APRIL SWIMMail Newsletter #2

Jen S
Apr 22
7 min read

BREAKING NEWS: The tide may be turning, y'all! Positives from this week: Senator Chris Van Hollen had a in-person visit with Kilmar Abrego Garcia in El Salvador, marking an abrupt shift in the El Savadoran government's dealing with US prisoners. Harvard's bold statement of "No!" has given Columbia University the backbone to stand up and take back their capitulation, and blazes the path for other institutions to follow. Nationally known conservative pundits like David Brooks and Bret Stephens are saying the line has been crossed, with Brooks pushing for a general strike. Read about it from Robert Reich. — **BREAKING NEWS:** The tide may be turning, y'all! Positives from this week: Senator Chris Van Hollen had a in-person visit with Kilmar Abrego Garcia in El Salvador, marking an abrupt shift in the El Savadoran government's dealing with US prisoners. Harvard's bold statement of "No!" has given Columbia University the backbone to stand up and take back their capitulation, and blazes the path for other institutions to follow. Nationally known conservative pundits like David Brooks and Bret Stephens are saying the line has been crossed, with Brooks pushing for a general strike. Read about it from Robert Reich.

Check out https://choosedemocracy.us/boycott-central/#active for lots of active boycotts!

SIGN UP - GET ACTIVE - MAKE A DIFFERENCE

This coming week there a some great ways for you to engage with your legislators.

MONDAY APRIL 21

Mallory McMorrow and Phil Skaggs discuss how laws are made in Michigan in a Virtual Town Hall sponsored by Statewide Indivisible Michigan and IGGR..

For a basic summary on how laws are made, see this.

TUESDAY APRIL 22

END GUN VIOLENCE MICHIGAN LOBBY DAY

Join End Gun Violence Michigan, Moms Demand Action, and SWIM for our Spring Lobby Day! We will meet in Lansing on Tuesday April 22.

We will be focusing on a number of important issues, including ghost guns, bump stocks, gun dealer licensing, and funding for gun violence prevention. The work continues - now is a crucial time for us to start building more power and support around our legislation. Sign up here.

WEDNESDAY APRIL 23

MICHIGAN UNITED CAPITOL DAY

Reach out to our representatives in Lansing will be the Michigan United Lobby Day, "Communities Over Corporations", on Wednesday April 23.

This is a statewide demonstration of people power. Michigan United, Reproductive Freedom for All Michigan and a statewide coalition are bringing the fight to the Capitol with a full day of collective resistance.

We're demanding reproductive freedom, universal healthcare, corporate accountability, and a tax system that works for the people—not the rich.

You can sign up here

SATURDAY APRIL 26

SHOW YOUR SUPPORT FOR OUR NORTHERN NEIGHBORS

TUESDAY APRIL 29

Meet with Gary Peter's regional manager Kevin Hrit:

Find out what the Senators team is up to in Washington. These meetings are always interesting and an important way to share our concerns. Send your questions a week ahead of time to info@statewideindivisiblemi.com

April 29 at 4:00 PM. You can register here.

CALLS TO ACTION

ACTION IS WHAT WILL SAVE AMERICA!

ONE STOP SHOPPING FOR ACTIONS NEAR YOU!

The Resistance Summit Coalition is tracking ACTIONS around the state

SWIM is one of the many partner organizations in the Resistance Summit Coalition! The RSC has created a way to track events around the state - click this link to see all of the actions submitted by our Indivisible Local Groups and Partner Organizations, from Tesla Townhalls to Bridge Takeovers and Pressers on Medicaid; from Metro Detroit to the Keweenaw Peninsula! Not seeing an event you know of? Submit them here!

Check out these other resources to access links to protests across the state.

Mivoter.org
Michigan Resistance and Activism Events
We The People Dissent list and map of protests.
and for more information on tracking our larger goal, visit General Strike US.

PROTECT YOURSELF

SWIM is working on a collaborative statewide training on being a "Safe and Effective Protector". This will be an online event and will be open to all. Stayed tuned for more information.

As protests gear up, be sure to assess your own risk. Check out this "Know Your Rights" guide from the ACLU.

Indivisible National also has some excellent guidelines available.

An excellent review of what to do in the event the Insurrection Act is triggered: Refuse, Resist, Ridicule. This page includes a link to an article on the lessons learned from mock marshal law scenarios acted out by the Brennan Center for Justice last year. Preparing for Marshal Law

NEWS FROM NATIONAL

2 things from our fearless Indivisible Regional Organizer, Scott Ickes:

First: What's the Plan calls with Ezra and Leah - it's important to keep aligned with the Indivisible theory of change and model for building local groups, and it also helps everyone to remember that there is a pro-democracy plan! Register for these clarifying Q&A sessions by registering here, Thursdays, 3ET

Second, for folks in difficult political contexts to stay encouraged and engaged, join the monthly Indivisible Red and Rural Caucus call, Wednesday April 30th 8pmET.

