October 2015 - balancing the scales

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Kentuckians For The Commonwealth P.O. Box 1450 London, Ky. 40743

BALANCING THE

VOLUME 34 NUMBER 7 OCTOBER 29, 2015

NON-PROFIT U.S. POSTAGE PAID LEXINGTON, KY. PERMIT NO. 513

Second Smoketown Getdown packed 150 years of history into one night pg. 7

As KFTC continues to grow, we need to plant seeds......................................3

Members meet with Southern groups to learn media skills at CMOP........ 8

Empower Kentucky will build a state energy plan “that works for everybody” ..........................................................10

‘Walk Your Block’ is the chapter’s next Smoketown initiative....................7

New Steering Committee gets to work, focuses on building power......... 9

Power Initiative grants to invest $14.5 million in the mountains............. 11

2 | Balancing the Scales

is a statewide grassroots social justice orga­­ ni­zation working for a new balance of power and a just society. KFTC uses direct-action organizing to accomplish the following goals: • foster democratic values • change unjust institutions • empower individuals • overcome racism and other discrimination • communicate a message of what’s possible • build the organization • help people participate • win issues that affect the common welfare • have fun KFTC membership dues are $15 to $50 per year, based on ability to pay. No one is denied membership because of inability to pay. Membership is open to anyone who is committed to equality, democracy and nonviolent change.

www.kftc.org | October 29, 2015

Table of Contents Executive Committee Corner

As KFTC continues to grow, we need to plant seeds......................................................................................3

Member Commentary My racial justice challenge as a “white” person................................................................................................ 4

Local Updates KFTC chapter briefs..................................................................................................................................................... 6 Second Smoketown Getdown packed 150 years of history into one night............................................7 ‘Walk Your Block’ is the chapter’s next Smoketown initiative......................................................................7 Members meet with Southern groups to learn media skills at CMOP...................................................... 8

KFTC News New Steering Committee gets to work, focuses on building power........................................................ 9

New Energy and Transition Update Empower Kentucky will build a state energy plan “that works for everybody”..................................10 Power Initiative grants to invest $14.5 million in the mountains................................................................. 11 Perry County members support Power +............................................................................................................ 11

Grassroots Fundraising Update KFTC merchandise...................................................................................................................................................... 12 This is our chance to build New Power together............................................................................................. 12

KFTC STEERING COMMITTEE Dana Beasley Brown, chair Tanya Torp, vice chair Elizabeth Sanders, secretary-treasurer Homer White, at-large member Sue Tallichet, immediate past chair

Chapter Representatives

Leslie Bebensee, Scott County Sarah Martin, Central Kentucky John Hennen, Rowan County Serena Owen, Northern Kentucky Ryan Fenwick, Jefferson County Alan Smith, Southern Kentucky Andrea Massey, Harlan County Randall Wilson, Perry County Megan McKinney, Madison County Lillian Prosperino, Letcher County Charly Sholty, Big Sandy Leah Bayens, Wilderness Trace Leslie McBride, Shelby County Alternates: Rosanne Klarer, Scott County; Sharon Murphy, Central Kentucky; Lisa Montgomery, Rowan County; JoAnn Schwartz, Northern Kentucky; Daniel Morgan, Jefferson County; Dora James and Jeanie Smith, Southern Kentucky; Carl Shoupe, Harlan County; Russell Oliver, Perry County; Meta Mendel-Reyes, Madison County; Eric Dixon, Letcher County; Kim Walters, Big Sandy; Lee Ann Paynter, Wilderness Trace; Nancy Reinhart and JoAnna Rouse, Shelby County Balancing the Scales is published by Kentuckians For The Commonwealth and mailed third class from Lexington, Kentucky. Reader contri­butions and letters to the editor should be sent to 250 Plaza Drive Suite #4, Lexington, Ky, 40503 or tim@kftc.org. Subscriptions are $20/yr.

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www.kftc.org | October 29, 2015

Balancing the Scales | 3

executive committee corner

As KFTC continues to grow, we need to plant seeds

By Homer White, At-Large Member

Thomas Merton, the Catholic monk and Kentucky author, once wrote that at every moment in your life something gets planted – like a seed – in your soul. Most of the time you are in a rush and the seed dies for want of attention, but if you take the time to sit with it then it will take root, grow, blossom out in many layers of meaning, and sustain your life.

I experienced such a seed-moment at the annual meeting in August, when a few of us sat outdoors during a breakout session of the workshop on Intergenerational Organizing. One of the older members of the circle, a seasoned worker in racial justice movements, had come to the annual meeting to learn more about our organization. Noting how KFTC had got its start in eastern Kentucky around landowner rights and disputes with coal companies, he ventured the opinion that KFTC is more about rural issues than about urban issues and urban folks.

Andrew Winston spoke right up. Andrew is 29 years old, from a Louisville neighborhood that suffers from exposure to chemicals from industrial plants in nearby Rubbertown. He has been active in the Jefferson County chapter for nearly three years.

Andrew spoke about traveling to Harlan County to visit with old African-American coal-mining communities there and to learn about their struggles against mountaintop removal and for a transition to a clean-energy economy.

“Urban decay, and the way dirty industries are pushed on to

lower-income neighborhoods”, said Andrew, “is exactly the same story as mountaintop removal in mountain communities – but told in different words.”

The older fellow’s eyes opened wide, and he pulled his chair closer into the circle. In fact we all leaned in a bit.

Thinking back on this encounter, I recognize in it one of the deeper meanings of the annual meeting theme of “All In”: that we can come to see ourselves as All Interconnected.

KFTC works on a wide range of environmental and social justice issues, and sometimes we experience them as technically connected, maybe through some economic force. For example, we work for coal-ash regulation, and we recognize that the coal-ash problem in our cities and the devastation of rural mountain areas both stem from our over-reliance on fossil fuels. But a deeper connection emerges when people who are oppressed in different ways by a broken economic system get to know one another, and to recognize their experiences as “the same story, told in different words.”

Learning to see each other’s problems as our own teaches us to see others as ourselves. That’s the beginning of real solidarity, because it’s a solidarity that exists within diversity.

It’s a very solid base from which to work for social change.

I hope that in the coming year we in KFTC will work deeply from that base of solidarity and that each of us will more and more clearly see others – especially others who are quite different from us in race or religion or social class or how they live out sexual orientation or gender identity – as ourselves.

I hope also that we’ll keep this in mind as we come to think about growing our organization. We set very ambitious goals for ourselves in terms of numbers: 10,000 mem-

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bers, $500,000 in grassroots fundraising. Meeting these goals is a great measure of our strength; it’s also exciting and fun for us, and inspiring for our allies and our supporters.

But let’s also remember to celebrate just as much the building of diversity in our organization, and the cultivation of solidarity within that diversity. I think we’ve done some great work in this year along these lines, and I’m excited to see what can happen in the future.

