A particularly difficult day in difficult times. Here are some of the books people have recommended for action or comfort (or both!) during this inauguration day and a few previous resistance days.
from Lori Tharps: Same Family, Different Colors: Confronting Colorism in America’s Diverse Families by Lori Tharps
"Explains so much about race and color in these troubled times." The Hug Machine by Scott Campbell
"Will make you feel good."
from Gail Mershon: All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
"Restores my faith in the goodness of people."
from Jes: Recipes for Disaster: An Anarchist Cookbook by CrimethInc
"Direct action for everyone." Alice's Restaurant Cookbook by Alice May Brock
"Cooking with friends makes everything better."
from a customer: Dylan Thomas: Collected Poems by Dylan Thomas
"They just kind of cheer me up about life."
from staffer Jennifer Sheffield: Women in Science: 50 Fearless Pioneers Who Changed the World by Rachel Ignotofsky
"It's important right now to know of so many women standing strong in their chosen occupations and to recognize the importance of science in our lives."
from Claudia Ginanni: The Tea House Fire by Ellis Avery
"This wonderful novel asks important questions about the human cost of art."
from Anne Rubenstein: Beyond a Boundary by C.L.R. James
"The relationship between the sport of cricket and anti-colonialism in the British Caribbean, beautifully written. How everyday life can get us out of this mess."
from staffer Mariga Temple-West: The Lord of the Rings trilogy by J.R.R. Tolkien
"Evil is spreading over the land, but goodness and hope triumph!"
More book recommendations from our community. Over the three instances of On Fridays, We Fight Back!, people have been finding space, guidance, and company for the various actions we've taken -- calling representatives and other government officials, writing to electors, sending comfort to survivors of violence. Please come join us, Fridays between 2pm and 6pm!
from Lucas Jaeger: Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo
"It's a captivating tale that will keep you entranced for days."
from a customer: Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell
"A nested series of six stories that will linger with you for years. I've never stopped thinking about it."
from Anndee Hochman: Angels in America by Tony Kushner
"The Reagan years were no picnic either; Angels in America captures that time with ferocity and hope."
from staffer Mariga Temple-West: A is for Atom: A Midcentury Alphabet by Greg Paprocki
"Humorous alphabet book with marvelous 'mid-century' illustrations, and so wonderfully inclusive!"
from a customer: Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
"Great book for young people."
from Hillary Kruger: Delicious by Ruth Reichl
"A great escape into the world of food!"
from Paul Fitzpatrick: Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl
"Frankl's philosophy is a survivalist philosophy. Despite staring into the face of evil itself, Frankl reminds us of the importance of meaning and maintaining our own personal freedom."
from Robert Bingham: The Man Who Quit Money by Mark Sundeen
"'Money is a communal delusion.' (Comment I just overheard that is very relevant.)"
Here is an attempt to organize a post compiling local and national information on different actions and such. It necessarily won't be complete, but if I could manage compiling papal visit logistics last year, this ought to be possible...
So. This is an enormous amount of information. Please take what you need, and if you feel overwhelmed by the enormity of wanting (or feeling expected) to do it all, know that any one thing you do will add to the whole. "You are not obligated to complete the work, but neither are you free to desist from it." - Talmud, Pirkei Avot
Note: Taking that quote for myself, I'm going to post what I have at this point, with further refinements in updates going forward. I think getting the information centralized and out there quickly is more important than what it looks like, and whether I have things complete or in the right order.
So please bear with me, and do check back.
Thank you.
compiled by Jennifer Sheffield, Web Manager
most recent update: 12/8/16
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Makeitrightphl.com is a local website offering all sorts of concrete ideas and actions to take post-election, in an interactive flow chart format. Significantly, it has sections for both "take action" and "take care".
"We're His Problem Now" Calling Sheet. This spreadsheet highlights certain specific issues, offers scripts for those and many others, and provides phone numbers -- including district phone numbers, which are more likely to be effective than DC numbers -- for Congress members.
Weekly Actions to Resist Trump: This website similarly offers highlighted actions, plus more actions if you want to keep going, in an interactive format instead of a spreadsheet. It includes phone numbers and scripts, plus a place to click that you've made each call, and they're tallying those numbers.
We at the store, alongside our community, are reeling from the results of the election. We also know we have important resources here: books, writers, activists, and space. Workshops and conversations and organizing events are on their way -- check the events page of our website and our newsletters (go ) for forthcoming announcements.
If your group wants a space to meet and plan, or wants to provide training, organizing, or skill-sharing, please contact us! We have the third floor community room, which is open all day, and the performance space on the second floor available after hours.
