BALANCING the SCALES VOLUME 40 ISSUE 1
APRIL 14, 2021
INSIDE THIS ISSUE: Updates on our Organizational Change Initiative Reflections on and outcomes of the 2021 legislative session Details on the American Rescue Plan First 100 Days: Just Transition and climate actions and updates Resources for the Political Education Series: Abolition 101 2021 leadership nominations ...and more!
WITH LOVE, KENTUCKY Creative resistance at the Capitol
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THANK YOU FOR BEING A KFTC MEMBER AND READER OF BALANCING THE SCALES! You may notice that this issue has a new look, and balancing the scales is now a quarterly newsletter. But inside you will still find stories from members, organizational updates, and analysis of important issues and the political landscape. You’ll also see the faces of fellow members across the state – still mostly on Zoom for now.
Kentuckians For The Commonwealth is a community of people, inspired by a vision, building grassroots power in Kentucky – with a more authentic democracy, a just and sustainable economy, and a clean energy future. At KFTC, we offer a pathway for Kentuckians to work with others who share their vision and values to impact issues at the local and state levels, develop leadership skills, build community and grassroots power, and win changes that make Kentucky a healthier and more just place to call home. 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.
We hope balancing the scales moves you to take action: to call your elected representative or have a justice-centered conversation with a family member; to attend your next virtual chapter meeting or sign up for door-to-door canvassing as we slowly and safely return to some in-person activities. Keep an eye out for ways to take action throughout this issue. Interested in submitting to balancing the scales? Share your writing, photos, and more via email to bts@kftc.org or mail to P.O. Box 1450, London, KY, 40743. We can’t wait to hear from you!
TABLE OF CONTENTS Executive Committee Corner.................................................................................................................................................3 ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE INITIATIVE UPDATE Imaging and envisioning the future of KFTC.........................................................................................................................4 Executive leadership transition update.................................................................................................................................5 Context for the Organizational Change Initiative..................................................................................................................6 LOCAL AND ISSUE UPDATES Urgent action needed for residents of North Fork .................................................................................................................8 EKY members meet with Senator Turner................................................................................................................................9 SOKY member creates micro pantry......................................................................................................................................9 Breonna’s Law virtual town hall..........................................................................................................................................10 Pulling together for mutual aid...........................................................................................................................................10 Voting Rights updates.........................................................................................................................................................11 First 100 Days: Just Transition & climate actions updates............................................................................................ 18-19 Just Transition art show......................................................................................................................................................22 Reflections on the January 6 insurrection............................................................................................................................22 GENERAL ASSEMBLY REVIEW Kentuckians make an impact in Frankfort..........................................................................................................................13 KFTC’s Bill Tracker updates........................................................................................................................................... 14-15 Analysis of General Assembly spending of federal and general fund monies......................................................................16 Analysis of the American Rescue Plan................................................................................................................................17 With Love, Kentucky reflections, poetry, and art............................................................................................................ 20-21 ICYMI: Social media updates..............................................................................................................................................12
Balancing the Scales is published by Kentuckians For The Commonwealth and sent as third class mail from Louisville. Reader contributions and letters to the editor should be sent to P.O. Box 1450, London, KY 40743 or bts@kftc.org. Subscriptions are $20/yr.
Political Education Series: Abolition 101.............................................................................................................................23 LEADERSHIP NOMINATIONS Executive committee nominations.......................................................................................................................................24 Kentucky Coalition Board nominations................................................................................................................................25 Nomination form.................................................................................................................................................................26
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Exec Committee members reflect on organizational change Spring is upon us and as nature awakens, we find ourselves at the dawn of a new KFTC. We are digging deeper into our Organizational Change Initiative (OCI) and considering what it will take to create the inclusive, multicultural organization that we aspire to be. However, we are finding that the actual practice of creation is much more complicated than the theory. Tiffany Duncan, AtLarge Representative, and Rebecca Tucker, Secretary-Treasurer, attempted to talk through these complications on a recent call and this article is a further attempt to shape our ramblings into something that might make sense. We agree that our OCI process is critical. We want to do the work to create an organization where everyone finds belonging, one that is welcoming and inclusive. We recognize that this is not the experience for some of our members, and we believe them. The work needed to change our organizational structures and culture is hard. It is done by talking to people and getting people together in the same rooms and Zooms. It takes a lot of personal work and it is stretching us. We are mindful that some people will be asked to stretch more than others, and it is worthwhile to consider how we support each other and ourselves as we continue to walk this path of change. We are all coming out of our own winters of discontent. KFTC is moving through staff changes, the Commonwealth is facing disheartening political strife, we are being plunged into change whether we wanted it or not, and personally, so many of us have been affected by the pandemic. We lost jobs, we got sick, we lost people. Many of us are grieving, exhausted, confused, etc. So how can we stay hopeful? We think we need to help ourselves be curious. We should be curious enough to see the goodness of each other and to recognize our humanity when we make mistakes. We should be curious enough to respond to harms that we have caused or created and find ways to make something better together. We will make the road we are walking, and it is likely that we will make some (or a lot) of blunders along the way. There is not a supreme guide that we are following, but do not let perfectionism get in the way. Be curious about what is around the corner and eventually we will find the path we are looking for.
Get involved! Connecting is important, now more than ever! Go to www.kftc.org/meetonline to join chapter meetings, trainings, and phonebanks virtually across the state. Or get in touch with your local organizer.
Tiff Duncan At-large representative
Rebecca Tucker Secretary-Treasurer
We know we can do this because we are also the leaders we are looking for. We have gifts that we can share, and as leaders, we can lift others and appreciate the gifts that they can share. This will be key as we continue to move through the process of Organizational Change. We are so thankful to our member-leaders and staff who are stepping into the unknown together. This process is calling upon all of us to take up space in different ways, but it is also an opportunity to help new folks step into leadership. We want to build an organization that is inclusive and welcoming for the full spectrum of humanity, and it will be reflected in our own beliefs and actions. We challenge all of you to think about what it means to support someone as they grow into a leader and to celebrate their gifts. We can look forward to who and how we want to lead, show up, and share the responsibilities and the victories. We are growing together to win together and remembering the best of KFTC, ourselves, and each other so we can bring it with us as we cross the bridge into our tomorrow.
4 | BALANCING THE SCALES | April 14, 2021 ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE INITIATIVE UPDATE
Imagining and envisioning the future of KFTC KFTC was founded nearly forty years ago in eastern Kentucky as the Kentucky Fair Tax Coalition. Since our founding, we’ve grown into the statewide, multi-issue organization we are today. And as we’ve continued to grow, our membership has changed, our program of work has exploded, and we’ve outgrown many of our old strategies, structures, policies, and practices.
diverse experiences, identities, and perspectives, and have committed to this timeintensive, yet rewarding program because of their vested interest in the future of KFTC.
With this in mind, KFTC’s Steering Committee voted in May 2020 to orient ourselves towards an Organizational Change Initiative. They recognized the need to honor and celebrate the achievements of KFTC, while also acknowledging a need to align our strategies and structure with where KFTC is today, and where we want to be tomorrow. The case for organizational change also stems from KFTC’s commitment to work more effectively for racial justice, following Frontline Solutions’ racial justice assessment and recommendations in late 2019 and early 2020.
While these one-hundred and thirty people have been able to set aside the time to commit deeply to this process, there will be work to do for all KFTC members coming out of this Imagining and Envisioning process to shape the future of our organization.