After the annual meeting I called Andrew – the young African-American man from Louisville who is so keenly interested in mountaintop removal – and asked him what his dreams are for the future. I expected him to mention first about his neighborhood, about which we had spoken at length, but he said: “at this moment, my brightest dream is that Rowan County will issue marriage licenses again.”

That’s what I call All In.

KFTC OFFICES AND STAFF MAIN OFFICE Morgan Brown, Robin Daugherty, and Burt Lauderdale P.O. Box 1450 | London, Kentucky 40743 606-878-2161 | Fax: 606-878-5714 info@kftc.org

FIELD OFFICES Louisville Elizabeth Adami, Jerry Hardt, Alicia Hurle, and Carissa Lenfert 735 Lampton Street #202 Louisville, Ky 40203 502-589-3188 Whitesburg Sara Pennington P.O. Box 463 Whitesburg, Ky 41858 606-632-0051 Central Kentucky Tim Buckingham, Jessica Hays Lucas, Beth Howard, Erik Hungerbuhler, and Heather Roe Mahoney 250 Plaza Drive, Suite 4 Lexington, Ky 40503 859-276-0563

Northern Kentucky Joe Gallenstein 640 Main Street Covington, Ky 41005 859-380-6103 Floyd County Jessie Skaggs 154 North Lake Drive Prestonsburg, Ky 41653 606-263-4982 Berea Lisa Abbott, Beth Bissmeyer, Amy Hogg, Kevin Pentz and Sasha Zaring 140 Mini Mall Drive Berea, Ky 40403 859-756-4027 Bowling Green Molly Kaviar 502-599-3989

e-mail any staff member at firstname@kftc.org except for Jessica Hays Lucas, use jessicabreen@kftc.org; Beth Howard, use BethHoward@kftc.org; and Beth Bissmeyer, use BethBissmeyer@kftc.org Cover: 2nd Annual Smoketown Getdown celebrated the 150 year history of Smoketown with a street party.

4 | Balancing the Scales

www.kftc.org | October 29, 2015

member commentary

My racial justice challenge as a “white” person

By Christian Torp I write white in scare quotes because not only is race not a real thing, the white race is also a modern construct; historically prejudice has been applied somewhat more equally. While I in no way mean to equate or compare the systemic oppression of people of color with the prejudice immigrants faced in the decades surrounding the turn of the nineteenth century, I do know that we as “white folks” forget that many of our ancestors weren’t welcomed either.

I was fortunate enough to know my grandmother who was born in 1916, I heard the stories. How is that relevant to this discussion? It’s relevant because the creation of the “white” race is a direct result of the systematic oppression of people of color. The labeling of drinking fountains as “white” and “colored” didn’t solely subjugate one group, it created the appearance of uniformity in the other.

Nevertheless, I am white. My ancestry is comprised of poor whites who settled in central New York and centralEuropeans who emigrated late in the nineteenth century. I could say that I bear no responsibility for America’s racist past, that I’m not racist, or that I’m otherwise oppressed too, but does that do anything but reinforce the status quo?

What to do about it.

We can talk about equality, we can talk about diversity until we’re blue in the face but neither of those will end racism. When you’re starting out with a playing field that isn’t level, you can say that all fields should be flat. You can pass laws to that effect, but until you get out the earth moving equipment you’ll never change a thing.

Even in the hands of the well-intended, diversity leaves us without a language for making sense of ongoing racism or deliberating effective policy responses. A rigorous study by sociologists at University of California-Berkeley, Harvard University and University of Minnesota shows that corporate diversity trainings are especially counterproductive, despite being the most popular program in the multibillion-dollar diversity management industry. These trainings do not move white women or most people of color into management, and they actually decrease black women’s odds of becoming managers by 7 percent. (See: Salon, October 26, 2015: Diversity is for white people: the big lie behind a well-intentioned word) I’m white, born into an unjust and racist society. These are not things to justify or take pride in, they’re facts. It’s what I choose to do about these facts that matters.

In the wake of Mike Brown, Freddie Gray, Eric Garner and so many other’s I hear a lot of white people talking about “reconciliation.” There is an inherent falsity in such a mindset as it presupposed the existence of a friendly relationship. Moreover, and perhaps more fatally, is the notion that we live in a post-racial society, that race is something that has been dealt with given the election of Barak Obama and that we need get on with ourselves.

One look at criminal justice statistics is all it takes to refute such as ridiculous. So long as we refuse to confront the reality of racism just that much longer will it haunt and hinder us.

Another supreme evil that goes hand in hand with “di-

versity” is tokenism. So long as individuals are held out as examples that racism is no more racism is left to fester and flourish. It’s not that certain individuals of traditionally oppressed groups have achieved levels of high social standing that indicates progress, it’s that only four of the companies in the Fortune 500 have African-American CEOs. A tree is known by it’s fruit, and a .008 ratio in a nation with 13.2 percent of it’s population of African decent is the actuality, whatever the story of an a individual outlier might be.

Given these facts, what are anti-racist white people to do?

First and foremost, we need to get out of the drivers seat. As the status-quo is racist, leaving things how they are is racist. As the status-quo is racist, race neutral programs cannot be but racist. So long as people of color have traditionally had less opportunities, hiring based on nothing but an applicant’s qualifications are racist. We must help and support members of traditionally oppressed groups take on roles of power, and we must let them lead without us.

Another thing that we as white people can do is join

people of color in their struggle for freedom, and the operative words that I use are “join” and “their.” If you’re worried about feeling out of place know that I have never felt more welcomed than by groups of African-Americans, whether a church congregation with two white members including myself or the NAACP. Finally, it is imperative that we work to dismantle and destroy the systems that work to oppress people of color.

More than one in four African American males in Kentucky cannot vote because of felony convictions despite the fact that social science proves they’re no more likely to commit crimes than whites. To honor or respect such a system is to perpetuate racism for somewhere in between slavery and stop-and-frisk. One thing is evident, racism is the intentional result of social, institutional structures: to support the cause is to support the effect.

Will you join me in this fight to create equity? Can you make the choice to partner with the victims of our society so that the promises of freedom and justice bandied about actually have some truth to them? I hope you will.

ACTION: Tools for Building Racial Justice in the Mountains We Are Kentuckians: Tools for Building Racial Justice in the Mountains, Saturday November 7, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. St. James Episcopal Church 562 University Drive Prestonsburg (Floyd County).

As our vision statement tells us, KFTC is “working for a day when Kentuckians – and all people – enjoy a better quality of life.” And for a day “when discrimination is wiped out of our laws, habits, and hearts.”

Sometimes that reality feels far away, when we see that hatred and discrimination still persist in our society. In rural areas like Appalachia, our experiences with these issues may seem very different than those of folks who live in more urban areas. And sometimes it may be difficult to see how our experiences are related or what, if anything, we can do about it. But to address these issues, it will take all of us coming together, finding our common ground, and learning from each other so that we can build our strength as individuals and as Kentuckians.

