, 232-180, which include $100 billion in emergency rental assistance and a national moratorium on evictions (the same  as the HEROES Act) plus additional money to help those experiencing homelessness in the pandemic. Finally, the House begins debate today on a new infrastructure bill that includes nearly $100 billion to build and preserve 1.8 million affordable homes.

You helped create this momentum. Help keep it going by generating media urging Congress to act now to help people stay housed until the economy recovers.

TAKE ACTION: Take fifteen minutes to personalize and submit a letter to the editor urging Congress to take action on housing. The House is making rental assistance a priority; push your senators to do the same. Use our updated online media alert as a template for your own letter to the editor today.

QUICK NEWS ON U.S. POVERTY

Studies show COVID-19 aid is helping but more is needed. The New York Times recently highlighted two new studies suggest that the expansion of federal aid programs provided through the CARES Act has kept almost 12 million Americans from falling into poverty, but many Americans still have not received expansion benefits, or will face significant hardships once benefits expire. A Northwestern University economist found that poverty rates have not drastically grown, but food insecurity is twice its pandemic rate. In addition, the Migration Policy Institute estimates that because the CARES Act excludes undocumented migrants from stimulus checks and jobless benefits, 15.4 million people, including 5 million spouses or children of undocumented migrants who are American citizens, will not receive any benefits during the pandemic. Projected poverty rates in white households (8.7 percent) are less than half of the estimated poverty rate shown in Black (20.2 percent) and Latino (20.3) percent, with the estimated poverty rate in Asian households being 14.5 percent. Without CARES, these rates would have been even larger.

We Need a Stronger Food Safety Net. According to a recent study conducted by Columbia University, the CARES Act has limited the poverty rate to 12.7 percent. Yet families are still going hungry. Many households have had to cut back on groceries because of long delays in receiving unemployment benefits or their stimulus check, and much of the aid is scheduled to expire next month. Meanwhile, the supply at food banks cannot meet increased demand. Recent data indicates that food insecurity has increased to twice its pre-pandemic rate, and child hunger is just a few percentage points away from tripling. Tune in Wednesday at 7:00 pm ET to watch Senator Stabenow deliver remarks on the floor about food insecurity and the desperate need for SNAP.

Join webcast with Nikole Hannah-Jones on July 7. The National Low-Income Housing Coalition is hosting a conversation with Nikole Hannah-Jones, creator of the 1619 Project for the New York Times, for a “conversation on how our housing and homelessness response to COVID-19 must center racial equity and address systemic inequities and discrimination.” The webcast is Tuesday, July 7 at 2:00 pm ET. Register here to attend.

RESULTS Announcements

Vote for your next Grassroots Board members. RESULTS and RESULTS Educational Fund are looking to fill two of the four grassroots board positions to serve a term of three years beginning in August 2020. Grassroots Board Members represent the volunteer body on the Board of Directors and on the Executive Committee of the Board. For information on candidates and how to vote, check out the RESULTS Blog. Voting ends July 18.

Fill out the International Conference survey. While the conference is still fresh in your mind, offer us your feedback so we can make next year’s conference even better. Five lucky survey respondents will receive a limited-edition RESULTS merchandise item featuring our 40th anniversary logo.

Watch International Conference recordings. If you were unable to participate fully in the International Conference – or if you’d simply like to revisit something you heard – take a look at the International Conference agenda for individual playback links for select sessions.

Wednesday, July 15: Hit “Send”: Write and Submit a Letter to the Editor in an Hour, 9:00 pm ET. Join grassroots writing and publishing leaders for this informative and inspirational workshop. Bring along access to a local newspaper, a copy of our EPIC format worksheet, and a copy of a recent editorial packet. You’ll learn about finding and utilizing great hooks for your writing and the power of the EPIC format to enhance your writing, as well as get positive feedback before submitting your letter for publication. All in an hour! Join at https://results.zoom.us/j/390106571 or dial in to (929) 436-2866 or (312) 626-6799, meeting ID 390 106 571.

Join book discussion on racism in July. In our ongoing effort to address racism and other forms of oppression, the RESULTS Anti-Oppression Grassroots Group is hosting its next book discussion on So You Want to Talk About Race by Ijeoma Oluo. With many Americans looking to deepen their knowledge of how racism impacts our lives, our communities, and our policies, join us for this conversation on how to better recognize, understand, and dismantle racism in America. The discussion begins Tuesday, July 21 at 9:00 pm ET. Join by logging in at: https://results.zoom.us/j/390106571 or dialing (929) 436-2866 or (669) 900-6833, meeting ID: 390 106 571. Also, consider joining our group of volunteers and staff working to implement our anti-oppression values personally and collectively. If you are interested in joining, please contact Jos Linn for more information.

Receive action alerts via text. We are setting up a system to send some of our action alerts via text. If you’d like to receive text action alerts, please text RESULTS to 50457 to sign up for text action alerts.

Upcoming Events

Congressional schedule. The Senate is in Washington this week while House members are working remotely. Submit your remote meeting requests today.

Friday, July 3: Observance of Independence Day. All RESULTS offices closed.

Saturday, July 11: RESULTS National Webinar, 1:00 pm ET. Join at: https://results.zoom.us/j/994444828. You can also join by phone at (669) 900-6833 or (929) 436-2866, meeting ID 994 444 828.

Wednesday, July 15: Hit “Send”: Write and Submit a Letter to the Editor in an Hour, 9:00 pm ET. Read more about the grassroots-led training here. Join at https://results.zoom.us/j/390106571 or dial in to (929) 436-2866 or (312) 626-6799, meeting ID 390 106 571.

Monday, July 20: Global Poverty Free Agents Webinars, 1:00 pm and 8:00 pm ET. Join at https://results.zoom.us/j/464361707 or, by phone, (669) 900-6833 or (929) 436-2866, meeting ID 464361707.

Tuesday, June 21: U.S. Poverty Free Agents Webinars, 1:00 pm and 8:00 pm ET. Join at: https://results.zoom.us/j/324294681 or dial by phone at (929) 436-2866 or (669) 900-6833, meeting ID 324 294 681.

Tuesday, July 21: So You Want to Talk About Race book discussion, 9:00 pm ET. Login at: https://results.zoom.us/j/390106571 or dialing (929) 436-2866 or (669) 900-6833, meeting ID: 390 106 571.

Grassroots Resources

Learn about the RESULTS Experts on Poverty.

Do you have a new person in your RESULTS group or info to update? Use our Volunteer Information Form to add them.

Find actions and volunteer resources on our Current Volunteers page, including our anti-oppression resources.

Remember to please report your recent grassroots successes in lobby meetings, media pieces, and outreach activities.

If you have a question, comment, or suggestion for the RESULTS/REF Board, please e-mail Steven McGee at [email protected]. View Board minutes and Annual Reports.

RESULTS Staff directory.