Dear Friends and Fellow Resistance Members,

It’s been a month since we came together for Advocacy Training Day. What an empowering event that was!  I hope you are taking the initiative and putting your new skills to use! The Resistance that is rising up all over this nation is making a difference and is holding back the threat of authoritarianism and devastating reforms that would otherwise encompass us. Of course, there are setbacks; this week has been hard...Much of what we value was lost in November; defeat will not be converted to victory overnight.  

The Steering Committee thought it would be good to give some updates on what has been happening in the last month. Some of this is “unseen” by the larger group, so we want you to know, as the whole, we are moving forward.

Since April 8th, we have…

• Participated in the Pilgrimage for Immigration

• Marched for Science in ATL

• Held a Signing Event where hundreds of postcards were mailed to National, State and Local leaders

• Made connections with long established and newly formed local progressive groups including NAACP, Solidify Central Georgia, Clergy in the area working on immigration issues, Wesleyan College Student Government leadership and others

• Met with Bibb County Sheriff Davis and Macon-Bibb County Commissioners re: adoption of a Family Leave Policy for Bibb County fashioned after 4-1-1 Policy in Warner Robins

• Been an integral part of the Anti-discrimination work being done in Macon-Bibb County, seeing passage of employment protections for LGBTQ county employees!

• Connected with existing organizations in our state re: our core principles -- specifically Georgians for A Healthy Future, Georgia Water Coalition and individuals leading Voter Registration efforts.

• Published weekly Lynn’s List with advocacy item checklist

• Met with an attorney to create Georgia Women (And Those Who Stand With Us) as a registered Non-profit Corporation in Georgia and apply for 501(c)4 status

• Made an untold number of calls to our National, State and Local leaders to express our concerns about healthcare, the environment, budget issues, campus carry, equal rights, and much more.

Don’t lose sight of the vastness of this movement in the seclusion of your individual actions! It is all of us...at work all over this nation...that will save our country. To me, those aren’t just words; it is why I persist!

Find your place to do these things. If the schedules we are planning, don’t fit yours, be the start of something on your own timeline. Get in touch and we can help coordinate and promote!

Salons are the next large group gatherings we have in the planning stage. We envision these as single topic, in-depth sessions regarding one of our core principles. Dates are not yet chosen, but the first two Salons are likely to be on Healthcare and Immigration. Stay tuned for details and scheduling, likely in mid-June or early July. We don’t intend to stop for summer!!!

Plans are in the works to make campus appearances at area colleges this Fall to assist with Voter Registration and issue awareness. Specifically, at Wesleyan, we hope to sponsor a night for all the young women of Wesleyan to come and learn more about Georgia Women (TWSU)!

Georgia Women is receiving lots of requests to work on issues in the Middle Georgia area. We want to be an integral part of work that is needed. Please contact us if you know of something in which we should be involved. We won’t be able to do everything, but we want to know! To date, and going forward, issues will be looked at by how they align with and promote our Core Principles:

1.  Protection of Civil Liberties
2.  Fair & Representative Elections
3.  Quality Public Education
4.  Access to Affordable Healthcare
5.  Protection of our Environment

We know there are some areas which we have not yet given enough focus. Want to spearhead something Let us know!

Finally...and painfully...Georgia Women needs funding for going forth. This is one of the reasons we are incorporating and establishing ourselves as an legal entity. (The other is that it gives us “standing” in the state and earns a level of respect for people to be able to find us on the Secretary of State’s website.)

Funding to date is from donations and from t-shirt sales. We need willing and able individuals to continue with this effort. Within the next two weeks, we should have a bank account established (this couldn’t be done until we were registered as a non-profit) and can accept checks made out to Georgia Women. Please consider making a donation! Mail us at P. O. Box 67 Macon, Georgia 31202-0067.

Resist    and   Persist.

Claire Cox
Georgia Women (And Those Who Stand With Us)