In this interactive workshop, we hope to begin to do just that. We will make space to talk about race and racism, learn about institutional racism and how it functions in our lives and our communities, reflect on our vision for the world we want to live in, and develop tools on how to get there together.

This workshop is open to anyone who shares our vision and commitment to equality.

ACTION: Fracking Summit, November 7 A close look at issues related to natural gas liquids (NGLs), fracking, landowner rights and local options for communities seeking a sustainable future will be the focus of a one-day summit on Saturday, November 7.

The individuals and groups behind the summit were involved in the successful campaign to stop the proposed Bluegrass Hazardous Liquids Pipeline. They have since turned their attention to stopping a proposal to re-purpose the Tennessee Gas Pipeline from natural gas to hazardous liquids (NGLs).

They also hope to put more attention on the growing threat of high-volume hydraulic fracking coming to Kentucky.

“The fracking industry is knocking on Kentucky’s door. Before we swing it open and decide who to let in, we should know what we gain and what we lose if we do so,” said summit organizer Chris Schimmoeller. “The summit is designed to educate Kentuckians about natural gas liquids, repurposed pipelines, fracking, and energy options that look beyond fossil fuels.

The summit will take place at the Locust Trace AgriScience Center (3591 Leestown Road) in Lexington. There is no cost and lunch is provided (donations accepted).

Registration is requested and along with information on speakers and workshops can be found at: www.nobluegrasspipeline.com/nov.-7-summit.html.

www.kftc.org | October 29, 2015

Balancing the Scales | 5

We are Kentuckians Alan and Jeanie Smith, Bowling Green Alan and Jeanie Smith live in Bowling Green and are active in KFTC’s Southern Kentucky chapter. Alan is a member of the KFTC Steering Committee, and Jeanie serves on the Economic Justice Committee. They have two sons.

How did you get involved with KFTC? Alan: We moved away from Kentucky for a while. We lived in Australia for three years, and then we came back to Bowling Green. We wanted to get involved with social justice kind of broadly. I asked a couple of my former professors at Western [Kentucky University] and another, our pastor. I asked three people “Do you know of an organization that’s doing social justice work in Kentucky that I can get involved with?” and all three said Kentuckians For The Commonwealth. So I e-mailed the local organizer. When she e-mailed me back, I knew that this was the group that I wanted to work with. So then I started getting involved. And Jeanie...

Jeanie: He dragged me along to the KFTC annual meeting. I didn’t really want to go. But it was great. With KFTC, I ended up getting involved in local food access for low-income families and and other local and state issues.

A: One of the great things about KFTC is the way that we do leadership development. Staff members kind of encourage and maybe give some guidance, some resources, but members are the public face driving things. And it empowers you.

You gather knowledge, you educate yourself along with other people, and then you band together and you do something, you make something happen. And after a few times, you’re rolling with it and it’s easier to self-start things. You become embedded in an issue. It all works really well. It just seems to work organically.

J: And I’m sort of half joking about him dragging me along to that annual meeting. What I saw there was that it was just regular people that were dedicated to working on these issues, all sorts of issues across the state. And it was motivating, to see that it’s just regular people that are doing something.

So I thought I could be one of those people.

Can you tell us about committees? What they do?

J: I was pretty intimidated by the Economic Justice Committee in the beginning. I thought, “I don’t really know about this issue.” But that’s one of the best things about it. You just get brought into the group, and they slowly bring you up to speed on the different issues that are affecting Kentucky.

I have definitely grown in my knowledge about tax issues. I now have friends asking me for information, which is always a little shocking. But but it’s been really good.

A: KFTC is really grassroots and member driven. It’s not staff driven. It’s bottom up instead of top down. People on the committees, we work together. We e-mail. We talk. We meet. The members themselves form strategies, and then we come up with ways to put those things into action. And then, usually, those are the core people that go do things. With the steering committee, we meet every other month. And that’s also another way that we’re member led. Each chapter has a representative to the steering committee, which drives the overall strategy of the organization. Then there’s the executive committee on top of this. You can be as deeply involved as you want to be with committee work and then the action that comes out of that.

What is your favorite KFTC moment so far?

J: There was an issue that came up here in our county. The fiscal court was meeting to work with right-to-work issues.

And because I was involved with KFTC, I found out about it. KFTC helped me to get in touch with a couple of other organizations in the community, and I was invited to speak at that meeting. The hallway and the stairs leading up to the meeting room were packed, and I saw lots of friendly faces.

And, personally, it was an amazing experience for me. I hadn’t spoken in a meeting like that before, and I was nervous. The ruling didn’t go our way, but afterwards everyone was shaking my hand and thanking me for speaking up. I realized that that’s important, and because of KFTC, I was there.

A: My favorite KFTC moment was after we had lobbied for House Bill 70 (restoration of voting rights for former felons), one year. I think it had passed the House the last six years, but our representative had not voted for it the year before.

So I went to lobby with our KFTC organizer, and we got to meet with him. We didn’t talk for long, maybe 10 or 15 minutes, but then the vote that year was 82 to 12, so even more people voted for it. And a few weeks later, I got a letter from this representative saying he changed his vote based on the meeting that we had had with him. And I can’t emphasize enough how how shocked I was, that he responded that favorably just to a constituent’s voice about an issue that probably doesn’t mean a lot to him but means a lot to us. We made our case as best we could, and he switched and wrote a letter and told us that it was because of us. That was...

J: Yeah. That, that’s the goal. You know, right there.

A: Democracy.

Why should someone be a member of KFTC? J: I think one of the very best things that KFTC does is help inform people about issues that are affecting them. You get to know what’s going on, and you know when something’s coming up. It can be as simple as getting an action alert email from KFTC, and I can very easily call and leave a message for our state representative to tell them how I feel. So by becoming a member, doors open and you can easily make an impact and make a difference with the different legislation, local and statewide.

A: The reason I tell people about KFTC and the reason I joined is because Kentuckians, and all people, deserve a better future, but we have to work for it. It’s not just going to materialize out of thin air, and someone else isn’t going to do it for you. You have to find other people that want to work

with you and then get to work for our kids, for everybody’s kids, for all of us. If we want it to be better than it is now, then we have to work for it.

How do you see KFTC helping to build the Kentucky that you want to see?

J: KFTC provides opportunities for action. Whatever the issue is, you can figure out how to do something about it. So, if we want to make things better for our kids, we can do it. And if I’m not exactly sure how, I can call up my chapter organizer or another member of the staff team for that particular issue, and they will give me guidance and direction and help. I tend to question whether I’m confident to do that, but in the end I’m always provided with the information I need and the encouragement and support. And I think that’s one of the best things about KFTC. What’s your vision for KFTC? A: One reason KFTC is so good for accomplishing all of these things is we’ve been around for a long time. We have deep roots all across the state. We’re pretty big, and we’re growing all the time. We’ve been talking about New Power vs Old Power. So it’s not old power coming from all the old places that you usually think power in politics comes from.

