Take Action Now!
Want to make a difference but not sure how? These one-time actions are a great place to start.
ASAP: Share Your Story of Voter Suppression with RAC-TX and the Texas Election Reform Coalition
- The SB7 conference committee is divided. They're cutting it very close to the Memorial Day deadline to pass any bill.
- There is talk in the coalition about a possible senate filibuster -- a long shot chance of delaying long enough past session deadline to kill the bill. To that end, they are asking for help preparing plenty of reading material (a filibustering senator has to fill the time with content germane to the bill). Texas Civil Rights Project and other allies are preparing long reports about how voters will be affected by SB7, and other issues around Texas elections. They also want to collect stories of real Texas voters who might be harmed by SB7.
- You can help by filling out this survey as soon as possible, by Friday afternoon, ideally.
Before Monday: RAC-TX Legislative Advocacy: Democracy Protection + Racial Justice
- Despite the passage of SB7, the voter suppression bill we're organizing against, our advocacy has made an impact. we've kept up pressure that led to a procedural halt, and a subsequent successful negotiation that cut out the worst parts of the bills. We now await the conference committee report, which could shake up the bill again. Make your voice heard before the session ends this Monday!
- Email dsegal@rac.org
to get involved with an advocacy effort through those helpful networks.
6/1 12-1: World Refugee Day Kickoff with Refugee Services of Texas
- Join Ahmed Abbas, RST social worker and Egyptian asylum seeker, to learn more about RST and how you can help refugees!
- Register at: bit.ly/WRDasylum
6/3 6:30-7: RAC-TX Democracy Protection Campaign Closing Assembly
Join us and celebrate our hard work this legislative session for democracy protection at this link.
Ongoing: Refugee Donations and Volunteering Requested
With the news of refugees at the border and concern over their welfare, there are many opportunities to participate and make a difference. The charities are asking for monetary donations rather than goods which are difficult to sort and disperse.
- Austin FC Volunteer Opportunity:
RST is seeking volunteers to work concessions at the Austin FC games of your choice to qualify RST to receive 10% of the concession stand earnings! Come connect with like-minded people while lending a hand to displaced persons! All volunteers must be 18+ WITH a Food Handler's + TABC license that can be acquired for $15 HERE!
To get more details and learn more about this opportunity, email Elena Lopez at aelopez@rstx.org. *Please note, with set-up + game-time it is a 4-5 hour commitment*
Central Texas:
- Donations to Refugee Fund: Anyone who can contribute (from either congregation) can give to the Refugee Task Force Fund on the Temple Beth Shalom website or contact Russ Apfel.
- Food Deliveries for Refugees: Anyone interested in providing food to an asylum-seeking family on a bi-weekly basis (directly or through a donation) can contact Cathy Campbell.
- Refugee Services of Texas reports that asylum seeker support services in Austin are overwhelmed. Because families are being treated humanely and released after a day or two of processing at the border, non-profits in Texas that are assisting asylum-seekers will need more resources. Contact Ahmed Abbas at RST by email at Aabbas@rstx.org to assist. Monetary donations and legal assistance are needed.
At the Border:
- In El Paso, Annunciation House has been helping migrants for 43 years by providing shelter, basic necessities, and education. Annunciation House has a 100,000 square foot facility that provides housing and meals until transportation to their families can be made. Donations are needed and all funds go to housing these families. Donate at annunciationhouse.org.
In McAllen, URJ Temple Emanuel is collecting monetary donations to support the work of the Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley’s Respite Center which provides vital support to newly arrived immigrants and asylum seekers. Donate at https://temple-emanuel.com/community/donations-payments/. (Select donation type of General Fund and then specify in the Comment box that your donation is for Catholic Charities Respite Center.)
Resources to support Asian-American communities, in response to the wave of hate crimes, accessible here. Thanks to a community-wide effort for making this possible.
Temple Beth Shalom Congregants: We're surveying experiences of antisemitism to share within our community. Deadline is May 31. Please share here. If you have not experience antisemtism, we'd like to know that, too. If this is the case, please email Anne Corn at anne123c@gmail.com.