On Fridays, We Fight Back:
Last Friday we began On Fridays, We Fight Back, a series of communal actions. More than 25 people joined us through the afternoon to make phone calls to protest the appointment of white supremacist Steve Bannon as White House advisor.
Friday actions will be ongoing. If you have ideas for actions, or workshops you'd like to offer, or ideas for authors or speakers, please contact us. We believe in the strength of our diversity and the possibilities of our voices.
Friday, November 18: Stop Bannon.
We called PA reps to thank them for statements or urge them to repudiate DT's appt of Steve Bannon as Chief Strategist
If you're on Facebook, check out the discussion in the 11/18 Facebook Event for various scripts that Elliott printed out for us to use.
Friday, November 25: Write to electors.
We'll write to members of the electoral college to encourage them to vote their consciences.
And we'll call to Get Out the Vote in Louisiana, where one senate seat still hangs in the balance.
Friday, December 2: Electors, HOC, and Standing Rock. (Also Sanctuary Cities, and the Anti-Semitism Awareness Act)
This week, we'll be focusing on the Electoral College, on pressuring the House Oversight Committee, and supporting the Water Protectors at Standing Rock.
If you're on Facebook, check out the discussion in the 12/2 Facebook Event for issues and various scripts that Elliott printed out for us to use.
Friday, December 9: Contacting the Electoral College, and Getting Out the Vote in LA.
This week, we'll write to members of the electoral college to encourage them to vote their consciences.
And we'll call to Get Out the Vote in Louisiana, where one senate seat still hangs in the balance.
"A call for artists, musicians, storytellers, community members, poets and anyone interested in community building to come and join Mt. Airy Art Garage (MAAG) in partnership with Mt. Airy USA, Sarah Napolitan and Community Circle to collaborate on ideas for the NW Philadelphia Sanctuary Project, a project designed to bring the community together through artistic expression of positive messages to people in our community in a tumultuous time.
"The NWPSP is in the beginning stages of planning and devlopment, and is a project that will involve the fostering and cultivation of support, acceptance, and love for our community and its members through positive messages that the community makes through art, written expression, storytelling and poetry. The event will take place on December 11th from 1-5 p.m. in the brand new amazing space of the Philadelphia Immigrant Innovation Hub. The entrance is on the side on Westview Ave., in the basement of High Point Bulk Coffee Center."
US Representative Lamar Smith, Chair of House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology - and climate change denier - has a one question survey on his website about congressional priorities for the year. Please select Other and write in "Mitigate climate change". His website is: lamarsmith.house.gov.
There are several campaigns to ask electors from Trump-winning states to become "faithless" and to vote against Donald Trump.
- How to write to the Electoral College. This contains mail-merge letters to personalize (and edit, if preferred) and address labels to print. (Total cost for postage: $122, if you write to ALL of them. Also broken down by state.)
- And here are the (modified) PA address list and argument suggestions from last week's On Fridays, We Fight Back!
Update, 11/25: Jill Stein's campaign for donations to request vote recounts has reached enough of their goal to request a recount in two (WI, PA) of three states (MI pending). If you live in Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, or Michigan, you can also volunteer to monitor a recount, should they occur. For Pennsylvania, they're also requesting three people from each election district to submit the requests.
Update: Here are two articles suggesting that vote audit is possible (but only at the instigation of the candidates), two urging that vote audits become normal practice, and one saying that calling the DOJ will not change anything unless you have evidence of specific wrongdoing. (Hm. Do Voter ID laws count?)
"Please call the House Oversight Committee (202-225-5074) to support the call for a bipartisan review of Trump's financials and apparent conflicts of interest. They are absolutely tallying calls - the more they get, the more likely the Committee is to demand ALL of Trump’s financial information.
There’s not much time left, as they are out of the office soon for Thanksgiving. And after that, they’re going to make a decision.
NOW is your chance to make a difference. Please, do this ASAP. If you get a "mailbox is full" message, call back in a minute or so - that seems to be the default when lines are busy. If the voicemail is accepting messages, leave a message!"
Note that the decision is to be made asap the week after Thanksgiving. I've heard recommendations to call first thing on Monday morning, 11/28 (Unless it's Tuesday they come back; not sure).
Update 11/6: The Army Corps of Engineers has refused to grant the easement for the pipeline, which means they have blocked it (at least temporarily) from its proposed path through Standing Rock. Yay! Links to come.
A #NoDAPL Map by cartographer Carl Sack (11/2/16-11/4/16)
from the "We're His Problem Now Calling Sheet (above):
**Breaking Issue*** Dakota Access Pipeline Protestors Injured
I’m --- ---- calling about the 167 water protectors injured by law enforcement at Standing Rock today. Attacking the water protectors with hoses in sub-freezing temps is inhumane, cruel, and unacceptable. I want to :
*Allow water protestors to exercise their right to peaceful assembly/protest.