It’s New Power coming from us, from regular people. As we gain a thousand new members every year, eventually our power’s going to be so big that they’re going to have to listen to us. And so the vision that I have is getting that big and that strong in a New Power way. But still grassroots and working for regular people, which is what we’ve always been for 30+ years. So the vision is to keep fighting and never stop fighting for the Kentucky that we deserve.

What else would you like to say?

J: One of the things that I love about KFTC is that they are family-friendly. We always take our kids to chapter meetings, and they’re free to play. Everyone is happy to see them there.

And it’s the same thing for annual meeting and for lobbying events. I’m encouraged to bring my children. I love that being a mom doesn’t have to get set aside, because that’s who I am, and people need to understand that and hear that because that’s a big part of why I make the decisions I make.

And I also think it’s really great for the kids to be brought up in this way, where they see us participating in our democracy. They see us going and holding people accountable and saying, “This is what our community thinks is best. Are you going to listen to us?” When they can see us going and marching for clean water, they get that. We’re able to have those conversations because we’re a part of this organization.

6 | Balancing the Scales

www.kftc.org | October 29, 2015

Local Updates

KFTC chapter briefs Cheers for Kentucky coming to Wilderness Trace chapter Wilderness Trace chapter members spent this past Labor Day sharing a meal and discussing plans for the coming year. There is great enthusiasm within the chapter for all the work ahead. The chapter will be continuing work on the Kinder-Morgan hazardous liquids pipeline and begin looking into local sustainable energy programs as well as several local economic issues that their communities face. Wilderness Trace chapter members also are very excited to announce that they will be hosting their popular Cheers for Kentucky event again this holiday season!

Madison County members empower voters What does voter empowerment mean to you?

Sometimes a phrase is used so often we forget the very real faces behind the work. Over the past few months Madison County chapter members have been hard at work registering voters both on campuses and within the community.

Among those doing this important work is Osvaldo Flores, the chapter’s new student worker. It is important to him, and our other volunteers, that when they register a person to vote for the first time that they not only complete the paperwork correctly but they walk away from our table with full knowledge of their voting rights and understanding of the power behind a vote.

“As someone who cannot vote in this country, I get content when I see my peers exercise their voting rights. I am grateful for the work KFTC does and for giving me the opportunity to educate people about voting empowerment,” said Flores.

Big Sandy Chapter members clean up community Members of KFTC, Big Sandy Watershed Watch and Appalachian Voices came together on October 17 for a stream clean-up on Wilson Creek in Floyd County. Attendees heard about the long-term battle to protect Wilson Creek from a large surface mining operation, heard from each organization about their water monitoring efforts, and then spent time in the creek doing clean-up before coming back together at the end of the day for food and fellowship.

Wilderness Trace chapter members celebrate at their Labor Day potluck.

Rowan chapter has recipe for fundraising success

by Annie Adams The Rowan County KFTC Chapter held its second fundraiser of the year at the Cave Run Storytelling Festival, September 25 and 26. The chapter was one of many food vendors at the popular festival, vendors that included professional carnival merchants as well as volunteers from other nonprofits, such as the Boy Scouts of America.

What set the relatively modest KFTC booth apart from both the food trucks and the nonprofits with bigger tents was its range of healthy, homemade food options that were reasonably priced.

For only four dollars, festival-goers could get a big bowl of soup beans (vegetarian or with meat), lentil chili, African peanut stew, or Brazilian black bean soup and a generous helping of corn bread (sweet or non-sweet).

For three dollars, the storytelling crowd could get a delicious piece of homemade cushaw or apple pie; for one dollar, they could get a gluten-free muffin; and for fifty cents they could get (gluten-free or non-gluten free) cookies or brownies.

Although the damp and chilly weather adversely affected attendance, and the KFTC booth was positioned near the end of the food gamut (and thus relatively far away from the tents where the storytelling took place), the chapter sold out of a number of items, including the lentil chili, nonvegetarian soup beans, African stew and pie).

A number of festival-goers were particularly delighted with the healthy options, and they were pleased to see so many vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free options. This response confirmed what some members of the Cave Run Storytelling Board have been telling chapter members for the past few years – there is a real appetite for delicious and

healthy food offerings at the festival. Some of the children and adults may be content with only spiral spuds, deepfried baked goods, and various meats on white buns, but a number of attendees want a range of options that include hearty whole foods like the ones the Rowan County chapter provided.

Invited back for next year, chapter members look forward to fine-tuning their offerings and (hopefully) benefiting from better weather.

Lisa Montgomery finalizes the healthy food menu offered by the Rowan County chapter at the Storytelling Festival near Morehead.

www.kftc.org | October 29, 2015

Balancing the Scales | 7

Local Updates

Second Smoketown Getdown packed 150 years of history into one night

By Shavaun Evans In mid September the Jefferson County Chapter hosted its second Smoketown Getdown for Democracy block party: the party hasn’t stopped since!

The event was a celebration of the history of the Smoketown neighborhood and the innovative ideas from local residents for its future. It took place took place on September 18 at the corner of Shelby and Lampton streets outside of the Jefferson County KFTC office in Louisville.

Hundreds of community members lined the streets throughout the day of the Getdown. But even more impressive than the number of attendees was the amount of community leadership in the event itself. The Getdown was truly a people-powered gathering.

Smoketown residents and KFTC members were featured vendors, performers and speakers. Emcees Aubrey Clemons and Ellen Sloan – long-time Smoketown residents – led the celebration from the main stage, introducing Getdown musical performers like the River City Drum Corps, 10th St Blues Band, the Afrophysicists and DJ Yared Sound.

Attendees danced alongside the young stars of Safiyyah Dance Company, listened to the poetry and spoken word of Roots & Wings, sipped craft beer from West Sixth Brewing, enjoyed free pictures from the Magnolia Photo Booth, and tasted treats from local food trucks Louisville Cream, Lexie Lu’s and Pollo.

There’s been lots to celebrate in Smoketown over the past few months. The Getdown coincided with the 150th anniversary of Smoketown, making it Kentucky’s oldest historically-Black neighborhood. Smoketown residents also celebrated the opening of the Smoketown Rising: Time & Seasons photo history exhibit featuring neighborhood memorabilia and dozens of photos of Smoketown families, homes, well-known residents, and landmarks.

And residents received a generous surprise shortly be-

Lee’Vaughn Morris and Aubrey Clemons from Hope ByHope celebrate at the Getdown. Hope ByHope is a community influenced non profit geared to empower, encourage, educate the youth in Louisville.

fore the block party kicked off – two acres of land was gifted to the community by the Louisville Slugger manufacturer Hillerich & Bradsby Co., giving Smoketown residents an even greater voice in the future of their neighborhood.