There are many elements of organizational change – including an Interest Based Bargaining process to negotiate a staff union contract, an Executive Leadership Transition as Burt Lauderdale exits his role as Executive Director in August, and work to center equity and racial justice inside KFTC and in our organizing. A centerpiece of this entire change initiative is a series of virtual gatherings called Imagining and Envisioning the Future of KFTC. Designed and led by organizational change consultants Pamela Chiang and Tony Bennae Richard, the purpose of Imagining and Envisioning is twofold: • To give KFTC a shared vision of who we want to be to manifest KFTC’s vision, and how we’re going to get there. • To advance the personal and collective leadership skills, and our ability to show up powerfully together, as a broad and diverse set of KFTC members. Roughly one-hundred and thirty KFTC members have opted to go through the Imagining and Envisioning process together. This group represents a broad range of KFTC’s membership, reflecting
Imagining and Envisioning the Future of KFTC has 5 main steps: 1. Orientation / Warm Up sessions (February): Small sessions of up to twenty people each, designed to prepare everyone to be able to participate in this journey 2. Weekend Gathering / Jam Sessions (March and April): Two weekend gatherings of up to sixty-five people each, in which we align around a shared future KFTC and experience a new way of thinking and working together. 3. Synthesis and Testing: A small group of members distills ideas generated at the two Jam Sessions and tests those ideas with the broader universe of participants 4. Weekend Convening / Summer Concert: All one-hundred and thirty participants come together in June to identify how we will move towards our Big Goals, individually and collectively 5. Implementation: Personal and system-wide change experiments in how we think, behave, and work together to get us closer to the Big Goal every day. In March, Pamela and Tony facilitated the first weekend “Jam Session,” event that stretched ten
hours of programming designed to allow participants to deepen their connections, practice creativity, and create a shared vision for the future KFTC. A second weekend event took place April 9-11. Members shared some reflections on what the experience was like for them: “ The Jam Session weekend was an opportunity to work in a creative, calm, and inviting environment that produced beautiful connections,” says Megan Bailey of Warren County. “ After the orientation, I was a bit wary of what to expect, but thought this was an important initiative and wanted to see it through. I was thrilled with how it all came together and how such a large group was able to accomplish the work in a thorough and meaningful way,” reflected Greta Elenbaas of Kenton County. Now that the two Jam Sessions have concluded, a small group of members from both sessions will come together to distill ideas generated at each weekend into a clear, unified description of the future of KFTC, with an accompanying Big Goal to get us there.
5 | BALANCING THE SCALES | April 14, 2021 ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE INITIATIVE UPDATE
KFTC prepares for executive leadership transition As KFTC prepares for the transition of our long-time Executive Director Burt Lauderdale, an Executive Leadership Transition Team is coordinating the transition, including the hiring process for KFTC’s next Executive Leadership. The Executive Leadership Transition Team is made up of nine staff and members: David Miller, Rebecca Tucker, Dana Beasley Brown, Kathy Curtis, K.A. Owens, Meredith Wadlington, Tayna Fogle, Heather Mahoney, and Jess Hays Lucas. This team is working closely with a consultant – Emily Goldfarb – who specializes in Executive Leadership transition within social justice organizations.
The Executive Leadership Transition team intends to work in good alignment with KFTC’s Organizational Change Initiative, and Emily has been in close conversation with KFTC’s Organizational Change consultant team, Pamela Chiang and Tony Bennae Richard. To make sure that KFTC would be far enough in charting out the direction of its transition to be able to speak to what the organization needs from Executive Leadership, the ELT team recognized that our hiring timeline would need to stretch past August, into the early part of 2022. This leaves a gap between Burt Lauderdale’s transition and the incoming Executive Leadership.
Emily has worked as a consultant since 1997 for more than seventy non-profit organizations, networks and coalitions, and foundations. Her approach to consulting is informed by over twenty years of activism and organizational leadership in the immigrant and refugee rights movements. She provides strategic planning, Executive Director and staff coaching, leadership development, and designs approaches to capacity building. Her focus now is on senior leadership and executive transitions.
The Transition Team weighed several options for how to handle that gap: hiring an external interim ED, drawing from an internal interim staff leadership team, drawing from Steering Committee leadership, and making an internal hire for an interim ED. After careful consideration, the team unanimously recommended that Heather Mahoney, KFTC’s current Deputy Director, serve as interim Executive Director from August until a new hire in early 2022. As Deputy Director, Heather is well positioned to
STAYING HEALTHY WHILE ORGANIZING The COVID pandemic has made the past year incredibly challenging for KFTC: suspending in-person activities, helping staff and leaders work from home, and learning new ways to work together virtually. With the new COVID vaccines, there is light at the end of the tunnel. KFTC is complying with CDC guidelines on mask-wearing and social distancing in our programs, to help end the pandemic in Kentucky as soon as possible. We urge our members to also comply with the guidelines. We are excited to be making plans to safely return to some in-person activities, like outdoor gatherings and door-to-door canvassing with masks and social distancing. The health of our communities, members and staff are our priority. We are prepared to quickly change our policies as needed.
fill that gap. She works closely with the Executive Committee and the Steering Committee, she knows KFTC’s financials and systems, and she knows our Program of Work. The Transition Team shared this recommendation with the Executive Committee and staff for review before the Steering Committee enthusiastically approved it at the March 20 meeting. Now, with clarity about the timeline and interim role, and with a lot of gratitude to Heather, the Transition Team is turning to the hiring process for KFTC’s permanent Executive Leadership. The team has begun to develop strategies and supports to facilitate a process that centers equity. Next, and with some direction from KFTC’s Organizational Change Initiative process, the team will be learning about Executive structures and developing a job description. The team hopes to hire Executive Leadership in early 2022.
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ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE INITIATIVE UPDATE
KFTC members imagine and prepare for organizational change Participants in Imagining and Envisioning the Future of KFTC heard a word from our chairperson, Cassia Herron, and Executive Director, Burt Lauderdale to provide some context as we prepare for change. Read the transcript below, or watch the video at www.vimeo.com/522584493.
CH = Hello, I’m Cassia Herron, she/her and I am your KFTC Chairperson. I’m a proud Kentuckian, home of Yuchi, Miami, Osage, Shawnee, Cherokee, Chickasaw, Quapaw, and Oceti Sakowin people. Born and raised in Richmond/Madison County and I’ve lived here in Jefferson County since 97. BL = And I’m Burt Lauderdale, he/him. I grew up in Auburn, Alabama, but I’ve lived here in Kentucky since 1983, here in Laurel County since 1988. I’m your KFTC Executive Director. CH = Burt and I are here to describe the KFTC Organizational Change Initiative, and our collective responsibility in Imagining and Envisioning KFTC’s future. There’s at least four reasons why KFTC is investing in Organizational Change.
The first is we want to honor and celebrate the achievements of KFTC. It’s a happy coincidence that this envisioning process coincides with our 40th anniversary. KFTC has an awesome history and achieved some great things. We’ve organized tens of thousands of Kentuckians and tons of grassroots leaders. We’ve won and lost policy fights at the local, state, and national level and helped develop and elect progressive champions. We’ve worked on land rights, voting rights, and equal rights. And we have built and sustained a statewide, grassroots, democratic, member-run organization for forty years. Today, KFTC is an essential partner in the social justice community in Kentucky and across the nation.
As we embark on this Organizational Change Initiative, we stand on the shoulders of the thousands of KFTC leaders that came before us, and now we want to build on that legacy. BL = The second reason is we’ve simply outgrown the old KFTC. The last time we did this type of comprehensive planning process was in 2001. Back then, KFTC had 2,000 members, now we have 13,000. The Steering Committee was smaller and closer geographically. We had eleven staff then; this Spring we’ll have thirty and a staff union to complement it. We need to redesign structures and strategies to catch up with where KFTC is today, and where we want to be tomorrow.
