“It’s a Now-or-Never Moment”
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
August 23, 2021
CONTACT:
Fernanda Durand | (214) 402-0186 | fernanda@communicationsshop.us
“It’s a Now-or-Never Moment”
As August recess unfolds, Poder Latinx mobilizes around critical issues
NATIONWIDE – As the future of important legislation to the Latinx community hangs in the balance, Poder Latinx is hosting a month of events in battleground states that were key in Democratic victories last year to re-engage with Latinx voters, and let elected officials know the community plans to hold them accountable.
As legislators travel to their home districts during the August recess, Poder Latinx plans a series of activities on the ground and in partnership with Spanish media to inform and mobilize the Latinx community on the issues that affect them the most - climate justice, immigration reform, and paid leave.
“It’s a now-or-never moment for our community. It’s not business-as-usual. It’s imperative we get on the phones, we jump online and let our voices be heard. Our goal is to remind our community of what these legislators promised and inform them on the status of the proposed legislation. We will hold them accountable,” said Yadira Sanchez, co-executive director for Poder Latinx.
The $1 trillion infrastructure bill that was passed with bipartisan support and still awaits a reconciliation with the House’s version of the bill must be the first step – not the last. Congress must pass a more ambitious $3.5 trillion bill, promised by House Democrats that will include benefits to working families and a road to citizenship for some undocumented workers. Along with that, Congress needs to include in its agenda paid leave legislation, and laws that aggressively target climate change.
“Many of the moderate Democrats who we supported in 2020 have still not committed to vote for a path to citizenship for undocumented workers, promoting paid leave legislation, addressing climate change, and guaranteeing permanent protections for young undocumented immigrants, TPS (Temporary Protected Status) beneficiaries and others. So much critical legislation for our community is on the docket this year, and we need to ensure that we maximize our ability to enact change,” said Adonias Arevalo, national organizing director at Poder Latinx.
See a timeline of events in Arizona, Florida, and Georgia below:
ARIZONA:
Letter drop-off at the offices of Sens. Mark Kelly and Kyrsten Sinema: we will be dropping off letters from community members who will be sharing their personal story and asking for support on paid leave legislation.
WHEN: Thursday, Aug. 26, 10 a.m. PT
WHERE: Offices of Senator Mark Kelly and Senator Kyrsten Sinema, 2201 E. Camelback Rd Suite 115. Phoenix, AZ 85016 & 3333 E Camelback Rd Ste 200, Phoenix, AZ 85018; Sign up here
FLORIDA:
Talleres on providing assistance to applying for tax credit: The workshop will be in Spanish with English interpretation if needed. Local business owners will learn how to:
Find out if they qualify for tax credits
How to apply and fill out tax forms
Learn the importance of providing paid leave for their employees and the ways this benefit can help their business
WHEN: Tuesday, Aug. 24, 6 p.m. ET
WHERE: Virtual; RSVP here
Paid Leave/COVID Webinar with Poderosas: Join us for an overview of the state of paid leave in Florida and the need for our communities to live healthier through economic security. What can we do to change the local preemption and push for overall relief for working families.
WHEN: Thursday, Aug. 26, 6 p.m. ET
WHERE: Virtual; RSVP here.
Climate Community Meeting: We will be canvassing our local neighborhoods to get at least 25 people to attend. The purpose of these community meetings are to gather feedback from the community about their climate/energy concerns, discuss building performance standards and how they can address these concerns, and feedback for the city of Orlando.
WHEN: Thursday, Aug. 26, 6 p.m. ET
WHERE: Orlando office of Poder Latinx: 5449 S Semoran Blvd, Ste 232, Orlando, FL 32822, register here.
GEORGIA:
GA Paid Leave Letter Drop-off to Ossoff: Poder Latinx is leading the Georgia Coalition for Paid Leave with our Paid Leave Letter Writing & Educational Event Template to collect impactful stories on why the Senate, specifically GA Senator Ossoff, must ensure paid leave and childcare through the reconciliation process. These letters will be delivered to Ossoff’s office. We must prioritize paid leave for all in the reconciliation package and support statewide actions - HB 146 is not enough.
WHEN: Thursday, Aug. 26, 12 - 1 p.m. EDT
WHERE: Terminus 330, 330 Marietta St NW, Atlanta, GA 30313, USA
Georgia Immigration Townhall & Clinic, Template HERE: Join Poder Latinx and Georgia State Representatives Marvin Lim and Zulma Lopez to discuss efforts to push through citizenship for all in reconciliation. We will discuss the impacts on the Latinx immigrant community, and Rep. Marvin Lim and Rep. Zulma Lopez will be providing on-site, free immigration consultations.
WHEN: Saturday, Aug. 28, 1 p.m. EDT
WHERE: Graves Park, Norcross, GA
In case you missed it:
Latinx Constituency Letter Drop-Off: On behalf of a group of Latinx organizations alarmed about climate change and its impacts on our communities, Poder Latinx co-wrote this letter to Congress asking for bold climate, clean energy, and environmental justice investments for our community and organized its drop-off to members of congress.
WHEN: Thursday, Aug. 12, all day
WHERE: see Press Release HERE
Defiende El Bosque: On August 16, Atlanta City Council voted on Ordinance 21-O-0367, leasing 380+ acres of the Old Atlanta Prison Farm to the Atlanta Police Foundation to build a new state-of-the-art training facility for Atlanta Police and Fire Departments. Poder Latinx along with representatives from Sunrise Atlanta, DARC, and Community Movement Builders presented a discussion on how this issue came to be.
WHEN: Tuesday, Aug. 17, 3:30 p.m. ET
WHERE: Facebook Live
Recording link HERE
Press Conference Holding Rubio Accountable on Immigration: Poder Latinx was proud to host a press conference targeting Senator Marco Rubio, to hold him accountable for his lack of support for our immigrant community. We emphasized the need for Florida U.S. House representatives to support immigration relief through reconciliation.
WHEN: Thursday, August 19, 2021 at 11 a.m. EDT;
WHERE: Graves Park, Norcross, GA
Recording link HERE
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