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“Passover affirms the great truth that liberty is the inalienable right of every human being.” Morris Joseph
“On Passover, Jews are commanded to tell the story of the Exodus and to see ourselves as having lived through that story, so that we may better learn how to live our lives today. The stories we tell our children shape what they believe to be possible.” Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg EVENTS AROUND TOWN: Well it is no secret that this world, our country, Wisconsin and sometimes Madison can be a depressing place to live and be part of. So, in addition to organizing events and action oriented events happening in Madison I will try to be a bit more intentional about mentioning events that I think are part of actively making Madison a better, more inclusive and equitable community April 13: Undocumented: Great Lakes Poets Laureate on Social Justice At the Arts + Literature Laboratory at 7pm April 13 at 7. “Join us for this gathering of six poets laureate from the Great Lakes region reading from the new anthology, Undocumented: Great Lakes Poets Laureate on Social Justice. The book is organized around themes from the Southern Poverty Law Center’s “Ten Ways to Fight Hate: A Community Response Guide,” calling on readers to act on behalf of victims of social injustice. The evening of poetic and activist inspiration features Sarah Sadie, Wendy Vardaman, Kimberly Blaeser, James Armstrong, Oscar Mireles, Emilio DeGrazia, and Ken McCullough.”Seating is limited so reserve your seat now at this link. April 13: Wisconsin Labor History Society Conference Hosted by Wisconsin Labor History Society, this conference takes place at the Madison Labor Temple, 1602 S Park #106, from 8:30 – 3:00.Topic is, “How Labor Can Win Again: ‘Direct Action’ strategies of history offer promise for the future.”Opening speaker: Dan Kaufman, author of “The Fall of Wisconsin: The Conservative Conquest of a Progressive Bastion and the Future of American Politics.” A Wisconsin native, Kaufman is a contributor to the New York Times and has written extensively about the state’s political history and occurrences since the 2011 Wisconsin Uprising.Union activists and labor historians will also discuss recent actions taken in Wisconsin that have been winners; the conference will end with a discussion as to what will work in the future. More details here. April 13: Contemporary Women in Politics: A Seat at the Table-IGNITE College Council Hosted by Ignite National from 10:00 – 3:00 at UW-Madison School of Education Building, 1000 Bascom Mall."The 116th Congress has 131 women, more than this country has ever had in United States history. What does it mean to be a woman politician in these times? How are women in politics staying true to self while serving in some of the highest offices in the country? What does it mean to have a seat at the table and how are these trailblazers encouraging other women to become engaged? Join us for an afternoon of brainstorming, workshopping, and networking at UW-Madison's School of Education to begin to think about what it means to be a contemporary woman in politics." More details here. April 14: Freedom Seder “The African American/Jewish Friendship group is sponsoring Madison’s first freedom seder. It will be at the YWCA Empowerment Center at 2040 South Park St at 5:00 pm. The seder will feature a Passover service focusing on Jewish and African American history and traditions and foods which provide a framework that connects our communities and celebrates the struggles for all still living under oppression and mobilizes us around a range of social justice issues. This year will mark the 50-year anniversary of the original Washington, DC "Freedom Seder." The original Freedom Seder was a Passover gathering of the Jewish and African American communities in the basement of a Church in the DC area one year following the assassination of Dr. King. It was convened by Rabbi Arthur Waskow. Milwaukee has had Freedom Seders for their community. PLEASE RSVP BY MARCH 31ST TO: MERLE AND JERRY STERNBERG at 608-298-7537 OR email: merliejs80@gmail.com.” April 16th: Community Accountability Forum At First Unitarian Society at 7:00.Panel on MMSD Policy, Training, and Practice for Staff/Student Contact, Restraints, and IEPs. Urban Triage, First Unitarian Society, the Community Response Team and members of the Building Capacity to Protect Black Children Group are hosting a question and answer session on the policy, training and practice that governs when and how Madison Metropolitan school staff may make physical contact with school children, the impact of such contact and how school children are issued Individualized Education Programs or IEPs. More details here. April 20: Madison Membership Meeting / Junta de membresía de