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CH = The third reason we are changing is because the world has changed. The political landscape is volatile and yet there’s so much opportunity. New ways of communicating mean new ways of organizing. A new generation of grassroots leaders is ready, including staff leaders who bring their own experiences and talents to our work and who want to be part of our formal decision-making processes And the largest social movement in our history, the Movement For Black Lives, is demanding more of the nation, and more of KFTC. BL = And the fourth reason is we want KFTC to be and do better. KFTC has many strengths. But we also have weaknesses. We’re stretched thin across a sprawling program of work. We ask a lot of our grassroots leadership. Our decision-making is democratic, but also slow, more reactive than pro-active. And, as you may have noticed, we’re really white. Our demographics are white – not surprising for a statewide organization in a predominantly white state. More importantly, our culture is white (and middle class). KFTC has been captive to and a beneficiary of a white dominant culture that we sometimes resist, but have not broken free from, in spite of sincere efforts by sincere people. Two years ago we brought in Frontline Solutions to do a racial justice assessment of our organization. They gathered surveys and conducted interviews and delivered what I describe as our “lab report.” They helped us understand how white supremacy culture shows up in KFTC – things like defensiveness, fear of open conflict, transactional relationships, or equity washing – and named the harm caused across the years. The Steering Committee adopted Frontlines three recommendations for healing and reconciliation; equity training across the whole organization; and reimagining our structure to invite a more diverse and equitable base, leadership, and staff.
We’ve already begun the healing work and training. And both inform the rest of the work. Structural Reimagining is more complicated. This Imagining and Envisioning process is intended to give us a shared vision of who we want to be. From there we can revise, refine, reimagine the strategies and the structures that can get us there. CH = Celebrating our history and staying true to our roots, building new systems for a new KFTC, organizing in this political landscape and environment, creating a more focused and equitable, inclusive culture. That’s a lot. Luckily, we have a lot of members, staff, and consultants already working on different “tracks” or parts of Organizational Change including Interest Based Bargaining, which is our process to negotiate a staff union contract, Executive Leadership Transition as Burt exits his role, and centering equity and racial justice inside KFTC and in our organizing. This work is already happening. But this conversation– Imagining and Envisioning the KFTC of the next decade – this track is the heartbeat of the whole OCI. BL = In this upcoming “Jam Session,” and the companion Jam Session in April, members and staff will be describing what we want KFTC to be and do over the next ten years. We’ll affirm our vision for a more just Kentucky and check our alignment around the purpose of KFTC – why we exist – and the core values that drive our program. By the end of the weekend, we hope to describe together what Pamela and Tony call a “Big, Hairy, Audacious Goal” for the next ten years, and a Vivid Description of what KFTC looks like in 2031, our fiftieth anniversary. CH = So how do we get there? After the April Jam Session, a team of folks will synthesize the results of the two sessions. We’ll test some of the emerging ideas with all of us and with the Steering Committee.
In June, we’ll all come back together for a “Summer Concert,” – keep practicing your instruments – where we’ll identify the “Breakthrough Strategies” that will create the KFTC we’ve envisioned. BL = I’m really proud of the work that KFTC has done over forty years and the amazing things we’ve accomplished together. And I’m just as proud of KFTC’s persistent desire to be better. We’ve been able to maintain a core set of values and principles that describe our approach to change – why we do, what we do, the way we do it. And at the same time, about every five years we also do some sort of organizational makeover, trying new approaches, taking on new challenges, building new structures. Perhaps the most important factor in our sustained success has been that we constantly strive to be vision-oriented. People typically come to KFTC because they want to work on a particular issue or campaign. But I believe that they stay because they come together with others around the vision. We have to imagine and envision what’s possible to have any chance of achieving it. That is why the work that we are doing together through Organizational Change is so important, and your participation is such a gift. CH = My hope for KFTC in this process is that we reaffirm our vision and commitment to each other, ground ourselves in our collective work and individual responsibility, identify and use the right tools to help us do our work, and model for our allies how we expect us all to show up We do this, and do it right, we will organize the heck out of Kentucky and the voices of ordinary people will be heard and respected in our democracy. Thanks for showing up – let’s do this work.
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Urgent action needed to demand justice for North Fork residents Justice 4 North Fork is a resident-led campaign where residents are organizing in response to mass evictions in a Rowan County mobile home park due to a development project. Thanks to Justice 4 North Fork for permission to print the following petition. Patrick Madden – a wealthy Lexington developer – conspired with local governments to evict an entire neighborhood of over 100 people. Last month, the residents of North Fork Mobile Home Park were told to be out by April 30th. They were only given 45 days to attempt to relocate their mobile homes – which is a massive and expensive undertaking that risks the destruction of the home entirely. Patrick Madden is eliminating a neighborhood to build a $32 million retail site across the street from Morehead’s Kroger Center which currently houses 15 stores. Our shameful local officials have even given Madden millions of dollars in future Rowan County taxes. This project was also rushed through with almost no public knowledge. But North Fork residents are pushing back! Justice 4 North Fork, a campaign led by residents of North Fork mobile home park and former residents who were displaced because of impending development, demands the following: 1. More time. • We should be granted until at least September 30 to vacate our lots at North Fork mobile home park. 2. Financial compensation and protection. • All current residents and former residents who vacated North Fork mobile home park because of the impending development should be compensated $10,000 for hardship, moving costs, and other losses incurred by displacement. This should be in the form of direct payments with no strings attached. • Residents unable to move their trailer due to age or condition – including such residents who have already vacated – should be compensated $15,000. This, too, should be in the form of direct payments with no strings attached.
• A ll outstanding rent and property taxes are to be forgiven or paid by a third party. • If a resident must abandon their home, they will be free of incurring any expenses for the demolition of said home, with such costs either waved or paid for by a third party. 3. Respect. • We have been misled, lied to, and mistreated throughout the process of the sale of the land we live on. As such, we demand a public apology from the former landlord (Fraley Commercial Properties, LLC), the new developer (Patrick Madden), and members of local government who facilitated the land’s transfer. • The new development on the land on which we currently reside should feature a mural commemorating the North Fork mobile home park community, with all decisions about mural design and location made with the input and informed consent of former residents of North Fork mobile home park. 4. Protection for our neighbors. • A portion of revenues generated by the “Development Area” –i.e., the land on which North Fork mobile home park sits – should be allocated to a fund dedicated to preventing the displacement of residents of Morehead.
Sign the petition TODAY at: www.bit.ly/Justice4NF Connect with them online: Twitter: @ForkJustice Facebook: @Justice4NorthFork Instagram: @JusticeForNorthFork
TAKE ACTION!
North Fork residents held a rally at a Morehead City Council meeting, have organized phone zaps, and plan to meet with the mayor soon. Their work has gained attention from the media. Linda Blackford spoke with one resident for a recent Lexington Herald-Leader article (www.bit.ly/Lex-Herald-Leader): assey and her husband, Cody, had finished paying M off the 1985 mobile home last October, and owned it outright. Only Morehead and Rowan County no longer allows any mobile homes built before 1995. So they couldn’t move it. And thanks to Morehead State University, most rent in Rowan County is too high for the Masseys to afford. Adrienne Bush, executive director of the Homeless and Housing Coalition of Kentucky, was also quoted in the Herald-Leader article: “ The market is broken and it’s not the fault of poor people,” Bush said. “If we have this many people who struggle to pay rent in a pandemic, then it’s a systemic problem, we need to figure out how to increase the supply of housing and make sure it’s affordable.”
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Eastern Kentucky members meet with Senator Turner In February, members of the Big Sandy Chapter and KFTC members in nearby counties met with Sen. Johnnie Turner to begin to build a relationship and urge his support for a few important issues. Participants included Kathy Curtis, Erik Fields, and John and Jean Rosenberg from Floyd County, Dayjha Hogg and Jacob Mack-Boll from Letcher County, Carl Shoupe from Harlan County, and Lisa Abbott from Madison County. The group urged him to oppose HB 272, a bill that allows water companies to add a 10% late fee to customers bills and restricts oversight by the Public Service Commission. He agreed it was a bad bill and said he would oppose it when it came to the Senate. He later made good on that commitment when the bill came before a committee he serves on. However, HB 272 still passed the Kentucky legislature. It was vetoed by Governor Beshear on March 24. Unfortunately, on the final day of the General Assembly, the legislature overrode Governor Beshear’s veto and HB 272 was made law. KFTC members also urged him to support legislation proposed by Rep. Angie Hatton to make it easier for sick miners to get diagnosed with Black Lung disease. He agreed and said that issue is one of the reasons he ran to serve in the state legislature.