And there was lots more to celebrate after the Getdown! Twenty attendees became first-time members of KFTC at the block party, several of whom took advantage of the dual KFTC/ Smoketown Neighborhood Association package that was available to Smoketown residents.

Tips from the West Sixth Brewing beer tent were donated to a Smoketown neighbor needing assistance for

critical home repairs. Twenty people registered to vote at the KFTC voter registration booth. Fifty people – KFTC members and Smoketown residents – volunteered at the event. And nearly 30 community organizations, churches and local businesses participated in the block party The Smoketown Getdown was more than just a block party: it was a celebration of the people, power, spirit, and future of the Smoketown community. Smoketown residents and organizers are looking forward to next year’s third annual Smoketown Getdown for Democracy to celebrate once more the community and people-power of Smoketown!

‘Walk Your Block’ is the chapter’s next Smoketown initiative

by Ryan Fenwick A year after the Vision Smoketown survey report was released, largely the same Jefferson County Economic Justice team is putting together a report on the Smoketown Walk Your Block project launched in April 2015. The report will summarize a sidewalk and street inventory created to accesses the walkability (how likely people are to walk an area), infrastructure needs and housing conditions of the Smoketown neighborhood.

This report is a first step toward a growing interest by economic justice committee members in understanding what democracy looks like at the neighborhood level.

A general lesson from the Vision Smoketown work was that Smoketown is a neighborhood with an unequal access to city resources allocated to maintaining streets, supporting business development and supporting reuse of vacant housing stock. Smoketown residents’ unequal connection to city decision-makers may be why the more affluent Highlands neighborhood thrives with the support of city resources.

Walk Your Block brought the difference in infrastructure into clear focus. Cracks and shifts in sidewalks have to be raised at least 8 inches higher than the remainder of the sidewalk for the the city to repair. A city-produced smartphone app to report problems is faulty (losing pictures submitted, resulting in a call from an administrator in charge of looking through the photos). The team found: • vacant lots, too few street lights, and no trash cans anywhere • wheelchair users could not navigate some blocks • several major one-way streets engineered for speed cut through the neighborhood.

• neighbors of the new Hope VI development worry about the rules imposed on residents, especially restrictions on grilling and playing music outside.

Currently, the Economic Justice team is working to extend these focused Smoketown-centered campaign into a broader effort to think through the lessons learned from the work. The team hopes to come up with a clearly articulated

idea of what the Jefferson County chapter thinks equitable, just development looks like on a city-wide level.

In their initial, formative phase of thinking about this work members found, during their recent We Are Kentuckians Member Exchange in southeast Kentucky, KFTC work around Appalachian-transition and Empower Kentucky has already clearly articulated the central themes for this next step in the Economic Justice Team’s work.

Strangely, despite the difference in a context, transition from our current development focus to a community centered focus will require attention to the same few simple principles whether you are reforming an old coal economy or trying to shift the focus of land use decisions in an urban place. In both contexts, a New Economy means looking for the collective brilliance of the community instead of to the predictable terribleness of wealthy interests.

People deserve to be included in the land decisions that will shape their future. Not only is it morally right, but it is essential for building pathways to lasting wealth creation, and simply a good idea because it harnesses fresh ideas.

8 | Balancing the Scales

www.kftc.org | October 29, 2015

Local Updates

Members meet with Southern groups to learn media skills at CMOP

By Summer Bolton In September, the Community Media Organizing Project (CMOP) had its annual training in Nashville at the Scarritt Bennett Center. They are a partnership of six grassroots, progressive, membership-based organizations in the southeastern U.S. whose mission is to “advance the use of media to support and improve community organizing in the south and aid in the building of a movement for social change in the region.”

Ok. Good to know. Why is that relevant to KFTC? Well, we’re a part of CMOP. As a KFTC volunteer from the Southern Kentucky chapter, I was encouraged to attend. With a digital media background, the opportunity piqued my interest. There were four other organizations in attendance from within CMOP and many more diverse and wonderful activists serving as representatives for their own communities.

Over the four-day event, we learned how valuable framing our message or story can be when pitching it to a media outlet. This is important because you want your organization to be in as much control of the story as possible, even when others are writing and talking about your viewpoint.

In order to create the most meaningful impact we must be clear and consistent across the board to the news media outlets about what our message is, in order to achieve a successful understanding from the viewers, donors, communities we’re helping, and naysayers.

We also were given tools and guidelines to use when we pitch our stories, using visual documentation, staging media events that grab attention, week-by-week media campaign planning, tips for speaking on the radio, on TV and how to

look good in front of the camera.

Other significant topics covered were targeting your audience, having a model for your messages (the problem, the solution and the call to action), spokespersons and media do’s and don’ts. Depending on your message, your audience may vary. It’s crucial to fully understand how to best reach them, whether it’s with traditional or non-traditional media.

Madison County chapter member and press guru

Doug Peach said, “After all the training I felt excited to put all the aspects we discussed into action. It was very empowering. I left knowing I had a lot more tools available to me and to us all as an organization, which would help affect actual positive change through the media.”

As for myself, I realized our SOKY chapter needs to increase our visibility within our community and among our partners to better achieve awareness and reach our goals successfully.

KFTC members Summer Bolton, Douglas Peach and Jordan Mazurek attended the Community Media Organizing training in Nashville.

Staff Update: Saying goodbye to two powerful community organizers Two staff members have transitioned off the staff team this fall. We send both these organizers lots of love and best wishes for their continued work for justice!

KFTC is Hiring: East Kentucky Community Organizer

Tanya Turner, who was KFTC’s East Kentucky Organizer for the last five years, has taken a position with the Kentucky Valley Educational Cooperative. She’s now working with high school students to build a shared vision for public education in East Kentucky. We look forward to seeing Tanya (and her students!) at the local chapter meetings and events.

This position is for an Organizer to work with KFTC members, future members, and allies in East Kentucky and to staff the Harlan and Letcher County Chapters. Both of these chapters are shaping the work to create local economies in East Kentucky that are sustainable, diversified, and that support healthy communities.

Enchanta Jackson was KFTC’s Deputy Organizing Director for Voter Empowerment. She coordinated our voter empowerment work and worked closely with the Voting Rights Strategy Team. She was a driving force for restorative justice and transformative change within our community. In early October, Enchanta made a move out west.

For more information and to apply, visit www.KFTC.org/jobs

www.kftc.org | October 29, 2015

Balancing the Scales | 9

KFTC News

New Steering Committee gets to work, focuses on building power “I feel we have such a strong group of leaders, and doesn’t avoid what we’re working against.

