Virginia Senate Races: Things are heating up in Virginia! We know what you're thinking: Virginia went for Hillary last election so what is there to worry about? A lot, it turns out. Virginia's governor and lieutenant governor are both Democrats and a large portion of the state is progressively minded. But due to gerrymandering (purposeful rezoning of districts in an inequitable way for political gain), the majority of Virginia's state congress is Republican. There are some pretty BS bills being proposed: ones that target women and minorities in particular and they're in huge danger of passing if we don't try to Flip Virginia Blue. There are a few candidates that are running and could help make sure that these laws aren't passed- and you can help from wherever you are. 
What you can do: Through the lovely work of NYC's The Broad Room (thebroadroomnyc.com), 7 of us had the opportunity to attend a phone bank for two candidates we'll highlight: Danica Roem and Jennifer Carroll Foy.
About Danica: Danica Roem is a Virginia native, and her campaign has focused on fixing transportation and infrastructure problems in her district. She's a mom and worked for nine years as a journalist. If elected, she'll also be the first transgender person ever elected in the House of Delegates. She knows these issues in and out and they matter to her. Call for Danica here.
About Jennifer: Jennifer Carroll Foy is a foster mom and was one of the first Black women to graduate Virginia Military Institute. She has worked as a public defender and she promises to protect VA's water supply from coal ash contamination, protect Planned Parenthood funding, education, transportation and help Medicaid stay strong in VA. Call for Jennifer here.
Want a more general way to help VA? Click this link for a great resource. Interested in seeing rad pics from The Broad Room's event? Click here (and play Spot the Teen Resisters!).

DACA: If you haven't heard, Trump is planning on rolling back DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals), an imperative program that protects undocumented immigrants who were brought here as children (under 16). Known as Dreamers, these people (some of whom are now in their 20s and have children) are able to get jobs and financial aid for college as well as live without fear of being deported. These children had no say over whether they were brought here or not and they have grown up in America and contribute immensely to our society. All of the benefits DACA provides will be no more if, come March, DACA is repealed. But good news! A Dream Act of 2017 is in the works. A bipartisan bill, it will work to make sure that DACA recipients have an easy path to citizenship, and in the meantime, won't live in fear of deportation. 
What you can do: Call your reps! FWD (dreamers.fwd.us/daca-ending-call) provides a great way to call your senators in support of the Dream Act. Not a fan of their script? Check out ours via the Must-Have List.
Resources: fwd.us; maketheroadny.org; aclu.org

ACA Update: It's time to make sure we demand that congress fund cost-sharing reduction payments to insurers! Did you just read that sentence and audibly groan? We did too, when we first caught a glimpse of it on thesixtyfive.org. Here's what that basically means (in regular-people language): According to the LA Times, "The Affordable Care Act set up... [a system] in which Americans who don’t get coverage through an employer can shop among health plans that must all cover a basic set of benefits... Low- and moderate-income consumers qualify for subsidies [payments from the government] that offset the cost of their monthly insurance premiums." In addition to that, under Obamacare, people within 100-250% of the poverty line can receive extra subsidies and payments through certain Affordable Care Act plans. This does cost insurers extra- but through the ACA, the government would pay the companies back for it. It worked for everyone. Trump, however wants to change this and it would increase premiums and costs for insurance for people all over the country.
What you can do: Sign this petition. Have more time? Call your reps! 
Script (adapted from the 65): Hello, I'm _____. I'm extremely concerned about Trump's announcement that he intends to end cost-sharing reduction payments to ACA insurers. I'm calling because I expect you to immediately pass legislation to fund CSRs and stabilize the insurance market. I want Congress to work on fair, bipartisan solutions to improve the ACA, not just cut it, and, in doing so, put millions of Americans in danger. Thank you.
Number: 202-224-3121

Birth Control Repeal: ​On Friday, October 6th, it was announced that the Trump administration had made the decision to repeal Obama-era birth control laws which required employers to cover contraceptives for their employees. If the employer's religious beliefs conflicted with this, the government would cover the birth control under the Affordable Care Act. "This system allowed specific employers to opt out of something that they had religious objections to while still ensuring the health and safety of women who worked for them," writes Kate Griem of Highly Independent.  The new proposed bill would allow employers to refuse to cover contraceptives without citing a specific reason and the ACA would no longer cover it. "Thousands of women whose birth control was previously covered by insurance will now have to pay from their pockets if they want contraception, and some of them who cannot afford it will have to sacrifice either contraception or another key health service," Griem says. Not only that, but the cost of birth control pills and other contraceptives can cost a minimum of $130 a year for women, while condoms cost about $1.33 for one condom. Also, with anti-abortion legislation, it's illogical to not cover contraceptives. And Griem also points out that birth control pills aren't solely used for preventing pregnancy: they're also used for acne, endometriosis and prevention of ovarian cancer. This is some utter BS, right? 
What you can do: Sign this petition here. For more, head to istandwithpp.org. Have a little extra time? Call your reps:
Script: Hi, my name is ______ and I'm calling to ask you to strongly oppose any efforts to repeal legislation that covers contraception. The previous laws that covered birth control is reasonable towards women, religious people and employers and the new legislation is a blatant attack on women. I ask that you do all you can to stop this from happening. Thank you.
Number: 202-224-3121; Republican senators (use google for this)

Puerto Rico and California: The devastation from Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico and destructive wildfires in Northern California is still affecting citizens all over these areas. If possible, please donate to organizations doing work with this or encourage your reps to provide federal funding. To do this, see last week's list.