Southern Kentucky chapter member creates micro pantry When our neighbors are hungry, we feed them. There is a real need in Bowling Green to support our neighbors by providing food and other commodities through easily accessible, destigmatized methods. Thanks in part to a fellowship from Southern Partners Fund, KFTC member Jason Lowe is helping address this need through Micro Pantries stocked with food and toiletries. The first BG Micro Pantry is hosted at the KFTC Office at 958 Collette Avenue- right across from the International Center. The project has taken on two more locations, including one at an elementary school and one across from a local church. WBKO and The Daily News have covered the story. Jason has been in touch with the city about installing pantries on city property, and is looking for locations with outdoor electricity to host a refrigerator where we can stock fresh produce in partnership with Glean Kentucky.
HERE ARE SOME WAYS YOU CAN HELP: Donate or share: If you’re in or near Bowling Green, feel free to add food or other goods to the pantries at any time. Donations of refrigerators or mini fridges are needed. If a cash donation is easiest, you can Venmo @bgmicropantry or CashApp $bgmicropantry. Ask your church or business to host a pantry: If you know a local community group that would be interested in having a micropantry on their property, especially if it has an awning and outdoor outlets for refrigeration capabilities, please contact Jason Lowe: jasonlowe176@gmail.com, 270-670-5254. Follow on social media and share! Facebook: www.bit.ly/BGMicroPantry Instagram: @bgmicropantry
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LexStand sponsors virtual town hall on Breonna’s Law Kentuckians deserve more than what the General Assembly had to offer. That’s why LexStand for Breonna’s Law Coalition co-sponsored a virtual town hall with Mission Behind Bars and Beyond, Inc. and KFTC to support HB 21, Breonna’s Law, and to also push for Lexington to become the second Kentucky city with a local ban on no-knock warrants.
placed on it at present.”
Panelists were State Representative Attica Scott, Lexington-Fayette Urban County Council Member James Brown; Keturah Herron, ACLU-KY Policy Strategist; Shauntrice Martin, KFTC Organizer; Tayna Fogle, KFTC Organizer, Reverend Dr. Michael Robinson, Pastor of Total Grace Church; Rev. Clark Williams of Shiloh Baptist Church and The People’s Campaign; Former Assistant Fayette County Attorney Denotra Spruill Gunther; Dr. Arnold Farr of the University of Kentucky; and “Pastor E,” Reverend Dr. Anthony Everett of Mission Behind Bars and Beyond, Inc.
Pastor E spoke to the importance of solidarity between Black Kentuckians in Louisville and Lexington, “We get separated all the time. Sixty percent of all the African Americans in the state live between Louisville and Lexington.”
“One of the things that we’re calling for, among others as it relates to policing, is a permanent ban on noknock warrants at the local level,” said Rev. Williams. “In Lexington there’s a moratorium that the mayor’s
Rep. Scott referenced the years-long and ongoing work to pass statewide legislation for voting rights, environmental justice, and fairness. “We are not getting everything we want right now, but we are
Williams continued, “We’re calling for a permanent ban and for it to be absolute. The potential cost, as we found with Breonna Taylor, is far too great.”
“So something happens in the west end of Louisville, that same thing should affect the east end of Lexington. We are one together, and we need to act in that manner.”
building power and that terrifies people who don’t want to see us connected, who don’t want to see us build, who want to divide us and have us pitted against one another. But we have to keep building that power – Lexington, Louisville, Covington, Paducah, Berea– all across Kentucky. We’ve got to keep building up because we know that every single time that we build, we’re preparing for that next session, we’re preparing for that local legislative session, we’re preparing to take on D.C. So let’s keep building.”
Mutual aid brings relief after flooding Kentuckians are pulling together to help our neighbors hard hit by the flooding that struck many areas in Kentucky in early March, including some individuals and communities still recovering from ice storms and severe winter weather a week or two before. The efforts below are good ways to make monetary contributions that will be distributed to those impacted by flooding in eastern Kentucky. • EKY Mutual Aid Community Fund (www. paypal.me/pools/c/8vferySws9) • Red River Gorge 2021 Flood Disaster Fund (www.gofund.me/897c50a3) • The Hickman Holler Appalachian Relief Fund founded by Estill County natives Tyler Childers and Senora May (www. hickmanhollerappalachianrelieffund.org)
There were also other efforts to raise funds: Nine groups under the banner of Appalachia Rises held a successful telethon and continue to accept contributions at www.appalachianky.org/ flood, which will be distributed by the Foundation for Appalachian Kentucky and the Blue Grass Community Foundation.
The Christian Appalachian Project is available to help homeowners assess flood damage and make repairs. The organization said it has centers in Paintsville and in Mt. Vernon where people can go to request flood assistance between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. For more information or to help the Christian Appalachian Project, visit www.ChristianApp.org.
Old-time duo The Local Honeys partnered with Appalachians for Appalachia and the Foundation for Appalachian Kentucky to gather donations and supplies to distribute to flood victims at Lexington music club The Burl.
This list of mutual aid efforts for people impacted by flooding in eastern Kentucky was adapted from a March 9 post on KFTC’s blog (www.kftc.org/blog). If you know a group or effort that needs to be added, please send to jhardt@kftc.org.
Other musicians also lent their talents for virtual concerts.
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HB 232 stalls, but thousands reached on voting rights In terms of legislative outcomes, our Healthy Democracy work struggled during the 2021 General Assembly – as did many good bills. Our bill to restore voting rights for people with felonies in their past (House Bill 232) had broad support and we’ve helped recruit a bipartisan slate of seventeen cosponsors to the bill, but Republican House leaders refused to even assign it to committee. Likewise, our endorsed bills around redistricting processes, same-day voter registration, early voting, voting by mail, and keeping polls open until 7 p.m. did not get far either. We still managed to build and use a lot of power, and speak to many Kentuckians directly through our work over the last few months. Over the course of two big campaigns, twenty-four volunteers in KFTC and KUUJAN (Kentucky Unitarian Universalist Justice Action Network) made 2,090 calls, left 418 voice mails, had 285 phone conversations, and sent 10,330 texts talking to people about restoration of voting rights for people with felonies in their past, identifying supporters, and connecting them to the legislative message line. Here’s what volunteers had to say: “I was a little scared thinking about phone banking at first, but after I started, I realized it could be easy and fun. I also like that it’s flexible and I can call
whenever. If you’re thinking about doing this, I say just jump in.” Annette Hines, Rowan County “I worked with KFTC and KUUJAN to call people about voting rights because it’s so important. It’s really gratifying when you get to reach someone who’s maybe alone or bored and you get to really connect with them around a shared value. Sometimes we all feel alone in moments like this, but we can feel less alone through action.” Lisa Dalporto, Warren County, Kentucky
Campaign, Mission Behind Bars and Beyond, Black Leadership Action Coalition of Kentucky (B.L.A.C.K.), ACLU, Together Frankfort, League of Women Voters of Kentucky, Moms Demand Action KY, and Louisville Showing up for Racial Justice. Thanks also to our rally speakers who were all brilliant: Shelton McElroy, Reverend Dr. Anthony Everett, Debbie Graner, Bonifacio Aleman, Dee Pregliasco and Savvy Shabazz!
On February 18, we hosted a Virtual Lobby Day for a Healthy Democracy that was a big success, despite many weather-related challenges. We had over seventy attendees who participated in legislative meetings, a lobby training, social media training, letter to the editor training, and spokesperson training. We generated tons of calls to the legislative message line and good outreach through social media. The day ended with a fantastic virtual rally with powerful stories from voting rights advocates. Thanks to the organizations that co-sponsored the day: Unitarian Universalist Justice Action Network (KUUJAN), United We Stand, IUE CWA, Kentucky Poor People’s
Kentuckians overwhelmingly support voting rights In January, The League of Women Voters of Kentucky released An Update: Felony Disenfranchisement in the Commonwealth of Kentucky. The report shows that Kentucky has made progress since 2019, but has much further to go to respect the voting rights of all Kentuckians with a felony in their past. The following data comes from their report, and is shared with permission. View the full report and support the work of the League of Women Voters of Kentucky at: www.lwvky.org/felony-disenfranchisement.