MadisonVoces monthly Membership Meeting at Centro Hispano, 810 W Badger Rd. From 2-4 and open to the public.More details here. April 22: Robin DiAngelo, author of "What Does it Mean to be White," will present a FREE keynote about her new book, "White Fragility." This keynote is at First Unitarian Society from 6:30 – 8:00. Limited seats so registration is required. "White people in the U.S. live in a racially insular social environment. This insulation builds our expectations for racial comfort while at the same time lowering our stamina for enduring racial stress. [DiAngelo] terms this lack of racial stamina “White Fragility.” Details here and registration here. April 23: Partners for Change Luncheon: Changing Lives, Changing Community The Madison Urban Ministry’s annual Partners for Change Luncheon will be at the Madison Concourse hotel from 11-1. “We are thrilled to announce that Rev. Everett Mitchell will be our Emcee again this year and our Keynote Speaker will be retired Appellate Court Judge Paul Higginbotham who will share his insights from his over 30 years working in WI courts and where we have hope for system change. Judge Higginbotham served as a Legal Aid Attorney in Milwaukee, a Municipal Judge, a WI Circuit Court Judge and the first African American to serve as Judge on the WI Appellate Court. Judge Higginbotham retired from the bench last year and most recently served on Governor Evers transition team with a focus on criminal justice system reform.” More details here. ACTION ITEMS: Indivisible is organizing around making the Mueller report public. You can learn more about these efforts here and can follow Indivisible Madison on twitter here. ACLU: Repeal Trump’s Anti-Immigrant Bans Two years of the Trump presidency have wreaked havoc on the lives of millions of people and their loved ones, both inside and outside the country.Now is our chance to put an end to President Trump's Muslim, refugee, and asylum bans. Congress has just introduced the NO BAN Act, which would not only repeal these bans, but would help prevent the government from enacting discriminatory bans in the future. Click here for more information and to sign ACLU’s petition. Census Citizenship Question: “For the first time in 70 years, the U.S. census may include a question about citizenship. Experts agree that the question's inclusion will dramatically reduce the participation of immigrant communities, stunting their growing political influence and depriving them of economic benefits. It's yet another deliberate attempt by President Trump to attack immigrants.” --Update 2/15/19: A federal court ruled in our favor and struck down the citizenship question – but now, the Supreme Court has agreed to hear the Trump administration's appeal. Help power our fight as we head back to court.” The ACLU wants us to make a public comment to the Department of Commerce. More details here. SERVICE: It's that time of year again almost -- Tuesday 4/30/19 is the night Emerson Elementary School hosts their multi-cultural very tasty dinner night. They're looking for up to 12 volunteers from our congregations to help serve and then quick clean-up, followed by us eating too.Here's the sign-up: http://signup.com/go/qbbNsTD. Teens and older are welcome to participate. Please spread the word. Madison Urban Ministry (MUM): Family and Reading Connections MUM’s Family Connections provides opportunities to maintain and strengthen relationships within families affected by incarceration. This program keeps critical parent-child connections strong by organizing regular monthly visits between imprisoned mothers and their children. Family Connections goes to Taycheedah Correctional Institution the second Saturday of each month. Reading Connections offers parents whose children reside too far away for regular visits, an opportunity to bond with their child and encourage their reading. Each month, volunteers go to Taycheedah Correctional Institution and Waupan Correctional Institution to collaborate with parents on this initiative. Parents are video recorded reading books to their children and the book, the recording, and a letter are mailed to the children and families. Learn more about Family & Reading Connections with this video. Complete this online application if you are interested in volunteering. MISCELLANEOUS: Passover: Almost that time of year again. Let My People Go is one of favorite songs to sing at the Seder. Below are links to some of my favorite versions of the song. I also attached another Rubin family Passover favorite. I do a new version of Passover Jeopardy each year and it is a popular part of our Seders.
**Kids Forward did an interesting blogpost on the New Poverty Guidelines. **It’s Our Table Now **Madison Print and Resist at the Madison Central Library branch
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