Fire in Northern California & Relief for Puerto Rico: Natural disaster struck once again in this terrifying season of heartbreak. The wildfires in Northern California were extremely destructive, and if you have the means, please donate to help. Additionally, Puerto Rico is still suffering, so, if possible, find ways to help by raising money, donating or calling Congress (see last week's list for specifics). Need a particularly exciting way to get involved? Buy Almost Like Praying, a song performed by an amazing array of Latinx artists, and all the proceeds will go to Hispanic Federation, an extremely trustworthy and direct charity for hurricane relief. An even easier way to get involved? Follow the For Puerto Rico Por Puerto Rico playlist on Spotify, and they'll donate for every follow.
Resources: ABC News Wildfire Aid; Hispanic Federation

Harvey Weinstein Scandal: Recently, yet another horror story about a famous, public, and male figure has surfaced.  An article published by the New York Times last Thursday detailed sexual assault and harassment allegations against Harvey Weinstein from many women spanning across three decades. A common thread throughout each woman’s experience was that Weinstein would invite them up to his hotel room, supposedly to discuss a potential role for them in one of his new movies. Instead of talking about their professional experiences or résumes, Weinstein would demand sexual favors in exchange for a lead role or career-changing opportunity.  Among the string of women who have come forward are Ashley Judd, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Rose McGowan. Judd described his actions as “coercive bargaining.”  
    The response was quick and relatively harsh; three days after the story was published, Weinstein was fired by the board of his own company, and Bafta (British Academy of Film and Television Arts) suspended his membership three days after that. However, according to Kathy DeClesis, assistant to Bob Weinstein (Harvey’s brother) in the early 1990s, “It wasn’t a secret to the inner circle.”  And unlike other men such as Roger Ailes and Bill O’Reilly whose careers have been ruined by sexual assault allegations, Weinstein is a longtime Democratic donor and a generally liberal person.  What does that say about the toxic culture of Hollywood, and what does it say about the sexism and purely unacceptable conduct that people are willing to overlook because the perpetrator is powerful?
    For more info on what happened, read this timeline on how the scandal unfolded.  ​
What you can do: There's not necessarily a way to speak out against Weinstein himself, but here's a rad organization to check out that does tons of work for sexual assault survivors: http://www.risenow.us

EPA Coal Rollback: The Environmental Protection Agency has officially said that they plan to make an effort to roll back parts of the Obama administration's plan for slowing climate change. Chief on their list? Easing limitations on coal usage in factories that use them. Coal is a major factor in global warming and has proven to be extremely detrimental to the environment, and the laws put in place by the Obama administration tried to make the effects smaller. The EPA cited the reason for this as the restrictions were "unrealistic." Outrageous? We know.
​What you can do: Speak out! Call your reps: 
Script: ​Hi, my name is _______. I'm calling to ask you to do anything you can to stop the Obama administration's climate protection plans from being repealed. Our earth's safety is in danger, and our country, as a major world power and consumer, must do our part to prevent global warming from worsening. Please keep this in mind as you make decisions about coal limitations, the Paris agreement and all other climate action programs.
Numbers: 877-251-4575 (EPA); 202-224-3121 (Capitol)
​Resources: earthjustice.org; mrfcj.org

​What is it? In 2014, it was announced that an oil pipeline would be built in North Dakota. Originally, the route was planned to go just north of Bismarck, a major city in North Dakota, but there were citizen concerns. So where did they decide to reroute it? Right through the Sioux Tribe's Standing Rock reservation. Construction began in 2016. The environmental review of the pipeline was essentially incomplete, and immediately, many concerns rose. According to the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, Sunoco Logistics, which is set to be the operator of the pipeline has been responsible for more oil spills and pipeline leaks than any other pipeline organization, with at least 203 leaks documented. If the Dakota Access Pipeline springs a leak, the oil will completely ruin the water supply of the Sioux tribe and destroy wildlife. The pipeline will also affect the farmland of the Natives. This has been classified as environmental racism, as the Sioux say the pipeline specifically threatens their "way of life, water, people and land." For most reservations-- areas of land Natives have been forced onto-- economic struggle is abundant, the education systems are failing and the federal government provides way too little funding. This pipeline will certainly not help. Additionally, the treatment of the protestors at Standing Rock has been terrible.

While in Montana this summer, I had the honor of speaking with Meg Singer, the Indigenous Justice Outreach Coordinator of the ACLU of Montana. Montana is home to 7 reservations and has a large Native population. It’s also a mostly conservative state. While Native Americans make up 6.6% of the population of Montana, they make up 17% of the adult incarcerated population and 33% of the female incarcerated population. Singer shared with me some of the work she does with Native American kids who are being bullied in schools and at Montana state colleges and universities. She also identified one problem as being that Natives aren’t sure of what counts as a civil rights violation and so don’t always report a crime committed against them or a hate/racism-based violation of their rights.
Singer is the only staff member of the entire national ACLU who works exclusively on reservations, and she’s doing some great work (she also led the charge to change Columbus Day to Indigenous Peoples Day in Bozeman, a major Montanan city). The ACLU of Montana receives money when you donate to the national ACLU, but check out some of the amazing things they’re doing and if you have the means, perhaps donate directly.
Website: ​aclumontana.org