178,397
Kentuckians had their right to vote respected as a result of Gov. Beshear’s 2019 Executive Order
3 in 20
Black Kentuckians are still disenfranchised, which is the seventh highest rate in the nation
197,672 Kentuckians with a felony conviction in their past remain disenfranchised. This number is greater than the population of every county in Kentucky except Jefferson and Fayette!
A constitutional amendment is needed to respect the voting rights of Kentuckians. Kentuckians support a constitutional amendment by a 2-1 margin.
12 | BALANCING THE SCALES | April 14, 2021
#ICYMI: HIGHLIGHTS FROM KFTC SOCIAL MEDIA YOU MAY HAVE MISSED! In March, we honored Breonna Taylor one year after her death and uplifted Kentuckians who are leading us in the fight to create the Kentucky that Breonna deserved.
Unfortunately, Senator Rand Paul continues to fail Kentuckians and wrote an op-ed in the Courier-Journal that denied the role of racism in police violence – even as he advocated for a ban on no-knock warrants.
We also called out bad bills filed during the General Assembly like Senate Bill 211, which aims to chill free speech and intimidate people speaking out for Black lives by making it illegal to “insult” a police officer.
Read more from Hannah Drake at www.writesomeshit.com
Follow us on social media and then join the conversation on – or off – line! kftc.org/facebook
@kentuckiansforthecommonwealth
@kftc
And by the way … we’re on TikTok!
@kftc
You can find links to individual chapter social media pages at www.kftc.org/links
13 | BALANCING THE SCALES | April 14, 2021
Despite challenges, Kentuckians make an impact in Frankfort You’ve made an impact during the 2021 General Assembly. Some of these impacts have been on legislation – a key meeting with a legislator that changes the course of a bill, or a push of calls and tweets that makes the will of the people more visible and harder to ignore. We also set a goal this session to continue to build the power we need. So many impacts have been in our own communities, talking with neighbors and networks about the bills that impact us, and the work of our legislators. We’re still gathering all of our collective impacts. But this is a dispatch to reflect back on some of the important ways you’ve shown up during this General Assembly: Breonna’s Law KFTC supports Breonna’s Law, HB 21, sponsored by Rep. Attica Scott and created in collaboration with Louisville communities. For much of the session, Republican leadership refused to consider HB 21 or assign it to committee. Instead, Senate President Robert Stivers’s SB 4 – a weaker bill that limits the use of no-knock warrants – will become law. But the power of the people and the leadership of Rep. Scott brought the issue of no-knock warrants to Frankfort and to the nation. Breonna’s Law is, as Rep. Scott called it, a “policy movement” because people stood in the streets for justice for Breonna Taylor, lobbied, made calls, tweeted at Speaker Osborne and President Stivers, and got their friends to do these things, too. And now, efforts are taking shape to pass stronger, local ordinances. We’re not finished, not by a long shot.
tax cuts, to fight for a budget that meets Kentuckians’ needs right now, and to fight for public education and food security. The legislature passed several bills that would squander our public dollars, with no public input or scrutiny. KFTC’s Economic Justice Committee hustled to expose the legislature’s actions and support people in speaking out. In the space of just five days, one-hundred and eighty six people sent letters to their legislators about the tax cuts and our budget. At-home meetings Big Sandy members held a meeting with Senator Johnnie Turner about HB 272, a bill that would allow a ten percent late fee added to delinquent water bills, and prohibit the Public Service Commission from assessing the penalty. The bill would also prohibit the governor from suspending late fees and/or utility cutoffs for any utility (water, gas, electric, sewer) owned by a city during an emergency. When the bill was heard in committee, that senator pointed to conversations with constituents as the reason that he was opposing it. The bill was successfully stalled that day, giving KFTC and allies more time to bring its impacts to light. It was vetoed by Governor Beshear, but the veto was overridden in the final days of the session.
Voting Rights The Voting Rights Strategy Team and allies hosted a beautiful lobby day that also helped more Kentuckians join the work of making our democracy healthy. More than seventy members and allies participated. And thousands joined in through social media. On the Voting Rights Lobby Day, more than seven-hundred and thirty people engaged with KFTC’s social media – a nearly seven hundred percent increase. Every year our legislature stalls on passing Voting Rights, too many Kentuckians are denied their rights, but we keep building power.
With Love, Kentucky We took our collective frustration to the Capitol and turned it into something really beautiful and unique with our event: With Love, Kentucky. We had an installation of yard signs to represent our many hopes for Kentucky, grab the attention of lawmakers as they walked from the annex to the Capitol, and lift our spirits toward what’s possible. Two fantastic musicians, Shawna McCown and Nate Orshan, shared their craft with us. Sojourner Truth’s words reverberated off the Capitol building thanks to a reading from Brenda Martin. KFTC member Deb Graner anchored the event, talked with the media, made sure participants were well cared for, and even made time to recite her favorite hymn.
Economic Justice The Economic Justice Committee learned new skills and took on new roles to beat back proposed
We had more than one person who hadn’t heard of us before say they were excited to get involved after seeing us take action with creativity and art. Thanks
to all who showed up and contributed to making this day of action really special and so much fun! Phone and text banks In the spirit of reaching out to our neighbors and networks, members experimented with phone banking and texting Kentuckians about Breonna’s Law, the budget, housing, and Voting Rights. We’ve made thousands of calls, and have had hundreds of great conversations about economic justice, racial justice, and a healthy democracy. The Economic Justice Committee had one-hundred and twentyeight conversations over text with folks who were excited to learn more about the budget and tax cuts, and were willing to talk with their legislators about it! Every one of these connections – every one of these Kentuckians – is vital to the work of organizing.
The impact of this work can be hard to see, especially when we’re dealing with an unfriendly legislature and a short session, and when bills fly through before all legislators get to see them – let alone the public. But our work matters, and it doesn’t stop in Frankfort. It lives in our communities as we continue to build toward authentic governing power. Thank you for the ways you’ve shown up, and continue to show up.