Giver? Can they get more involved in a piece of work? We I’m excited to learn lots from everybody and also share my It emphasizes building power through people. need new members, but we also need deeper engagement of thoughts,” noted Megan McKinney of Madison County, folks already involved.” reflecting on the September 26 KFTC Steering Committee The committee noted that one can start with an issue The committee broke into small groups to brainstorm meeting. It was the first meeting of the newly elected com- someone cares about and introduce them to KFTC from that ways they will personally engage in the fall membership mittee. point. and fundraising campaign. They came up with creative op The day began with an icebreaker in which folks took “Once you know what someone is interested in – if that’s portunities for high quality asks in their areas. Some ideas substantial time to get to know one another and build re- something KFTC is working on – you can talk about that included Empower Kentucky house parties, a Beer, Bourbon lationships and trust, critical components for their role in and grow their interest from there,” said Elizabeth Sanders and BBQ party, and getting local members to do compelling leading the organization over the next year. from Letcher County.

PowerBuilder pages.

The icebreaker was followed by an orientation to the Schwartz described how she has done just that around In other business, the Steering Committee received an steering committee. Hopping from one learning station to tax and budget issues. update on the staff team, approved meeting minutes and the next, new and returning committee members reviewed “When folks start talking about schools and funding for the financial report, and accepted the Leadership DevelopKFTC’s foundational documents (which describe what education, it’s a great lead-in to talking about KFTC’s work ment Committee’s recommendation on statewide committee we do, how we do it and why we do it that way) and our on tax reform,” she said. “So many great conversations are membership for the next year. The next Steering Committee approach to consensus possible about what we meeting will take place November 20-21 in Lexington. decision-making. do, and we can use those Reflecting on the day, McKinney added, “I joined “KFTC is very well positioned to Committee members to bring folks in.”

KFTC my sophomore year of college after encouragement dug in to better under John Hennen of Rowan from several community members, but I was apprehensive lead in the cultural shift happening stand KFTC’s structure County expressed the because I was often one of the youngest people in the meetin our country right now. People are unique and important ings and I wasn’t sure if I had much to contribute. After and their role in that structure, as a full steertalking about income inequality and moment we are in right engaging and getting to know everybody, though, it became ing committee and as now and the opportuni- clear that everybody cared about my voice and perspective. the need for clean air and water. individual committee ties that moment pro- “As I’ve become involved in the steering committee, I’ve members. They also spent vides for building KFTC’s experienced that all over again,” McKinney continued. “Even KFTC has laid the foundation for time learning about finanpower. though I am younger than many of the members, I’m treated those things for 35 years.” cial management within “KFTC is very well po- with so much respect and encouragement that I can’t help John Hennen, Rowan County KFTC. sitioned to lead in the but feel sure that my thoughts and ideas are being appreci “It was an informacultural shift happening ated and respected.” tion-filled day made easier in our country right now,” Schwartz added, “Having volunteered with many social by a staff with different he said. “People are talk- justice organizations for over 35 years, KFTC is an ‘origipresentation techniques and games, candy and prizes,” said ing about income inequality and the need for clean air and nal’ that never ceases to amaze me. The people I met at the JoAnn Schwartz, the new representative from the Northern water. KFTC has laid the foundation for those things for 35 steering committee meeting were committed and engaged, Kentucky chapter. years.” yet fun and funny. One would think that after spending six Committee members spent time discussing the impor- Sanders reminded the committee that the high quality hours at my first steering committee meeting, I wouldn’t tance of the fall membership and fundraising campaign. asks aren’t always directed to potential new KFTC members. want to attend another such gathering for a long time. But They were reminded of times in KFTC’s past when staff and “We also need to make high quality asks of folks who are I truly look forward to working with these amazing people leaders have met substantial growth goals. Those goals were already involved,” she said. “Can they become a Sustaining again.” pointed toward building power to effect change. The more members KFTC has, the louder its collective voice. The more support KFTC receives from members, the less dependent it is on foundations and outside sources.

“We’ve met large goals in the past because the Steering Build New Power through PowerBuilders. KFTC is gearing up for an exciting fall Committee was all in and provided leadership,” noted Chaircampaign to grow our membership, raise funds and build power to do important work person Dana Beasley Brown. “That’s what we need this year.” across Kentucky in 2016.

For 2015, KFTC has a goal of raising $500,000 in grassroots fundraising and growing the organization to 10,000 What does it mean to be a PowerBuilder? You host a personal online page to recruit members. new members and raise funds for KFTC. It’s an opportunity to engage your family Committee members noted that KFTC will hit these and friends in this work that’s important to you. goals by ensuring that every member and many folks who are not yet members get a high quality ask to join, renew or PowerBuilders have a big impact. In 2014, our PowerBuilders together raised become a Sustaining Giver. $18,000 and recruited 153 new members to KFTC! The committee drilled down to brainstorm what makes a high quality ask. Elements include: It’s easy. It takes just a few steps to build your page. You get to tell your KFTC story It’s personal. and share why this work is important to you. You can also include photos and videos.

It makes a deep connection to the work.

It’s informative.

To sign up, go to www.powerbuilders.kftc.org. If you need help getting started, It’s direct – it asks for what you want. contact KFTC’s Development Team: Amy Hogg (amy@kftc.org) or E’Beth Adami (ebeth@kftc.org).

It focuses on what we’re working for – our vision – but

ACTION: Become a PowerBuilder!

10 | Balancing the Scales

www.kftc.org | October 29, 2015

new energy and transition update

Empower Kentucky will build a state energy plan “that works for everybody” Empower Kentucky, an ambitious project to re-shape Kentucky’s energy future based on a vision “that works for everybody” was announced October 20 by KFTC members.

“Over the next year KFTC will invite thousands of people from all walks of life to share their vision and ideas for transforming Kentucky’s energy system,” said Sean Hardy of Louisville. “Then, together, we will write our own energy plan, one that works for everybody, all of us.

“The Empower Kentucky plan will describe homegrown solutions to strengthen our economy, protect health and support a just transition for workers,” he added. “It will show ways Kentucky can meet or exceed the EPA’s climate standards while benefiting people – from those living near strip mines to those living in the shadows of smokestacks in Rubbertown or south Louisville.”

The announcement launches a months-long process in which KFTC members will conduct interviews, hold listening sessions and public forums, collect online surveys and engage in door-to-door conversations to invite Kentuckians to share their best ideas about ways to transform how Kentucky generates and uses energy.

A new website – www.empowerkentucky.org – has been set up to collect online surveys as well as share information and resources, said Miranda Brown of Lexington.

“On the homepage we invite you, and all Kentuckians, to answer a few important questions,” said Brown during a webinar with KFTC members and the media. “What’s your vision for a bright energy future in Kentucky? And what do you think it will take to move in that direction?

“We genuinely want to learn your perspective and ideas.”

The input will help KFTC – along with allies, consultants and government agencies – write a plan that begins to “make energy transition in ways that generate good jobs, helps people save energy and money, and improves health,” said KFTC Chairperson Dana Beasley Brown.

