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California love ❤️???? On Tuesday, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed a series of election bills aimed at expanding access to early and same-day voting, increasing civic engagement, and improving transparency in campaign finance and redistricting. In particular, Senate Bill 72 would ensure that every eligible Californian—each and every #PeopleLikeUs—is able to vote.
At a time when voter suppression efforts run rampant in many places across the country, it’s good to see such a commitment to election access and security. Way to keep the vote rockin’ Gov. Newsom and California!
Photo Courtesy of Sandy Huffaker/Corbis/Getty Images
Last Friday, the Trump administration issued a proclamation barring immigrants who don’t have health insurance and can’t afford medical care from entering the United States. Considering that the government doesn’t even guarantee health care for its own citizens, this is nothing but another xenophobic, hateful policy coming from an administration intent on ending immigration and hurting #PeopleLikeUs.
We won’t stand for it. We join those who have stood up and spoken out against this recent attack, as well as the many others directed at immigrants recently. #PeopleLikeUs need to continue being vocal in opposing Trump’s un-American and immoral agenda.
The Supreme Court just started a new term, hearing arguments on cases that will impact #PeopleLikeUs, including a case from the Trump administration pushing for an end to the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. This is unacceptable. If DACA is shutdown, it will have awful, life-altering consequences for the more than 800,000 Dreamers living in the United States.
We need to let DACA recipients—as well as all other #PeopleLikeUs—know that home is here. You can do that by checking out the #HomeIsHere campaign, led by a coalition of several organizations that are fighting to protect DACA recipients, their families, and all immigrant communities at the Supreme Court. They’re currently raising money to support clinics that help immigrant youth process their renewals and have organized a rally at the Supreme Court (let us know if you’ll join us!) on November 12.
It has been a whirlwind week for NAL—and we wouldn’t have it any other way.
In case you missed our big announcement, the one and only Stacey Abrams will be the keynote speaker at our Power and Policy national conference in Washington, D.C. on November 15! We’re so excited to hear from one of our sheroes and a fierce advocate for #PeopleLikeUs about how we can work together to ensure that every vote is counted and every voice is heard.
Get your ticket to this amazing event here and, while you’re at it, scoop up a ticket to our 7th annual New American Hero Awards the day before. We can’t wait to see you in D.C. next month!
Yesterday, we announced that Parag Mehta was elected to serve as our new board chair. We’re also thrilled to share that Arizona State Representative Athena Salman and Teresa Acuña have joined our board. We are excited to have their leadership and vision on the NAL Team as we head into 2020 and beyond!
Last but not least, this past weekend we had our first-ever Ready to Rise training in Houston, Texas, where we worked to empower more #PeopleLikeUs to stand up for our communities, fight Trump’s anti-immigrant proposals, and change the face of leadership in our democracy.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the state, we had our #NALAtTheBorder trip to El Paso, Texas. On this incredibly powerful and eye-opening trip, several NAL staff and 18 elected officials from across the country met with immigration advocacy groups, local elected officials, and local organizations that support migrants and families. We saw firsthand, on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border, the impact of Trump’s cruel anti-immigrant policies. For a more detailed report of the trip’s events, check out what we posted about it on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram!
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