14 | BALANCING THE SCALES | April 14, 2021
KFTC’s 2021 Kentucky General Assembly Bill Tracker For more information about our priority legislation, visit www.kftc.org/bill-tracker
DID NOT BECOME LAW: HB 19 & SB 30, BAN CONVERSION THERAPY: Prohibit mental health professionals from engaging in efforts to change sexual orientation or gender identity • N ot assigned to committee HB 21, BREONNA’S LAW: Ban no-knock warrants statewide, require officers serving a warrant to wear and activate body cameras, and require alcohol and drug testing for officers following any shooting or deadly incident while on duty • D enied a vote in committee HB 23, HEALTHY DEMOCRACY: FAIR MAPS: Create a nonpartisan Advisory Redistricting Commission to draft legislative and congressional districts
KFTC SUPPORTED
• N ot assigned to committee HB 27, MATERNAL HEALTH: Work to close the racial maternal and infant health gap; Require health facilities to implement an evidence-based implicit bias program and to provide patients with written information about their rights; Require the Dept. for Public Health to track data on maternal death and severe morbidity • N ot assigned to committee HB 51, HEALTHY DEMOCRACY: VOTING ACCESSIBILITY: Extend voting hours to 7:00 p.m. • N ot assigned to committee SB 60, DEATH PENALTY ABOLITION: Eliminate the death penalty, to be replaced with life imprisonment without parole • N ot assigned to committee HCR 61, HEALTHY DEMOCRACY: FAIR MAPS: Encourage the Kentucky General Assembly to allow public input during the redistricting process • N ot assigned to committee HB 72, HEALTHY DEMOCRACY: VOTE BY MAIL: Allow “convenience of the voter” as a reason for requesting and casting a mail-in, absentee ballot • N ot assigned to committee
HB 132, CIVIL RIGHTS: Establish guidelines for dismissing lawsuits designed to intimidate defendants from engaging in constitutionally protected activities like free speech and more • N ot assigned to committee HB 148, DEATH PENALTY RESTRICTIONS: Prevent the execution of someone diagnosed with a serious mental illness • P assed the full House. Denied a vote in Senate committee HB 182, HEALTHY DEMOCRACY: VOTER REGISTRATION: Allow same day voter registration and make driver’s license applications and renewals simultaneously a voter registration, unless declined • N ot assigned to committee HB 232, VOTING RIGHTS: Respect the voting rights of almost all Kentuckians who have a felony in their past • N ot assigned to committee
BECAME LAW: HB 497, SUPPORT FOR RE-ENTRY: Provide formerly incarcerated, returning Kentuckians and their families and communities a healthy and successful way forward post-incarceration • S igned into law
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KFTC’s 2021 Kentucky General Assembly Bill Tracker For more information about our priority legislation, visit www.kftc.org/bill-tracker
DID NOT BECOME LAW: SJR 56, CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION Petition Congress to call a convention for the purpose of amending the U.S. Constitution • N ot assigned to committee SB 83, HEALTH DISCRIMINATION LAW: Protect medical providers who refuse care that they claim “violated their conscience” from liability • D enied a vote in the full Senate HB 149 & SB 25, PUBLIC FUNDING FOR PRIVATE SCHOOLS I: Offer tax credits to donors of an “Education Opportunity Account Program” • L anguage added to HB 563
HB 91, MOBILIZE ANTI-ABORTION VOTERS: Propose a constitutional amendment to deny the right to or funding of abortion in Kentucky; Would have no immediate effect on abortion access due to Roe v. Wade • P assed by House and Senate (governor cannot veto proposed constitutional amendments) SB 120, GAMBLING: Legalize pari-mutuel slot machines at a race track or simulcast facility (a.k.a “Historical Horse Racing”) with negligible taxation • S igned into law SB 228, U.S. SENATE VACANCIES: Restrict appointment to a vacancy in the U.S. Senate to three individuals nominated by the party of the departed senator; Would grant a chosen successor an incumbency advantage in the next election • V etoed, but overridden
KFTC OPPOSED
SB 211, CRIMINALIZATION OF INSULTS TO POLICE: Make it a crime to insult a police officer; Anti-camping sections in the original bill could target protestors and/or unhoused communities • P assed by Senate, Not assigned to committee in House SB 264, RENTER EVICTIONS: Forbid an eviction moratorium during an emergency • D enied a vote in committee
BECAME LAW:
HB 272, PENALTIES FOR WATER CUSTOMERS: Prohibits the Public Service Commission from preventing utilities from assessing a 10% late fee to water bills; Prohibits the governor from suspening late fees during an emergency for any city-owned utility • V etoed, but overridden HB 563, PUBLIC FUNDING FOR PRIVATE SCHOOLS II: Began as a bill to allow nonresident pupils to be counted in a district’s average daily attendance; Amended to include school voucher language from HB 149, which was not moving in committee • V etoed, but overridden
SB 9, ANTI-ABORTION: Prohibit causing or allowing the death of an infant born alive; Claims to guarantee care to infants who survive an abortion - something the sponsor admits has never occurred in Kentucky; Could criminalize providers and increase health risks, stigmatization, and grief for patients • P assed by House and Senate (governor cannot veto, because it included an emergency clause) SB 11, CRIMINALIZING RENTAL DAMAGE: Make damage of $500 or more to rental property a criminal offense • V etoed, but overridden SB 65, CHILD FOOD SECURITY: Take away food assistance from a parent who is behind on child support payments • V etoed, but overridden
The General Assembly may be over but there are lots of ways to take action and build grassroots power – and push for better policy – all year round!
TAKE ACTION!
• C ontact your local organizer about scheduling an at-home meeting with your legislator during the interim. • T alk to five people about getting involved with KFTC and invite them to an event. • F ollow us on social media for up-to-date opportunities and other ways to engage. • G o to www.kftc.org/meetonline to find upcoming chapter meetings, trainings, and phone and text banks across the state.
16 | BALANCING THE SCALES | April 14, 2021
Legislature spends additional federal and General Fund monies on session’s last day Thanks to Kentucky Center For Economic Policy for permission to reprint the following. Read more “research that works for Kentucky” and support their work at www.kypolicy.org.
$575 million to pay back the loan the state owes to the federal government for unemployment benefits plus pay any interest owed (the state currently owes $506 million).
JASON BAILEY | March 31, 2021
This move is being made to prevent very small, automatic state and federal increases to a business tax, yet that tax was already lower than it had ever been in the history of the program going back to 1938. Since the tax applies to all businesses based on their payroll size, this assistance is not targeted solely to those small businesses that have been hard hit. The major beneficiaries will be large corporations like Amazon, now one of the state’s biggest employers as their profits have soared in this crisis.
At the very end of the legislative session, the General Assembly appropriated nearly $1.4 billion in funds Kentucky is set to receive from the American Rescue Plan. Unfortunately, the biggest appropriated amount of $575 million will go to the state’s unemployment fund — which just has the effect of eventually lowering business taxes across the board — rather than a priority of direct relief to Kentuckians struggling the most right now. Also passed were $338 million more in General Fund appropriations, including one year of funding for allday kindergarten. These bills now go to the governor. Focus of American Rescue Plan appropriations is a tax reduction for businesses, putting money in infrastructure
Infrastructure is also a significant, and much better, new use of the funds: $300 million for broadband internet investments to address the need for last mile coverage, and $250 million for water and sewer projects. The plan also includes $127 million to replace outdated schools and $58 million to renovate the state Capitol and Annex.
Through a flurry of bills on the final days of the 2021 session, the legislature appropriated $1.36 billion of the $2.63 billion the state received directly in American Rescue Plan funds. The largest amount was
The General Assembly did not use any of the monies it appropriated to provide direct relief to low-income Kentuckians facing the most hardship in this crisis. The Governor had proposed $475 million to be
THE LEGISLATURE APPROPRIATED NEARLY $1.4 BILLION IN AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN FUNDS
used for $500 payments to individuals who make less than $25,000 a year and couples that make less than $50,000 a year. If the governor signs the new legislation, that would leave approximately $1.27 billion in American Rescue Plan funds left to spend. The governor should prioritize getting that money out as soon as possible with a focus on low-income Kentuckians and their families and communities. Additional General Fund dollars spent for all-day kindergarten and other items On the last day of session, the legislature also appropriated additional state General Fund dollars on top of what was included in the budget. The biggest item in this category is $140 million to provide one year of full-day kindergarten. The General Assembly did not at the same time permanently change the Support Education Excellence in Kentucky (SEEK) formula for future years to support ongoing funding of full-day kindergarten, instead only putting the dollars in for one year. The next biggest new General Fund appropriation is $75 million for vocational education center renovations.