Join a Movement!
Change happens person by person. Our community social justice leaders would love to talk to you about how we can make it happen, together.
Religious Action Center - Texas (RAC-TX)
- RAC-TX advocates for our Jewish values at a statewide level with other Reform congregations. We have no set ideology, and our policy priorities are determined entirely by Reform Jewish congregations across Texas. We make our voice heard with our community.
- We continue to meet with our legislators to advocate for voting rights, specifically against HB6 and SB7. Though SB7 has passed the House, there may be a conference committee to whom we can advocate. To continue our important work, please sign up to join the democracy protection campaign.
HIAS Jews for Refugees
• Check with Russ Apfel and Cathy Campbell for updates on the Temple Beth Shalom Refugee Task Force, Austin Sanctuary Network, and refugee activities at CBI. They work closely with Ahmed Abbas, the asylum caseworker at Refugee Services Texas. For more info about HIAS contact Nancy Wolf or click here.
• Founded as the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society in 1881 to assist Jews fleeing from progroms in Russia and Eastern Europe, HIAS has touched the life of nearly every Jewish family in America. These Jewish refugees were facing barriers of language, customs, discrimination, and even worse. Today HIAS continues to help refugees, no matter their religion, ethnicity, or nationality, to escape persecution and resettle in safety, reunite families who have been separated, and help them build new lives all around the world.
Refugee Services of Texas (RST) partners with Temple Beth Shalom and Congregation Beth Israel
• RST is the largest refuge resettlement agency in Texas and has worked with TBS and CBI for several years on a number of projects including Welcome Teams, apartment set-ups, the Asylum Seekers Assistance Program (ASAP), the Shalom Supper, a winter clothing drive, and support for survivors of trafficking. There are many volunteer opportunities through RST which can be found at their monthly newsletter: What's happening at RST (mailchi.mp).
Advocates for Social Justice Reform
• Email Bob Batlan at asjraustin@gmail.com or Rachel Gunner at rachelgunner@hotmail.com to join or learn more here.
• Next meeting: 5/31, at 10:00 a.m.
• ASJR is a local advocacy group focusing on issues surrounding criminal justice reform, especially indigent defense, or representation of the poorest defendants. We focus on developing positive relationships with government officials, community leaders, diverse fellow advocates, and people impacted by the criminal legal system. This approach helped lead to the creation of the Travis County Public Defender's Office.
• Current main projects:
- Gaining approval for and securing funding of legal representation at or before first court appearance (magistration).
- Supporting County Attorney and District Attorney actions to evaluate cases for dismissal prior to magistration, and joining with officials and the community to provide services that will prevent people from facing the legal system in the first place. These improvements can minimize the disruption to people's lives at the earliest possible moment. To this end, we have spoken before Commissioner’s Court requesting funding to meet that need.
- We have written a document called “if you are arrested” to help inform people of their rights, in particular with their lawyers. We are asking officials, in particular the Chief Public Defender and the Sheriff, for their input.
- We have met with Sheriff Hernandez and 3 of her staff to learn more about changes being proposed concerning a woman’s jail. We believe in using funds for preventive, supportive and treatment services to keep women from entering the system. We are submitting our views to Commissioner’s Court.
- We have a subgroup working on policing reform.
Texas Anti-Poverty Project
• Email Larkin Tackett at larkin.tackett@gmail.com to join or learn more here.
• Next Meeting: 6/16, 10:30 AM
• Advocate for living wages in Austin by focusing on access to high-paying jobs at the new Telsa giga-factory, for our neighbors experiencing poverty.
MLK Continued Conversations
• Conversations on diversity, equity, + inclusion as individuals + community
• If you are interested in watching the videos from the first two session on implicit bias, they are available to view below:
o Session 2 full video
o Implicit Bias
o Why We're Awkward
o Four i's of Oppression video
o MLK Discussion Guide
o Identity Mining Worksheet
o Bias Recognition Worksheet
o Session 3 video
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