*Immediately stop attacking water protectors with tear gas, water cannons, hoses, or other violent means.
*Refrain from arresting/interfering with peaceful demonstrators.
Morton County Sheriff → Morton County Sheriff's Dept: 701-667-3330
Morton County Sheriff's Office (if the first one is continuously busy): 701-328-8118
Sheriff Kyle Kirchmeier of Morton County: 701.667.3330
ND Governor Jack Dalrymple → 701.328.2200 or 701-328-2200
White House → (202) 456-1111, 202-456-1414 or White House Situation Room: 202 456 9431
Army → Army Corps of Engineers: 202-761-8700; National Guard ND: 701-333-2000
Note: This doesn't involve talking to anyone if you don't want to.
Circulating:
"Paul Ryan is conducting a phone poll on the ACA (Obamacare), hoping to hear overwhelming popular opposition to it. If you would like to express your support for the Affordable Care Act, the numbers to call are (202) 225-3031 OR try 202-225-0600. Press 2 to weigh in on the issue. You'll hear a brief recording about HR-3762* (grit your teeth and wait it out to get to where you have to register your stance!), Paul Ryan's proposal to gut the ACA, and President Obama's use of his veto power to stop it. Then, you will have a chance to indicate your opinion with the press of a button.
Press 1 if you support the ACA, 2 if you oppose it.
Then you hear a pre-recorded spiel from Ryan about how he cares about what we think about issues, etc., etc., and you have a chance to leave a message."
*which they don't mention includes a freeze on federal funding for Planned Parenthood.
Confirmation from Snopes: Connecting to the Speaker. You can give the House Speaker your opinion on the Affordable Care Act — if you're patient.
I want to highlight that we have to reframe this bill. Do not let it get away with being called a defense of the 1st amendment. Add "so-called" when you can. Call it HR 2802. Call it a travesty. I don't know. I do know that that when the "Defense of Marriage Act" and the "welfare reform bill" were both passed in 1996, I was raging that the latter would never have happened if it had been called the "Be Mean to Children" act. And I immediately began calling the former the "Discrimination of Marriage Act".
Calling Senators to oppose Michael Flynn as National Security Advisor. Here's a sample script from a friend:
"President-elect Donald Trump has appointed General Michael Flynn as National Security Adviser. General Flynn has called Islam 'a cancer' and has said 'fear of Muslims is rational.' Our country was founded on freedom of religion. PA has more than 80,000 Muslims. I ask the Senator to call out General Flynn on these statements and to oppose his appointment. While I realize that Congress does not have to approve the National Security Adviser, it is still possible for the Senator to issue a strong statement opposing General Flynn and his radical statements about a peaceful religion practiced by millions of Americans."
Emily Ellsworth's experiences as a staffer: Calling is more effective than email. Personal letters to the district office (rather than DC) seem to be in between.
If you're on Facebook, check out the discussion in the bookstore's Stop Bannon Facebook Event for various scripts that Elliott printed out for us to use.
Call on our senators to issue a statement opposing Michael Flynn's appointment as National Security Advisor, based on his anti-Muslim statements.
Call those responsible for the 11/20 violence toward peaceful protestors at Standing Rock, ND
Call the House Oversight Committee to demand DT release his financial information (by 11/28 or 29).
Urge our representatives (or anyone) to reject and speak out against Donald Trump's appointment of Steve Bannon as chief strategist. (Or Jeff Sessions. Or Mike Pompeo. Or...)
Urge the Senate to do their jobs and confirm Merrick Garland to the Supreme Court.
Let them know your personal fears about this administration.
Call the automated survey that Paul Ryan has set up for your feelings (+/-) on the Affordable Care Act
Phone numbers for some of our representatives in Congress. Always better to call local or regional offices than DC office.
Senator Bob Casey released a statement condemning Bannon. Call his office and thank him:
Senator Casey (202) 224-6324, (215) 405-9660, (814) 357-0314, (610) 782-9470
Senator Toomey (215) 241-1090, (717) 782-3951, (610) 434-1444, (202) 224-4254
He can use more persuasion. When I called on 11/18 I was told he "has not yet made a statement".
If you're on Facebook, check out the discussion in the bookstore's Stop Bannon Facebook Event for various scripts that Elliott printed out for us to use. If not, try some of the other links listed above.