NEW GENERAL FUND APPROPRIATIONS
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American Rescue Plan is a lifeline for Kentuckians Thanks to Kentucky Center For Economic Policy for permission to reprint the following. Read more “research that works for Kentucky” and support their work at www.kypolicy.org. This column ran in the Daily Independent on March 11, the Northern Kentucky Tribune on March 13, the Richmond Register and the State Journal on March 16, and the Courier-Journal on March 18, 2021. When economies falter and hardship rises, governments must respond with vigorous action. It’s a lesson our country learned in the 1930s with the New Deal, but had seemingly forgotten during the painful decade that followed the Great Recession. The landmark American Rescue Plan (ARP) Act Congress passed this week reflects a rediscovered truth. Its passage is a lifeline to families and communities through the choppy waters of the pandemic. The new law will provide much-needed relief and allow us to emerge on the other side of COVID stronger and more secure. Combined with prior federal aid including through the CARES Act, the ARP rises to the occasion of an economic crisis in which more than one in three Kentuckians report having difficulty affording usual household expenses. Nearly one in five Kentucky parents say their children aren’t getting enough to eat, and 16% of Kentucky renters are behind on rent payments. Key hardship-reducing measures in the new law include: • $ 1,400 checks to every adult and child with incomes up to $75,000 for individuals and $150,000 for couples, or 92% of Kentuckians; • $300 a week in extra unemployment benefits through Sept. 6 and a continuation of other pandemic unemployment programs, helping over 100,000 laid-off Kentuckians get by; • An expanded child allowance of up to $3,600 per kid that will go to 86% of Kentucky’s children and their families, and a portion of which for the first time will be delivered monthly; • Food and rental aid for those struggling to pay for basic needs, as well as over $760 million in Kentucky for child care assistance; • More than $4 billion in aid to Kentucky state and local governments to protect public
services and restore budget cuts, allow relief to those harmed by the pandemic, support essential workers, and/or allow water, sewer and broadband infrastructure investments; • More than $2 billion for Kentucky public schools and universities to allow them to operate safely, address learning loss and support students; • Expanded assistance to make purchasing healthcare on the state’s health care exchange more affordable for at least 78,000 Kentuckians; • Monies to accelerate vaccination and further bolster the public health response to COVID-19. The ARP works because it targets aid to those who need it most even while also providing broad support to most Americans in recognition of the far-reaching harms of the crisis. And importantly, the plan is large: it recognizes that the biggest risk is doing too little to get families and communities back on their feet, rather than too much. This legislation won’t be the last word on creating a robust recovery. Later this year, we’ll need a major investment in modernizing our infrastructure and clean energy in order to further strengthen our economy and put people back to work. We still need an increase in the minimum wage to $15 an hour so that American workers can better get by. And we need measures in the ARP to be made permanent, particularly the groundbreaking child allowance which alone will cut American child poverty nearly in half. For now, though, the ARP is the right legislation at exactly the right time. As its measures go into effect and the dollars begin to flow, Kentuckians will feel increased well-being and better peace of mind. We would be wise to take the lessons of this new law to heart.
“ This is an investment in the next generation that we have not seen in some time. We have to engage in how we’ll spend this money.” – Cassia Herron, Jefferson County
“ The American Rescue Plan is probably a once in a generation opportunity to really change the narrative on a whole host of issues. And I don’t think that’s something that KFTC or us as individuals should pass up on.” – Luke Morgan, Fayette County
Governments can and must put people first and act aggressively when troubles befall them. Kentuckians should expect and demand it.
Governments can and must put people first and act aggressively when troubles befall them. Kentuckians should expect and demand it.
“ I don’t care about the size of government; I want government to do what it’s supposed to do. If we need massive investments in our communities, our government should do that so our communities can thrive and rebuild.” – Alan Smith, Warren County
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First 100 Days: Just Transition and climate actions updates Since the inauguration of President Biden, we’ve been tracking a number of federal policies and executive actions related to climate justice, environmental justice, and Just Transition. This is not an exhaustive list and it reflects updates as of April 1, 2021. Updates are posted on a weekly basis to KFTC’s blog (www.kftc.org/blog). THRIVE Act launched The THRIVE Agenda is a broad, intersectional agenda to address racial justice, job creation and economic justice, and climate justice. It has been developed by and is being advanced by the Green New Deal National network and champions in Congress. On Monday, March 29, Senator Ed Markey, Rep. Debbie Dingle, and other members of Congress stood with many environmental justice, climate justice, and labor organizations to launch the THRIVE Act. This legislation will officially be filed in Congress later in April.
made in historically underserved and overburdened communities. It requires new jobs to meet or exceed high labor and equity standards, and for the federal government to respect Tribal sovereignty.” Resources to review and share about the THRIVE Act: • 1-page summary of the THRIVE Act: www.bit.ly/Thrive-Facts • Section-by-section summary of the THRIVE Act: www.bit.ly/Thrive-Summary American Jobs Plan is introduced On March 31, President Biden unveiled his American Jobs Plan, part of his Build Back Better Agenda, at an event in Pittsburgh. He called on Congress to invest in upgrades to U.S. infrastructure and the care economy, to the tune of $2.25 trillion over the next eight years. Some plan highlights:
As KFTC chairperson Cassia Herron explained in a virtual town hall event on March 31, “The Thrive Act calls for a 10 year, $10 trillion investment in a Just Transition, creating 15 million good jobs by addressing the climate crisis and investing in the care economy. It is literally our chance to transition our economy. It calls for 50 percent of investments to be
• I ncludes $16 billion for reclamation of abandoned mine lands and clean up and closure of orphan oil and gas wells. • Includes $111 billion for drinking water infrastructure. • Supports a transition to a 100 percent carbonfree electric grid by 2035. • Invests $213 billion to build or retrofit
SUPPORT THE THRIVE AGENDA:
TAKE ACTION!
• S end a letter to Congress urging support for the For The People Act and Thrive Agenda: www.bit.ly/Letter-ToCongress • R SVP for a virtual KFTC Just Transition Art Show Launch Party: May 19, 2021 at 7 p.m. ET/ 6 p.m. CT: www.bit.ly/Just-Imagine-Art-Show KFTC and allies hosted a virtual town hall on March 31, where they were joined by U.S. Rep. John Yarmuth, to spotlight the inspiring ways Kentuckians are shaping a Just Transition to a just, anti-racist and sustainable future in Kentucky.
• W atch a recording of Our Time To Thrive Town Hall about Just Transition and Climate Justice in Kentucky at www.kftc.org/facebook (1.5 hours)
affordable and sustainable housing and calls for the elimination of exclusionary zoning laws. Analysis: How good is it? How big is it? How does it stack up with the THRIVE Act? There is early consensus among progressive groups that there is a lot to like in the American Jobs Plan – including major investments in climate and care economies with strong labor, equity, and environmental standards – and that it’s not enough, and that there are some devilish details. Here are some ways to evaluate the size of Biden’s Jobs plan, compared to the THRIVE Act: (This analysis is from the Congressional Progressive Action Fund.) Overall scale: The Biden plan is less than ⅓ the scale of investment called for by the THRIVE Act. It invests $2.25 trillion over eight years, while THRIVE calls for $10 trillion over ten years. Jobs: Biden’s proposal would create about 5 million jobs, less than a third of the jobs that THRIVE would create. Energy: Biden’s plan invests $69B. The official fact sheet is missing dollar amounts for a couple of line items, which could affect the total amount for energy investments. But based on what appears to be the total for this sector, this proposal would cover just 2% of the THRIVE investment in clean energy, leaving an annual gap of $274B and 3.1 million jobs, due to very low investments in the electric grid and renewable energy expansion. Transportation: Biden’s plan invests $621B. This is 32% of the THRIVE amount, leaving an annual gap of $115B and 1.9 million jobs, due to low investments in surface transportation, electric vehicles, and rail. Buildings: Biden’s plan invests 378B (though some items did not have $ amounts). This is 40% of the THRIVE amount, leaving an annual gap of $47B and over 785,000 jobs, due to low investments in public housing and schools. Lands: Biden’s plan invests $31B. This is 12% of the THRIVE amount, leaving an annual gap of $22B and nearly 350,000 jobs, due to low investments in
19 | BALANCING THE SCALES | April 14, 2021
and implications for Kentucky plugging orphaned oil and gas wells and Brownfield and Superfund cleanup. Agriculture: There are virtually no investments in agriculture in Biden’s proposal. Water: Biden’s plan invests $111B. This is 34% of the THRIVE amount, leaving an annual gap of $18B and nearly 270,000 jobs. Broadband: Biden’s plan invests $100B. This is 29% of the THRIVE amount, leaving an annual gap of $23B and over 225,000 jobs. Care: Biden’s plan invests $400B. This is 52% of the THRIVE amount, leaving an annual gap of $28B and over 785,000 jobs. The American Jobs Act is only part one. In April, the President will also lay out The American Families Plan as part two of his Build Back Better agenda. That plan will call for investments in health care, paid leave, child care, education, working family tax credits, and taxes on the wealthy. Campaign to transform Rural Electric Co-ops and Communities is advancing KFTC is part of a new coalition, the Rural Power Coalition, working to advance policies to transform rural electric cooperatives and their communities by speeding the retirement of fossil generation and investing in energy efficiency, renewable energy, broadband, and straight-up bill relief in their service territories. In February the Rural Power Coalition delivered a letter to Congress, signed by one hundred other organizations across the US, describing a 7-point platform for rural co-op reform. [bit.ly/RuralReform] These policies would directly benefit millions of cooperative member-owners who are currently struggling to pay their bills in the midst of our ongoing, national COVID-19 crisis, while simultaneously directing billions in economic development into rural communities. And in March, KFTC, Mountain Association, and members of the coalition have had direct meetings with: • The head of the National Rural Electric
Cooperative Association and several members of their governance staff and board committee. • Staff of members of Congress who are drafting an exciting legislative proposal. • A newly re-formed “stakeholder group” with key staff leaders of East Kentucky Rural Coop (EKPC) and staff from many of their 16 distribution co-ops, plus a number of clean energy allies, the KY Chamber, and various state agencies. The RECLAIM Act receives a hearing The RECLAIM Act (HR 1733) and another bill to reauthorize the Abandoned Mine Lands Program (HR 1734) were introduced by Rep. Cartright in the U.S. House on March 10 and both were heard on March 18 in the House Natural Resources Committee. KFTC and our allies in the region are using this moment to demonstrate public support and push members of Congress to act swiftly on these bills, which would create thousands of good jobs while restoring damaged land and polluted waterways.
