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- CORRECTION - Havdalah #17: May Day, Passover, and Podcasts
CORRECTION - Havdalah #17: May Day, Passover, and Podcasts
21 Nisan, 5784 / April 28, 2024
White Rose RI
April 28, 2024
CORRECTION
In the previous iteration of this issue, we stated in Bill Tracker that we opposed the passage of S2110. This was based upon an erroneous reading of the bill’s language, and a misunderstanding on our end with regards to the current statute of limitations on sexual assault in RI. Previously, there had been an assumption on our part that there was no statute of limitations on sexual assault in the state of Rhode Island. However, this is only true for first degree sexual assault. Currently, second degree sexual assault is subject to a three year statute of limitations, and it is second degree sexual assault that is the subject of S2110. Instead of imposing a statute of limitations on an offense that previously did not have one, this bill is actually extending the current statute of limitations that offense is subject to. Mea culpa! Ideally, of course, both first degree AND second degree sexual assault would have no statute of limitations, and if you could make that clear to your representatives, that would be fantastic. But in regard to this particular bill, we would like to rescind our previous declaration of opposition in light of this clarification. Sincere apologies for spreading our confusion.
Hello all, and welcome to Havdalah #17 —
Spring seems, finally, to be here. We can open the windows to let in the fresh air, barring the occasional overnight cold snap. My boss is turning over his vegetable garden; my urge to go on spontaneous walks has increased drastically. The sunlight and flowers and birds and warmth inherently lift (most of) our spirits, and that's okay. Capitalism is hard, life is draining, the news is paralyzing; it's okay to let the world bring you joy; let it give you strength for the work ahead.
It's also Passover. There are signs in the library and in the pet store, matzah in the grocery store aisles, and an endless array of essays and think pieces and news alerts. In our Sidebar tonight, James is refraining from adding his two cents. Read it, and let it sit with you.
Goodnight, and mind how you go —
Katherine
Update: Cata’s Sister-in-Law Ewul Still Needs Your Support
Cata, a longtime Providence community organizer, is fundraising for her sister-in-law Ewul’s medical costs after she experienced birthing complications that led to the loss of her baby and serious ongoing health complications for herself.
Ewul has gone through three surgeries, and will need another surgery next month. Your additional donations will help her to continue accessing timely medical care to decrease the risk of living with complications while waiting to raise the necessary funds. Thank you for your support.
May Day Rally and March
When: Wednesday, May 1, 5:30pm
Where: outside of Textron, One Financial Center Plaza, Providence, RI 02903
International Workers’ Day, commonly called “May Day”, is observed on the first of May around the world to celebrate the victories won by the working class through organizing and fighting for higher wages, safer conditions and shorter hours. The struggle of the working class here in the heart of the US empire is intimately tied to the struggle happening right now in Palestine: as workers in Providence scramble to make ends meet, companies like Textron rake in billions selling the war machines Israel is using to carry out genocide.
May Day 2024 is a day for international solidarity, from the belly of the beast to the Middle East. Join PSL Rhode Island for a rally and march to demand that both our employers and the politicians that claim to represent us end their complicity in the genocide of our working siblings in Palestine!
The Womxn Project Postcarding
The Womxn Project is doing postcarding for two bills in RI, one statewide, and one local to Westerly, to write messages of support for health provider protective policies.
State Bill: they are writing to the Provider Protection Shield Bill co-sponsors thanking them for their support of this work and to tell them that they wish to see it brought to the floor for a vote before session ends.
Westerly Town Bill: they are writing to the Westerly School Committee Chair to call for the passage of a policy that follows evidence-based best practices and RIDE guidance to support trans, nonbinary, and gender diverse students in their district.
Labor Rights Panel in Spanish
When: Tuesday, May 7, 5:00pm-7:00pm
Where: the AMOR office, 545 Pawtucket Avenue, Office A-101, Pawtucket, RI 02860
Join AMOR to learn about your labor rights in a presentation for the community with a speaker from Fuerza Laboral along with a panel of people from our community who have faced challenges defending their labor rights and the rights of other community members.
The event will be in Spanish.
Continuing Actions for Palestine
Power Half-Hours for Gaza
When: every day, Monday through Friday, 3:00pm EST
Where: online
Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP) is holding Power Half-Hours for Gaza every day — join us as we channel our fury and sorrow into collective action to stop genocide.
JVP RI Weekly Flyering
When: Every Wednesday, 5:00pm-6:00pm
Where: Providence Train Station, 100 Gaspee Street, Providence, RI 02903
JVP RI invites all to join them in their efforts to spread the word about their work and simple actions people can take to demand an end to the genocide in Palestine. They meet on the Statehouse side of the train station.
Weekly Kaddish
When: Every Sunday, 1:00pm-1:30pm
Where: Michael Van Leesten Pedestrian Bridge, Providence, RI 02903
JVP RI and allies will be hosting a weekly gathering on Sundays to recite the Mourners Kaddish and communally grieve the Palestinians murdered by the Israeli military. You need not be Jewish to attend; all are welcome to participate.
Ceasefire Today Toolkit
This toolkit has a variety of links, including call scripts, groups accepting donations, phone banks, petitions, and more.
News Coverage
As always, especially when getting news from social media, be aware of who is sharing information and why they’re doing it.
Al Jazeera Coverage of the War on Gaza has continued to be a reliable source.
Reminders for Legislative Advocacy
Be aware that written testimony submitted to any committee is considered public and will be posted to and accessible on the General Assembly website.
All times and locations given below are accurate as of the writing of this newsletter, but the RI Legislature is prone to changing time and locations of hearings with little notice. If you want to give in-person testimony for a bill, go to this Bill Lookup Page to double check the bill status and meeting information before you go. Put the bill number (no H, no S) in the Bills input field and hit Enter for the most up to date information.