Empower Kentucky will take advantage of the opportunity created this summer when the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency issued the long-awaited Clean Power Plan rule that requires states to significantly reduce their carbon pollution. Kentucky must reduce its pollution by 41 percent by 2030. It has until next September to submit a plan on how it will do so.

“The Clean Power Plan invites each state to write its own energy plan,” explained Chris Porter of Lexington. “This new federal rule requires states to significantly reduce our carbon pollution from electric power plants by 2030. And, it gives us the opportunity to say how we get it done.

“We can, for example, choose to invest in energy efficiency programs that help residents and businesses slash their energy use. They can expand renewable energy production, including wind, solar and hydroelectricity. They can make existing power plants more efficient. They can switch to less polluting fuels. Or they can choose to put a tax on carbon pollution or participate in a pollution trading system.

“Importantly, if a state chooses not to write its own plan – and that seems highly likely in Kentucky’s case – the EPA will impose a one-size-fits-all rule. That means our utilities – and our ratepayers, our neighbors and friends – will have to

pay penalties for our excess carbon pollution … which is likely to be very, very expensive for us.”

Gubernatorial candidates Jack Conway and Matt Bevins have said they will not comply with the EPA rule if elected governor, and independent candidate Drew Curtis initially took the same position but has since acknowledged that the consequences of not complying would create a hardship for Kentuckians.

In 2014 state legislators passed a law (HB 388) specifically prohibiting any state agency from developing a plan that could meet the EPA’s greenhouse gas reduction goals – even before the EPA rule was announced.

“It makes me angry and tremendously upset to hear politicians say Kentucky should refuse to come up with a plan to comply with the Clean Power Plan.

And it’s outrageous that our legislature has passed a law preventing Kentucky from complying with the rule,” said retired coal miner Carl Shoupe of Harlan County “What’s the benefit of staying on the sidelines while the rest of the world moves forward? We can do better than that. We have to do better than that,” he added.

The actions of political leaders creates a strong possibility that Kentucky will not develop a plan to meet the EPA requirements or deadline.

“Yes, we are taking this leadership role because the state has abdicated its role,” said Steve Wilkins of Berea in response to a question from the media.

“It’s not that the state agencies have necessarily abdicated, it’s that they’ve been hemmed in by HB 388,” added Porter. “We need to offer up solutions and visions.”

“It not going to be easy at all, but together we can develop home-grown solutions and transform our energy system to create tens of thousands of new jobs for Kentuckians, protect our health, provide affordable energy and do our part to address climate change,” said Chris Woolery, a residential energy expert with the Mountain Association for Community Economic Development.

One of the goals of Empower Kentucky, explained

Hardy, is to “generate the shared political will to make those common sense ideas possible here in Kentucky. Our communities can’t afford to wait for better leadership. We’ve got to provide it ourselves.”

That is why, several of the webinar speakers noted, building grassroots engagement in the project for the long term is critical to its success.

ACTION: SPEAK OUT Visit www.empowerkentucky.org to learn more and fill out the short survey on your ideas for Kentucky’s energy future.

www.kftc.org | October 29, 2015

Balancing the Scales | 11

NEW ENERGY AND TRANSITION UPDATE

Power Initiative grants to invest $14.5 million in the mountains KFTC members applauded the Obama administration’s commitment to a just economic transition for eastern Kentucky through the investments in people and communities reflected in several Power Initiative grants announced October 15.

“This is an affirmation of the people and communities all throughout eastern Kentucky who are trying to go forward, make a just transition and diversify our economy,” said Carl Shoupe, a retired coal miner from Harlan County. “We thank President Obama for keeping his promise and recognize, as he said, this is a down payment. These grants will help but they address only a smidgen of the opportunities we have.”

More than $14.5 million in grants are part of the administration’s effort to assist communities affected by changes in the coal industry and power sector in 12 states and tribal nations seeking to build a more diversified and better economic future for their communities. More than 50 percent of that money will come to Kentucky.

The grants come from multiple federal agencies, with the goal of “effectively aligning, leveraging and targeting a range of federal economic and workforce development programs and resources to assist communities.” The announcement from the White House also termed the grants as a “down payment” toward the roughly $10 billion investment in coal communities, workers and technology the administration has proposed in next year’s federal budget.

Shoupe noted that it will take Congress to act to fully fund these initiatives.

“There is so much good work happening in the region, and these grants are a drop in the bucket. A lot more could be done by Congress passing the Power+ Plan. What we really need is for Rep. (Hal) Rogers to put his shoulder to the wheel and help pass the president’s Power+ Plan. That would help the whole region.”

Rogers, as well as U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell, both of whom are in key leadership positions to help pass the Power+ Plan have instead reacted negatively to the initiative.

That may be changing some as several county fiscal courts and city council in Rogers’ district have passed resolutions in support of Power+.

The Power Initiative grants for Kentucky are: $3,000,075 to the Kentucky, Cabinet for Finance and Administration for the Unleashing the POWER of the I-Way! project to maximize the economic development opportunities that emerge from the build out of broadband infrastructure in eastern Kentucky through local internet access centers, e-commerce training and consulting to improve marketing, product development and production efficiency. $468,710 to the Kentucky Center for Agriculture and Rural Development in Elizabethtown for the Local Food Supply Chain Development in Eastern Kentucky project. The project will comprehensively map the food supply chains currently in place in the region, the gaps in those chains, and what opportunities can result from

filling in those gaps and creating new economic opportunities. $1,200,000 to West Case Substance Abuse Treatment in Ashcamp (Pike County) for the WestCare Kentucky Economic Development Project. This project includes the renovation of a former school to serve as a residential childcare center and substance abuse treatment center for women. The center will provide health care and ongoing workforce development services for clients from across the Central Appalachian region. $200,000 EDA grant to Appalshop, in Whitesburg for Mines to Minds: The Southeast Kentucky High Tech Workforce Certificate Project. The project will develop a one-year IT workforce certificate program targeted to communities affected by the reduction in coal employment. $100,000 to the Perry County Fiscal Court in Hazard for the Southeastern Kentucky Economic HUB Opportunities Diversification Implementation Project.

This project will fund a position that coordinates implementation of the region’s Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy across targeted industry clusters, while leveraging existing resources to invest in skills development and job placement for dislocated workers.

$80,000 to the Kentucky River Area Development District in Hazard to fund an inventory of existing businesses in the region. $100,000 to Berea College to supplement Promise Zone efforts to develop a collective impact strategy to fully engage Opportunity Youth in the work of economic transition. $160,000 to Hopkins County Fiscal Court to undertake a multi-phased integrated effort to clearly identify and assess the regional impact of changes in the coal and power industries while developing a long-term economic diversification and growth plan. $274,500 to the Big Sandy Area Development District in Prestonsburg to market its revolving loan fund, develop its resource network, scope industry cluster/sector strategies, and provide entrepreneurial service provider networking and coordination. $2,000,000 to the Kentucky Education and Workforce Development Cabinet to provide training, work-based learning, and supportive services to dislocated coal miners and other dislocated workers impacted by mass layoffs in the coal industry, to retrain for high-demand, high wage positions in broadband service, fiber installation and IT.

