KAFFEEKLATSCH FOR ACTION
KLATSCHING ON JANUARY 22, 2017 Why did I pick the name Kaffeeklatsch? Kaffeeklatsch originated in Germany, a mix of two words "kaffee" (coffee) and "klatsch" (to chat or gossip). It is a known as an informal gathering for conversation and coffee (and cake!). My German-English grandmother used to use the word and I didn't pay much attention to it until recently. I was looking for a word to describe the action group I wanted to start and a kaffeeklatsch seemed to fit! When I looked it up I discovered something that made it even more important to me. The first coffee house opened in Germany in Leipzig in 1694 - and coffee houses became an important means and meeting place for intellectual and political discussions between the educated, middle class and bureaucratic nobility of the time - all men. Of course, women were not allowed in these coffee houses or discussions until the 20th century! German women began organizing private "kaffeekranzchen" or coffee parties in their own homes. The kaffeeklatsch spread across Germany and beyond - my grandmother’s family bringing here to the US - and to me. And now I've latched on to this long standing history of kaffeeklatsch, an informal gathering, and am using it as a means to discuss politics, culture and take actions for women’s rights and human rights. Every Sunday from the Kaffeeklatsch for Action meets in Portland, Oregon. The meeting is informal and meant to be a time carved out of our busy lives to make calls, write letters, read articles, plan for protests and other calls to action to rise up for women’s rights and human rights. My Kaffeeklatsch for Action blog: http://kaffeeklatsch4action.weebly.com/ Resources and blog updates are posted here. I welcome guest bloggers! DISCUSSION HIGHLIGHTS We reveled in the glorious aftermath of the Women’s March – Portland and across the nation. It was such an uplifting and amazing day. We shared pictures and stories. Then we had some good discussions about how we filter media. What to believe? It is important to be proactive and do the research. We discussed, the bait and switch (Orange Herring – thanks Meg!) technique where ridiculousness gets picked up and gone over endlessly by media (e.g. # of people at inauguration), meanwhile real scary stuff happens and doesn’t get the same coverage (the Department of Housing and Urban Development suspended the Obama administration's planned reduction of mortgage insurance premium rates, whitehouse.gov removed the pages for LGBTQ and Climate). We briefly touched on some hot topics: white feminism, echo chambers, how to communicate to those in deep red beliefs in an effective way, and even a brief interaction between each other on the Green Party and Democratic Party differing beliefs and perception, and differences related to the women’s march on Portland organizer communications. I shared my acknowledgement that I am in an intentional echo chamber – I just haven’t been able to get over my anger and fear – but that I am starting to do that hard work. Angela brought up the idea of creating an effective Photo Campaign – especially around healthcare – as images are powerful (used by All Born In). Would be a great way to highlight who would be affected by the repeal of ACA, especially pre-existing conditions -diabetes, Down syndrome, high blood pressure, etc. We all agree that storytelling is powerful We talked about making efforts to include people of color/women of color in our group and actions. Action of the day We sat around and wrote out thank you postcards to our Members of Congress and local politicians who attended the Portland Women’s March. They showed up and we thanked them! Some members went further thanking the other speakers as well. POST CARD info:
Feeling overwhelmed by all the work and areas to cover, and all the resources available, we identified our top area of interest to report back on. These are massive issues and all connected but these sections seem more manageable. There may be links, resources, events or actions specific to these areas you may want to report back on to connect and get our people involved Brooke – Climate Change Terry – Voters rights laws, gerrymandering and criminal justice reform, don’t’ shoot PDX Meg – Education, keeping it personal, local and following national (e.g. down with Betsy DeVos) Julie – Healthcare and health disparities, local level impacts, local voice in East County Jack – Young democrats, Alison –Equity and Intersectionality (esp women and kids), Arts Resources Amy Goodman. https://www.democracynow.org/ Here is a link to donate to support the women’s march: http://www.pdxtranspride.org/women-s-march-on-portland---january-21--2017.html ACLU – know your rights: https://www.aclu.org/know-your-rights, For youth: https://www.aclu.org/know-your-rights/what-do-when-encountering-police-youth Demonstrations: https://www.aclu.org/know-your-rights/what-do-if-your-rights-are-violated-demonstration-or-protest OPAL: http://www.opalpdx.org/ - At OPAL, people of color and low-income people are in charge. We’re cultivating leadership where we need it the most: among people decision-makers usually overlook. Here, individuals become members and join a growing movement for social justice. PHONE calls to Speaker Ryan to respond to survey to support ACE: 202-225-0600. We did this on speakerphone as a group and then got a full voice mail box. Update from later in the day: Action item: If you're getting a full voice mailbox when calling your senator or congressman, Sen. Bernie Sanders wants to know. His office is tracking these as it seems that some of these full mailboxes remain that way intentionally. Reach his D.C. office at 202-224-5141. Please copy and paste share this to get the word out. Phone call: https://act.moveon.org/survey/indivisible for January 24 MOC meeting day Update from 1/22 evening call: I joined Indivisible, MoveOn.org, and Working Families Party leaders for a live call and training on how to take immediate and effective action to block the Trump/Republican agenda, starting with rallies at our senators' district offices this Tuesday to stop Trump's #SwampCabinet. For the next 100 Tuesdays there will be coordinated efforts to rally at our MoC offices every Tuesday. To connect with groups scheduled to go: https://act.moveon.org/event/stop_trumps_swamp_cabinet/search/ Contact whitehouse.gov to send pictures from the March https://www.whitehouse.gov/contact Contact the National Park Services https://www.nps.gov/aboutus/contactus.htm - to support them Where to get the Nasty Women Get Shit Done signs: http://www.nwgsdpdx.com/signs-more Oregon Legislature link: https://www.oregonlegislature.gov/ City of Portland elected officials: https://www.portlandoregon.gov/?c=25999 Kaffeeklatsch Google Doc to our Members of Congress: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1MpLrlBs_KMNnGJLxGCnglaamrl47xDjaem9c1j048Jw/edit A reference and information list from member, Brooke, google doc link: https://docs.google.com/document/d/19qpRXyrGxqf7ISsFLqJd1ACvFiNpNghSxXfMaxTSTis/edit?usp=sharing `
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AuthorHey! I'm Alison Schneiger, just your average person who got tired of signing petitions, reading articles and liking posts on Facebook and wanted to take some ACTION. Join me each week in person or online for this Kaffeeklatsch for Action! ArchivesCategories |