U.S. Poverty Weekly Update September 4, 2018
U.S. Poverty Campaigns
Weekly Update | September 4, 2018
“Speak up. You can make a difference!”
– RESULTS Snohomish, WA volunteer Willie Dickerson in an August 23 letter to the editor in the Eugene Weekly
Got Two Minutes? Prepare for Tonight’s National Webinar Focused on Media Advocacy
Join us for the RESULTS September 2018 U.S. Poverty National Webinar tonight, September 4 at 8:00 pm ET. With Congress back in DC and resuming work on the farm bill, we’ll focus our efforts this month on a strong media push to protect SNAP. On tonight’s webinar, we’ll update you on the latest on SNAP and talk about the 2017 U.S. Census poverty data, which will be released next week. We are thrilled to have Jerry Large, former columnist for the Seattle Times and 2017 RESULTS Cameron Duncan Media Award winner, share his thoughts and ideas on how best to use this information to get media published. Colin Smith, our Director of Communications, will add his thoughts in a media training on the webinar. Finally, RESULTS Executive Director Joanne Carter will share her thoughts on this important time in our U.S Poverty work, and Grassroots Board member Maxine Thomas talk about the recent Board election. Please join us for this important webinar.
TAKE ACTION: Take two minutes to prepare for the RESULTS U.S. Poverty National Webinar tonight, September 4 at 8:00 pm ET. Remember, Zoom is our new webinar platform. To join, login at: https://results.zoom.us/j/873308801 or dial either (929) 436-2866 or (669) 900-6833 and then enter Meeting ID: 873 308 801. The slides for tonight’s webinar will be available later this afternoon on our National Webinars page. Confirm if, when, and where your group will meet for the webinar and invite people who’ve helped you with letters, calls, and other actions and encourage them to join you. If you are not meeting together, encourage people to join on their own. Plan to join the webinar no later than 7:55pm ET this evening. If you have questions or need help, please contact Jos Linn.
Got Ten Minutes? Get Media Published to Protect SNAP (September Action)
Congress has returned to DC and with a lot to get done. They will only be in session for about one month before they leave again to campaign for re-election. The farm bill is a top priority for many members because 1) the current bill expires at the end of this month and 2) they prefer not to go home to voters empty-handed right before an election. With that pressure, we have to be vigilant in making sure they don’t “spilt the difference” on SNAP between a good bill (Senate) and a bad one (House), The full farm bill conference committee will meet tomorrow (watch it here) and the top members of the House and Senate Agriculture Committees will be working behind the scenes to draft a compromise.
We need to make sure any agreement protects SNAP. Using the media to publicly pressure your members of Congress is a good way to help make that happen. Members of Congress pay close attention to what is being said about them in the news, especially in an election year. Our September Action takes advantage of that dynamic and provides you the resources you need to get media published. In addition, new USDA data on food insecurity will be released tomorrow and the 2017 U.S. Census poverty data comes out next week.* These could be covered in local papers; reference these or other “hooks” in the media to draft a powerful media piece telling your members of Congress to protect anti-poverty programs from harmful cuts and changes.
TAKE ACTION: Take ten minutes to draft a letter to the editor telling your members of Congress to protect SNAP and other anti-poverty programs that are lifting millions above the poverty line. The September Action has tools to help you, including a sample letter. If you want to go bigger with your own op-ed, use our template op-ed to get started. Also, please join tonight’s U.S. Poverty National Webinar (see above for details) for additional tips and ideas for generating media this month. If you have questions or need help with ideas or editing, please contact Jos Linn for assistance (and let him know when you get published).
*RESULTS will hold a 30-minute Census Data Overview webinar on Wednesday, September 12 at 9:00 pm ET to overview the new Census data and answer your questions. Join at https://results.zoom.us/j/956438447 or dial either (929) 436-2866 or (669) 900-6833, meeting ID: 956 438 447.
Got 20 minutes? Submit Another Letter to the Editor – Somewhere New (September Action)
Already submitted your first letter to the editor? Great – now do it again! This time, take a few minutes to do some research – what other newspaper might you be able to use to reach your member of Congress? If you haven’t already submitted to the biggest local daily newspaper, start there. But there are likely other medium and small papers in your area too – and members of Congress are paying attention to any publication that’s reaching their constituents. Members of Congress know that every local reader is a potential voter.