(As of 11/16, from Elliott's calling plan)
Calling President Popular Vote Loser's transition team members. These are hard-core supporters, but you'll be talking to their staff members, so be nice. 2 are from PA, so we have a special role in calling them.
These are the numbers for the transition team members who currently hold office:
PA Representative Tom Marino 202-225-3731
PA Representative Lou Barletta 717-525-7002
TN Representative Marsha Blackburn 202-225-2811
Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi 850-414-3300
NY Representative Chris Collins 202-225-5265
Rep. Devin Nunes 202-225-2523
Reince Priebus 202-863-8500, Option number 1"
If you're on Facebook, check out the discussion in the bookstore's Stop Bannon Facebook Event for various scripts that Elliott printed out for us to use. If not, try some of the other links listed above.
Multiple issues from the Anti-Defamation League's advocacy center: RAISE YOUR VOICE HERE: Tell your Members of Congress where you stand on the following ADL issues.
There was great turnout for our first Friday phone banking action today! Lots of people showed up (not all at the same time), made calls, cheered each other on, and helped each other through logistical phone difficulties. We argued against Steve Bannon, we argued against hateful rhetoric, we named our identities. In a lot of cases, we reached real people who said that indeed they have been receiving lots and lots of calls...
I asked those who came whether they'd like to recommend a book, and here is what they came up with, from inspiring to intense to comforting:
from Anndee Hochman: 19 Varieties of Gazelle: Poems of the Middle East by Naomi Shihab Nye
"Nye, a Palestinian-American poet, speaks with clarity, curiosity & humanity. 'How Long Peace Takes' is essential reading!"
from Nora: Phoebe and Her Unicorn by Dana Simpson
"Hilarious, great storyline"
from Karen Bruhin: Liber Null by Peter J. Carroll
"Perfect introduction to chaos magic"
from Blair Thornburgh: The Watsons Go to Birmingham - 1963 by Christopher Paul Curtis
"It will make you laugh out loud and also weep -- in a very short span of pages."
from Agatha Andrews: Soul of a Citizen: Living With Conviction in a Cynical Time by Paul Rogat Loeb
"This is a beautiful book about how to move from inaction to action as a citizen. Beautifully written, gentle, and inspiring!"
from Rahul Mehta: Diving Makes the Water Deep by Zach Savich
"A beautiful, wise, brave book about how to live fiercely and fully -- and with radical hope -- during difficult times."
from Robert Bingham: Start where You are: A Guide to Compassionate Living by Pema Chödrön
"This book is a gift that keeps giving. I have returned to it again and again during difficult times."
from a 12-year-old visitor: Hamilton by Ron Chernow
"A look at the founding of the U.S. government and what it was like back then (before Trump was president 😞 )."
from Sonia Rosen: The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness by Michelle Alexander From #BlackLivesMatter to Black Liberation by Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor
"Reading both of these together is really useful. Together they do a good job tracking the relationship the Black community has with the criminal justice system and political institutions, and putting forth a vision for Black liberation."
from Ryan Lovett: A Constellation of Vital Phenomena by Anthony Marra
"Historical fiction about Chechnya -- familiarize yourselves with the history of our coming Russian overlords."
from Mel: Some Girls Bite by Chloe Neill
"Little bit Harry Potter set in vampire world. Female hero and just a good series."
from Genie Ravital: Quantam Night by Robert Sawyer
from Sarah Napolitan: Cosmicomics by Italo Calvino
"A whimsical journey through the universe, clever, personified, and distracting."
Come next week for another round of calls: same time (or maybe an hour off...check back), same place!
We at the store, alongside our community, are reeling from the results of the election. We also know we have important resources here: books, writers, activists, and space. Workshops and conversations and organizing events are on their way -- check the events page of our website and our newsletters (go ) for forthcoming announcements.
If your group wants a space to meet and plan, please contact us! We have the third floor community room, which is open all day, and the performance space on the second floor available after hours.
Friday, November 18, 2:00-6:00pm.
Community Organizing - Stop Hate! Protest Steve Bannon.
We'll be phone banking from the store this Friday. Stop in to make phone calls to our elected officials and members of the president-elect's transition team to protest the role of white supremacist/anti-Semite/misogynist Stephen Bannon in the new government-elect.
Bring your phone! We'll have phone numbers, a simple short script, and comforting hot tea.
Here's a Facebook event for tomorrow's action. It includes some phone numbers and various calling scripts, so if you can't make it and want to do calling on your own, there's a place to check in for some resources.
Finally, I will make an attempt, over the next week or so, to organize a post compiling local information on different actions and such. It necessarily won't be complete, but if I could manage compiling papal visit logistics last year, this ought to be possible...
So do check back.