Rise of the House or the Senate is when the full House or Senate finishes meeting together and breaks into separate committee meetings.
For in-person testimony, when you arrive and/or during the meeting, you will receive instructions on when and how you can give testimony. Don’t be afraid to poke someone who looks like they know what they’re doing and ask.
Sexual Assault 10 Year Statute of Limitations Scheduled for Hearing
Bill Number: S2110
Summary: Sets the statute of limitations of second degree sexual assault at 10 years.
Our position: FOR / IN SUPPORT OF
Current Status: Scheduled for committee hearing (Senate)
How to Submit Written Testimony:
Submit testimony by: Monday, April 29, 3:00pm
Write a short statement, 1-3 paragraphs, explaining why you oppose the bill, including your name, the bill number (S2110), and your viewpoint (AGAINST / OPPOSED TO)
Email written testimony to: [email protected]
How to Give In-Person Testimony:
Attend the Senate Committee on Judiciary meeting, Tuesday, April 30, at the Rise of the Senate (usually around 4:00pm) in the Room 313 at the State House
Be prepared to share a brief statement about why you oppose the bill, including your name, the bill number (S2110), and your viewpoint (AGAINST)
Healthcare Provider Shield Act Up for Consideration
Bill Number: SB2262
Summary: This bill creates a protective legal shield for healthcare providers, precluding any civil / criminal action by other states / persons against healthcare providers involving persons seeking access to transgender and reproductive healthcare services provided in RI.
Our Position: FOR / IN SUPPORT OF
Current Status: Placed on Senate Calendar. The Committee on Judiciary recommends indefinite postponement of the original bill and passage of Substitute A (bills are nearly identical).
When: May 2nd, Rise of the Senate (4:00pm)
Where: Senate Chamber, State House
How You Can Help: Please consider contacting your State Senator to tell them how important it is that they pass this legislation.
Look up your senator here: Politician/Voting Lookup Page
Vaccination, Testing, and Mask Mandates Prohibition Scheduled for Hearing
Bill Number: H7797
Summary: Prohibits a private employer from mandating a COVID-19 vaccination upon any full-time, part-time, or contract employee without providing individual exemptions that allow an employee to opt out of such mandate
Our position: AGAINST
Current Status: Scheduled for committee hearing (House)
How to Submit Written Testimony:
Submit testimony by: Tuesday, April 30, 3:00pm
Write a short statement, 1-3 paragraphs, explaining why you oppose the bill, including your name, the bill number (H7797), and your viewpoint (AGAINST / OPPOSED TO)
Email written testimony to: [email protected]
How to Give In-Person Testimony:
Attend the House Committee on Labor meeting, Wednesday, May 1, at the Rise of the House (usually around 4:00pm) in the House Lounge at the State House
Be prepared to share a brief statement about why you oppose the bill, including your name, the bill number (H7797), and your viewpoint (AGAINST)
Empowered to Advocate
When:
Wednesday, May 1, 6:00pm (East Providence)
Wednesday, May 8, 7:00pm (Westerly)
Where: RSVP to Empowered to Advocate to get exact location
Organized by The Womxn Project, Empowered to Advocate is a 45-60 minute presentation on finding your power and authenticity in impacting laws that are important to you in Rhode Island. Topics include how to navigate the State House as well as the Secretary of State's website; how you can find your place in the style of activism that fits your personality in your local community; and the self care that is required to maintain your well-being in the process.
News Round-Up
A selection of news covering the New England far right ecosystem
The Neo-Nazi in question is a New Hampshire member of NSC-131.
Maine governor signs bill restricting paramilitary training in response to neo-Nazi’s plan (April 12, 2024)
The fallout from Blood Tribe’s failed ethno-commune continues.
Deep Dives
The War on Protest (April 17, 2024)
America’s Next Morning of Terror (April 19, 2024)
Pod Recs: Molly Conger on It Could Happen Here
The Enid, OK Recall Election (April 17, 2024)
Law & Order vs Nazi Fight Clubs (April 18, 2024)
James
I did not observe Passover this year.
I did not write a Passover Sidebar this year.
I’m on strike from Seders. The Plagues are picketing. Elijah gets no wine this year. I am not a stop on his pub crawl this Passover, or next.
I could have written a meditation on Mohammed El-Kurd’s poem, No Moses in Siege, the final line of which reads, “What do you say to children for whom the Red Sea doesn’t part?”
I considered writing about the final Plague, the lives of Egypt’s first-borns cut short, the litany of 0’s lining the age column on the lists of Gaza’s dead, the way the anti-Zionists of my generation have been told you’re dead to me by so many of our families because, like the Pharaoh, our parents have deemed all priorities secondary to a dubiously divine claim of supremacy.
I had thought of asking how many locusts does it take to liberate the world’s largest open-air prison?
You get none of these.
I am tired of writing about the depravity of American Jewish institutions that care only for their emotional support ethnostate. I am tired of writing about feeling like a hypocrite every time I observe a holiday centered around injustice and oppression. I am tired of writing to either the choir or hardened hearts. I am running out of words to write the same shit. If you do not feel genocide like a bullet to the teeth, nothing I can hunt and peck on this keyboard can teach you to. I don’t have any fucking Plagues to deploy.
Read Naomi Klein’s piece in the Guardian. Boycott McDonald’s and Starbucks. Look around at all the local organizations doing something and pick one.
I’m tired and angry. There is nothing else to write.
Next year in a free Palestine.
Needledrop: Palestine Primer Podcast Playlist