Perry County members support Power + Momentum is growing to pass the POWER+ Plan proposed by the Obama administration in February, which would direct significant federal resources to community economic development efforts in eastern Kentucky.

In recent weeks almost a dozen fiscal court and city councils in eastern Kentucky, including the Perry County Fiscal Court, have approved resolutions supporting the plan and calling on U.S. Rep. Hal Rogers to help get it passed through Congress.

The Perry Fiscal Court unanimously approved the resolution on September 15 after KFTC chapter members met with County Judge-Executive Scott Alexander and explained how Perry County could benefit from the POWER+ Plan.

Alexander conveyed that message to fiscal court members when he presented the resolution.

Chapter members had decided at their August meeting to push for local support of the plan as part of a broader ef-

fort in eastern Kentucky to encourage Rogers to take a more active role in supporting its passage through the legislative process in Congress. Rogers is chair of the House Appropriations Committee and in a good position to move the necessary legislation through the House.

The POWER+ Plan is a federal proposal that would target more than a billion dollars toward economic diversification and development projects in communities struggling with the decline of the coal industry, especially in Appalachia.

“The POWER+ Plan is exactly what we need in eastern Kentucky right now,” says Perry County member Cathy Barnett. “Every aspect of this plan will economically help our area as we transition from the mining industry to a more diversified workforce. As each city and county embraces POWER+ and adopts resolutions, we are one step closer to bringing this much needed opportunity to reality.”

ACTION: Skip the mall and support KFTC Join us for fun and fellowship at: Kaviar Gallery, 1718 Frankfort Avenue, Louisville, December 3, 6 to 8 p.m. Kaviar Gallery is filled with fine arts, crafts, jewelry, and more. Owner and KFTC member Craig Kaviar is an avid believer in the importance of celebrating local art and artists. Kaviar Gallery will donate 10% of sales to KFTC!

12 | Balancing the Scales

KFTC EVENTS November 7: PIpeline / Fracking Summit At Locust Trace AgriScience Center, 3591 Leestown Rd., Lexington. No cost and lunch is provided. For more information and to register, visit www.nobluegrasspipeline.com/nov.-7-summit.html Info: Jerry@kftc.org November 7: Tools for Building Racial Justice in the Mountains, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at St. James Episcopal Church, 562 University Dr., Prestonsburg.

Info: Jessie@kftc.org or call 606-263-4982 November 21: Kentucky Kicks Ass Brewfest!

5 - 9 p.m. at The Grand Reserve, 903 Manchester St., Lexington. Tickets are $25 Info: Bethhoward@kftc.org or call 859-276-0563 December 1: Eastern Kentucky Holiday Party 6 - 8 p.m. at Hindman Settlement School, May Stone Building, 71 Justice Center Dr., Hindman.

Celebrate the holidays with the eastern Kentucky chapters of KFTC! Join the Big Sandy, Harlan, Letcher and Perry County chapters of KFTC for a holiday celebration with music, food, and fellowship! Bring a dish to share, an instrument to play, or just bring yourself! Everyone is welcome and invited to attend!

Info: Jessie@kftc.org or call 606-263-4982 November and December Chapter Meetings: Information can be found at www.kftc.org/calendar or contact a local organizer. Contact information is located on page 3.

2016 General Assembly: The 2016, and other even-numbered years, the General Assembly meets for 60 working days. This year they will start on Tuesday, January 5 and will finish on Tuesday, April 12. KFTC citizen lobbyists have a consistent presence in Frankfort on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays during the legislative session.

KFTC merchandise kftc.org/store Place your holiday orders now! Give a KFTC membership package or greats Totes, Shirts, Hats, Hoodies and more!

www.kftc.org | October 29, 2015

This is our chance to build New Power together

By Megan McKinney

KFTC’s work is all about building power to achieve the change we want to see.

KFTC tells the stories of real Kentuckians.

We care about connections. We are connected to our land, our schools, our issues, our communities.

We demand elected officials who care for the citizens they are elected to represent, not the big businesses who offer them money.

We fight for clean water and land that can be enjoyed for years to come.

We strive for equality and opportunities for all, no matter background or identity.

KFTC uses knowledge and passion to advocate for the changes and progress that will allow for a better Kentucky for our future generations.

That’s why our fall membership and fundraising campaign is so important.

In order to fight for our goals and ensure that our voices – the voices not backed by organized money or political greed – are heard, we must have a strong membership base.

When a group of KFTC members meets with an elected official or anybody else with power, we are able to have such an impact because the KFTC name brings respect. When people talk about KFTC, they know that we are a group of organized people from all walks of life who demand change.

This year, we have an incredible opportunity to grow our base even larger throughout the state.

Right after election day, when folks are hungry for the promise of grassroots organizing, KFTC will launch our fall membership and fundraising campaign.

Why does KFTC have a fall campaign each year? We have a vision of what Kentucky can be, and it takes lots of people and funds to do the on-the-ground work to achieve our vision. Our membership donations support our organizing, lobbying, issue education, leadership development, communications and more.

We’ll be working to raise $500,000 and grow KFTC to 10,000 members through: • A direct mail appeal • Emails to members and friends • House parties • Events • PowerBuilder online fundraising pages

• • • •

Handwritten notes One-on-one meetings Phone calls And more …

All KFTC members and many folks who have shown an interest in KFTC will receive the appeal letter. Then we’ll be working to make a second high-quality ask of every person.

What is a high-quality ask?

• It’s personal • It makes a deep connection to the work • It’s informative • It’s direct – it asks for what we want • It focuses on what we’re working for – our vision – but doesn’t avoid what we’re working against • It emphasizes building power through people

As we enter our fall membership and fundraising campaign, I encourage everybody to share your KFTC stories with your friends, coworkers, peers, and anybody else you feel would be interested in our mission.

This is a time for members to talk about how and why we’ve gotten involved in the work. This is a time for celebrating those victories we’ve achieved, while also remembering that there are plenty of fights and injustices around which we must keep working.

This is a time for talking, laughing, reminiscing, and looking ahead at all of the opportunities that lie ahead. Let us move forward and make it be known that we, as Kentuckians, are our best hope for change.

It will take all of us, working together, to achieve our vision for Kentucky. If you’d like to help build power through the fall campaign, get in touch with your organizer or KFTC’s Development Team: Amy Hogg (amy@kftc.org) or E’Beth Adami (ebeth@kftc.org).

When I think of all that KFTC has accomplished through the years and the great work that we continue to do, I can’t help but come back to the famous Margaret Mead quote: “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.”

Let’s gear up, buckle down, and be all in for bringing about a better future for Kentucky.

Megan McKinney is a Berea College student and a member of KFTC’s Steering Committee.