Join The Impact – Twin Cities

The Next Meeting of Join the Impact – Twin Cities will be Sunday, June 3rd at 1pm @ Grace Trinity Community Church.

MEETING ON FACEBOOK

I’m Nick Shillingford with Join the Impact – Twin Cities. And I would like to say thanks again to everyone that came out today. It is so great to have people here!!

Join the Impact is a democratically run, grass-roots, all volunteer activist organization primarily doing work in Minneapolis and the surrounding area.

Our organization was formed out of the frustration at the passage of California’s anti-marriage amendment – Prop 8 in 2008. Join the Impact played a role in mobilizing people to the 200 thousand strong National Equality March on Washington in Oct 2009. We organized the Vigil to End Bullying right here in Loring Park that brought out 1,000 people at the end of 2010 and worked with Gay Equity Team in Anoka-Hennepin and the Southern Poverty Law Center to continue challenging school policies that were silencing students and teachers around instances of gay bullying.

On May 9th President Obama said that he supports the right of same-sex couples to get married! This is a historic victory! The first time a sitting president has come out in support of marriage rights for same-sex couples! But it took a majority of Americans supporting Marriage for Same-Sex Couples and an election year before Obama was willing to come on board.

So why did Obama feel pressure to speak during this election season?

We must realize this is absolutely due to the tireless grass-roots work of the Lesbian, Gay, Bi-Sexual, Transgender and Queer community. And that is what we are here celebrating today. Years of organizing work by thousands of strong people across the country. Including people like Harvey Milk but also including so many determined activists that never made it into a book or film. We are really celebrating people like ourselves. All those that are here – give yourselves a round of applause.

But we can’t celebrate for too long because we still have a lot to do. Fighting for the passage of a Trans-Inclusive Employee Non-Discrimination Act, Stopping the deportation of our loved-ones, and demanding an end to housing discrimination, job discrimination, credit discrimination, education discrimination, public facilities and accommodations discrimination among many other things.

Now is a crucial point in history where we can make leaps forward in our collective struggle to secure equal rights and justice for all people.

And it is these struggles historically that have been and will continue to be the most effective way to win. From confronting police at stonewall in 69, to people like Harvey Milk coming out and running for elected office in the 70s, the important work of groups like ACT UP, to the continued grassroots organizing, militant activism, and direct action of today by organizations like Join the Impact, GetEQUAL, and the CeCe Support Committee.

…And we can learn a lot from other current struggles including the Occupy Movement.

With a bold voice and by forcing themselves into the media and into the halls of power Occupy was able to completely reorient the National Dialogue towards the huge gap between the 1% and everyone else.

By linking up with other movements like Occupy, like anti-racists and immigrant rights work, the women’s rights movement etc… we can also highlight the way in which interests with lots of money and power are seeking to divide the rest of us against each other…

But we won’t be divided…will we??

Who’s VOTING NO on the anti-marriage amendment in November?

Who will not yet able to vote in November?

Everyone that is registered and able to vote needs to VOTE NO on both discriminatory amendments in November. But Voting No is just one part of what we need to do to push for full equality for all.

No matter what the outcome in November we will be stronger if we have a solid and politically independent activist base that will stand up and speak out against anyone that is on the wrong side of history and opposing justice and equality.

AND FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO YOU WHO CAN NOT VOTE.. but want to make your voices heard.

Immediately following this event I encourage young people, students and supporters to come to a meeting to begin a discussion about planning a day of action this October on National Coming out Day.

And at The Blake School tonight there will also be the Twin Cities Queer Prom 2012 at 7pm.

I also encourage everyone else even if you can’t stick around today to continue to stay involved. To sign up with our organization and Join the Impact.

Help Plan the Harvey Milk Day March and Rally for 2012 (FACEBOOK). We absolutely need your time and energy to make Harvey Milk Day a success this year.

Join the Impact – Twin Cities put on a very inspiring and successful Harvey Milk Day March and Rally in 2010 and again last year. Even with a Tornado touch down last year we managed to bring folks together indoors during terrible weather to talk about strategies and build the community.

This year our resources will be stretched thin more than ever before and we need your help if we want this annual event to go forward successfully.

Please Join us Sunday March 25th for an initial meeting to begin planning this event. We would love your LGBT, or Social Justice organization to march as a contingent with us on Saturday May 19th (FACEBOOK) but we also need your help before then to pull this thing off…

See you on March 25th. Bring your own ideas and the ideas of your organization to make this a fun and inspiring Harvey Milk Day 2012!!

Join the Impact – Twin Cities meets every Sunday at 1pm at Grace Trinity Community Church (1430 W 28th St Minneapolis). Meetings are Open to Everyone!!

Valentines Day Action Planning Meeting

Help Plan the Wedding!

January 15th 2012 @ 1pm
Grace Trinity Community Church
1430 W 28th St
Minneapolis, MN

Full Marriage Equality Now!

Join the Impact invites everyone to attend a planning meeting on January 8th 2012 @ 1pm – We Needs YOUR Creativity.

Let’s Plan an action/event for Valentines Day 2012. Picket, Sit-In, Direct Action, Political Theater, Civil Disobedience? All of the above?

Please CONFIRM and INVITE as many other people as possible on Facebook. View event Here

On November 12, 2012, Minnesota citizens will vote on the fate of marriage in their state. Added to the ballot by the Republican-dominated MN legislature, the measure proposes adding language to the state constitution defining marriage as a union between a man and a woman—a change which, if instated, would block progress towards marriage for same-sex couples. Jessica Davis, a member of Join the Impact’s elected Organizing Committee, states, “This is an attempt to reinforce discrimination that already exists.”

While defeating the “Straights Only Marriage Amendment” is necessary to achieve marriage equality, such a victory will still not allow marriage rights for same-sex couples in Minnesota. Join the Impact believes that LGBT individuals and allies must not allow right wing groups to set the parameters of the debate. As Join the Impact member David Cummer puts it, “We can’t let the bullies pick our fight.” Realizing the importance of creating a base for the continuing struggle for full equality state and nationwide, the organization invites Minnesotans to come together October 30, 1:00 PM at Minneapolis’ Government Plaza for a rally and ensuing march behind the slogan, “Building Community for Marriage Equality Now!”

Sunday, May 22 · 1:00pm – 4:00pm
Walker Library – 2880 Hennepin Avenue

Safe Schools and Workplaces!
Full Equality Now!

We need to take the example of the successful struggles of the past and build a broad social movement, that is independent from mainstream party politics and capable of linking up with the struggles of other groups fighting for equality and liberation.

Join us on Harvey Milk’s birthday to remember him and other important figures from the LGBTQ rights movement, and demonstrate to Minneapolis that there is a strong movement in the Twin Cities fighting for full equality/safety/freedom for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) people.

1:00PM Meet at Walker Library in Uptown and march to Loring Park
2:00PM Rally in the Park
****Followed by a Gathering @ Joe’s Garage after the Rally****

Check it out on facebook!