VOTER SUPPRESSION LIVES -

Keep up the pressure

The S.A.V.E. Act is an extreme voter suppression bill, prohibiting states from accepting a voter registration application without proof of citizenship. This means driver's licenses or other state ID are no longer a valid ID to cast a vote.

Birth certificates are not easy to obtain for many Americans. People who have changed their names -- such as many married women -- would not be able to rely on birth certificates alone as sufficient ID to vote. Over 2.2 million Michigan woman could be denied their right to vote!

The Senate still has to vote on this. Senator Slotkin has indicated she will be voting against this bill. We need to put pressure on Senator Peters to do the same. Call him here: 202-224-6221.

You're already calling Senators, emailing Representatives, and attending protests, but want to do even MORE?

https://www.glpa-lead.com/candidate-trainings

Bring a Friend to Make History: The 3.5% Rule

Harvard professor Dr. Erica Chenoweth's research shows that when just 3.5% of a population actively participates in peaceful protests, no government has been able to resist change. By recruiting just one or two friends to join you at a Hands Off rally or other peaceful protest, you can help reach this critical mass. Together, our growing numbers can create real change. Learn more about her research here.

Member Skills Needed

SWIM Communications Network Expansion: Volunteers Needed

State Wide Indivisible Michigan (SWIM) is expanding our communications network to better support our explosive growth of local groups! Seeking volunteers who can:

Survey leaders about priorities and facilitate information sharing,
Create orientation/training videos to build confident, skilled local teams,
Help set up and administer a network server (considering Discord, Slack, Basecamp, or other platforms - see leader survey sent Friday).

Contact the SWIM CORE Team: info@statewideindivisiblemi.com

Fire up your social media!

Michigan Social Media Warriors: Join DemCast Michigan

Part of DemCastUSA, we empower everyday social media users with messaging guidance, toolkits, resources, and training to amplify Democratic and progressive values while countering MAGA disinformation.

Learn more: http://www.demcast.com/team Ready to join? Complete the form on our website. After vetting, you'll be added to both national and Michigan teams.

Proud collaborators with Indivisibles—join us in the fight for democracy!

Tag Your Representatives with PleaseGrowASpine.org

PleaseGrowASpine.org and Field Team 6 offer customizable templates to directly tag elected officials when you want to:

Support/oppose specific bills
Thank them for strong actions
Call them out when they fail to fight for you

Your public posts inspire others to speak up too! We provide ready-to-use templates with representatives' handles already included—just personalize and post.

Join the #PGAS movement daily, amplify others' voices, and make your own heard.

Need help? Register for Field Team 6's quick training sessions at PleaseGrowASpine.org.

RESOURCES TO AMPLIFY YOUR MESSAGING

PARTNER TOOL KITS

CHECK OUT FIVE CALLS

This free app makes it incredibly easy to reach out to your legislators, giving you topics to chose for your calls. They provide background information as well as who to call for your area with their phone number and a script. This could not be easier. Sign up for their newsletter here.

CARD CAMPAIGN FOR DEMOCRACY makes it easy for even the shyest activist to get their voice heard. Here is a downloadable postcard protesting Donald Trump and "his rape of our democracy and country." Sign up for their emails here and pick up the 2025 Card campaigns.

USE THE POWER OF YOUR SPENDING!

Check out Goods Unite Us (link here; there is also an app) for verifying who the merchant may be supporting before you purchase!

WANT MORE? Check out more toolkits on our website here!

And we can't ever forget the need for self-care! Cara Erskine from GLDAI shared this amazing resource of self-care tips and resources. Refer back often!

SWIM WEBPAGE AND SOCIAL MEDIA

Bookmark our Website: www.statewideindivisiblemi.com. New events from SWIM and our partners are posted regularly! The website is a repository of resources and network partners amassed since 2017.

Members: Send us your announcements, events, photos or writings to our email at info@statewideindivisiblemi.com! We need to share our successes - we're better together!

SOCIAL MEDIA

BlueSky: @mi-swim.bsky.social

Facebook: SWIM (StateWide Indivisible Michigan) Members

Instagram: statewideindivisiblemichigan

For the time being, we maintain our Facebook & Instagram accounts, but foresee a time in the not-distant future when we will leave these platforms like we (and many others) did X.

Join us on BlueSky!

USING THE POWER OF SOCIAL MEDIA TO AMPLIFY GOOD NEWS

Truth Bomb Toolkit – this is a very comprehensive toolkit with EVERYTHING you might want to know about Truth Bombs and how to do them.
Into Action Labs allows you to download and add your own message(s).
Indivisible's Trainings-to-Go - materials such as slides, handouts, discussion questions, as well as notes/directions for the person leading the space. Start with a pilot batch of 3 Trainings-to-Go: Recruitment 101, Indivisible 101, and Tools for Building Inclusive Groups! These are located in the Support Hub along with a lot more! Questions or suggestions can be sent to training@indivisible.org.