Community newspapers, weekly papers, college papers – they all get read on Capitol Hill (and sometimes they’re easier places to get published, because they’re getting fewer submissions!).
TAKE ACTION: Take twenty minutes to take your letter to the editor (or op-ed), see if you can find a new hook, and submit another version to another local paper. The September Action has a draft LTE to get you started. If you are not sure which papers are in your state, Wikipedia has a full list of newspapers by state and territory. Again, if you have questions or need help, please contact Jos Linn.
Quick News
Join the Action Network Community of Practice Tomorrow Night. Are you wanting to engage more people in your community? Have people who want to do something but are not ready to be volunteers yet? Then join the new Action Network Community of Practice. This group will work together to identify the best ways to recruit, organize, manage, and inspire our local Action Networks. Join us for our first webinar tomorrow, Wednesday, September 5 at 8:30 pm ET. To join, log in: https://results.zoom.us/j/427674133 or dial in: 669-900-6833, Meeting ID: 427 674 133.
Learn about Vote to End Hunger Tomorrow. RESULTS is a member of Vote to End Hunger, a coalition for national anti-hunger organizations working to engage candidates on hunger and poverty issues. Their 2018 campaign is kicking off and they invite you to join their introductory webinar to learn what the movement is all about and ways to get involved. The webinar is tomorrow, September 5, 2018 at 2:00 pm EST. To join, register here.
Join 2017 Census Data Webinar on Thursday. Get a preview of what we might see in the new Census data from our friends at the Coalition on Human Needs, the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, and FRAC. The webinar is this Thursday, September 6 at 2:00 pm ET. Register today!
Join Anti-Oppression Webinar on September 13. Please join us on September 13 for a webinar to discuss ways we as anti-poverty advocates can better support our communities. We’ll go over why anti-oppression work matters for our advocacy, discuss methods of responding to oppressive behavior using the new RESULTS Call-in/Call-out Guide, and provide an open space for sharing our experiences and learning from one another. The webinar is next Thursday, September 13 at 9:00 pm ET. To join, login at: https://results.zoom.us/j/292298302 or dial (669) 900 6833, Meeting ID: 292 298 302.
Upcoming Events
Go to the RESULTS Events Calendar to see a full list of RESULTS events. Also, find a list of the RESULTS U.S. Poverty staff with contact information on the RESULTS website.
RESULTS U.S. Poverty National Webinar, Tuesday, September 4 at 8:00 pm ET. Join at: https://results.zoom.us/j/873308801 or dial (929) 436-2866 or (669) 900-6833, Meeting ID: 873 308 801.
RESULTS Action Network Community of Practice webinar, Wednesday, September 5 at 8:30pm ET. To join, log in: https://results.zoom.us/j/427674133 or dial in: 669-900-6833, Meeting ID: 427 674 133.
RESULTS U.S. Poverty Census Data Overview webinar, Wednesday, September 12 at 9:00 pm ET. Join at https://results.zoom.us/j/956438447 or dial either (929) 436-2866 or (669) 900-6833, meeting ID: 956 438 447.
RESULTS New Advocate Orientation, Thursday, September 13 at 8:30 pm ET and Friday, September 28 at 1:00 pm ET. Learn more here.
Anti-Oppression Webinar: Call-in/Call-out Training, Thursday September 13 at 9:00 pm ET. To join, login at: https://results.zoom.us/j/292298302 or dial (669) 900 6833, Meeting ID: 292 298 302.
U.S. Poverty Free Agents Calls, Tuesday, September 18 at 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.
Indigenous People’s Day, Monday, October 8. All RESULTS offices closed.
RESULTS Virtual Thanksgiving Feast Fundraising Campaign, November 2018. Contact Mea Geizhals, Grassroots Fundraising Manager, with any questions and look for more information soon.
Other Resources
Get Your RESULTS Promo Materials. If you need banners, pens, stickers, or business cards for your local RESULTS work, fill out our Materials Order Form and we’ll send them to you.
Got a Question for the RESULTS Board? If you have a question, comment, or suggestion for the RESULTS/RESULTS Educational Fund Board, please e-mail Steven McGee at [email protected]. View published Board minutes on the RESULTS website, as well as our Annual Reports.
Please Fill Out the Lobby Report Form. After any lobby meeting, please fill out the RESULTS Lobby Report Form to let us know how it went. When you have a meeting where both U.S. and global poverty issues are discussed, please fill it out twice.