SUPPORT THE RECLAIM ACT:
TAKE ACTION!
• C all 1-888-464-1997 to hear a script and be connected directly with your Representative to urge them to pass legislation to reclaim Abandoned Mine Lands.
• T ext RECLAIM to 69866 and you will get a text back with the call in number to reach members of Congress. • B e on the lookout for information about a Townhall Meeting about the RECLAIM Act in April being planned by ally organizations in Southwest Virginia.
KFTC members delivering signatures in support of the RECLAIM Act to Senator McConnell’s eastern Kentucky office in 2018.
The Empower Kentucky Plan lives! Back in 2015-2017, KFTC members worked for eighteen months to listen, research, analyze and write a People’s Energy Plan for Kentucky – a plan that could create more jobs than the status quo, lower average energy bills compared to doing nothing, AND exceed the Obama Administration’s requirement to slash CO2 pollution from our electric power sector. We released the Empower Kentucky Plan, (www.empowerkentucky.org) including an environmental justice analysis of Kentucky, in April 2017, three months after the inauguration of the 45th President. In other words, it was a seed that landed in the desert. But in this week alone, KFTC has been engaged by a) staff in the KY Division of Water and b) staff in the Biden White House about ways that the Empower Kentucky Plan can inform policies that prioritize environmental justice and equity. In both calls, they quoted the Empower Kentucky plan back to us, and had specific questions about the implementation of key recommendations.
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With Love, Kentucky brings voices and art to the General Assembly By: Debra Graner Who ever imagined we’d be living in the time of COVID? Who would ever thought that important business and meaningful interactions would be relegated to cold, sterile, virtual meetings, technically challenging to even “techies? The pandemic has been difficult for all, but especially for us caring huggers, who appreciate being close physically and having public, face-to-face discussions seeking change for all the social ills that have been exacerbated by lockdowns, masks, and social distancing. The end of 2020 brought vaccines, and loosening of some restrictions, but KFTC’s passionate employees and volunteers wanted more. An inspired concept was incubated, and like a Spring miracle hatched into “With Love, Kentucky.” Undaunted by having to reschedule due to the Valentine’s ice and snowstorm, the event was born on the beautiful, Spring-like afternoon of March 16th. KFTC welcomed several legislators, socially active allies, local town folk – and committed friends from hours away – to safely express themselves, to give them a voice. Their artwork showed desires/demands on upcoming legislation, dislike of certain legislative policies, and support for Governor Beshear’s efforts to keep us safe during this trying time. Being environmentally conscious, the artwork was attached to repurposed political yard sign frames and removed at the end of the event. Enjoyed by all was wonderful music, poetry, a dramatic recitation, and snacks and beverages donated by local stores. All experienced a time of healing though expression and community. If you missed the event, find more joy and inspiration here: Watch KFTC Live: www.bit.ly/KFTCLive Listen to Our Words Will Be Louder: www.hudost.com Enjoy our Flickr photo album: www.bit.ly/WithLoveKY
How Can We Overcome
It’s Not Me, It’s You
By: Barbara J.M. Pollock
By Joe Gallenstein
How can we overcome while our democracy is perishing before our very eyes!
We’ve come to say You need to get out of the way With Love, Kentucky
How can we overcome when across this unUnited States there is fast tracking by any means necessary to suppress the right to vote!
You’re prioritizing corporate profits Over workers’ needs You’ve cut our relief
How can we overcome when Breonna’s Law HB 21, which was prefiled in August 2020, is merely in committee for discussion at the very end of the legislative session?
So, we’ve come to say… It’s not me, it’s you With Love, Kentucky
How can we overcome when our freedom of speech is being muffled if caught not speaking nicely? (SB 211)
We need unemployment Rent relief And housing protection
How can we overcome when we refuse HB232 to bring people back into the fold as full citizens in restoring their right to vote but instead further penalize them with denial?
Funding for schools And for pensions And a living wage
How can we overcome when the least of our brothers and sisters are being penalized in a pandemic and the period to follow of getting on their feet? (HB 272) How can we overcome when proposed medical practices will discriminate against patients? (SB 83) How Can We Overcome? How Shall We overcome? When Will We Overcome? We will! We must! …. Overcome Together !!! Resolution to these issues WILL be continued…..
So, we’ve come to say.. it’s not me, it’s you With Love, Kentucky Safe in our homes Means statewide renter protections And that no-knocks are gone Safe in our full-selves Natural hair and our authentic pronouns Learning our full history But because you won’t do that We’ve come to say We’re breaking up with you. We’ll say again It’s not me, it’s you With Love, Kentucky
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Just Imagine Art Show envisions the Kentucky we deserve Over the past year, a group of KFTC members from the Empower Kentucky Leadership Network have been working together to deepen KFTC’s Just Transition work – to imagine what justice and sustainability look like in an anti-racist Kentucky. In service of this re-imagining, we put out a Call to Artists in late 2020, inviting artists of all genres to submit work that addresses: • t heir vision for a Just Transition to a just, sustainable, anti-racist future in Kentucky • how they have experienced joy, hurt, growth, or harm within KFTC’s work for a Just Transition • what they imagine our relationship with the environment and each other would be if we were free from the scarcity created by white supremacy The deadline for submissions was March 20, and we have been thrilled by the range, content, and quality of the 30+ works we have received. We will now hold a virtual “launch” event for the art exhibit, on Wednesday May 19, 2021 at 7 p.m. ET/ 6 p.m. CT. Submitted works will also be exhibited online.
Through this process, we hope to emerge with new, inspiring, and expansive ways to communicate about Just Transition in Kentucky. We will encourage our members and audience to engage in this imagining process by adding their ideas and reactions to the works. KFTC will also feed the ideas and stories reflected in the submitted art back into our Just Transition revisioning process and into our broader organizing strategy.
Just Imagine Virtual Art Exhibit Launch Wednesday, May 19, 2021 7:00 p.m. ET / 6:00 p.m. CT RSVP: www.bit.ly/Just-Imagine-Art-Show Note: The first 25 people who RSVP to attend the virtual launch will be mailed a special gift!
Kentuckians reflect on the power and fragility of our democracy The following was posted to the KFTC blog (www.kftc. org/blog) on January 7, 2021. The day before, January 6, began with news that both Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff were victorious in Georgia’s runoff elections, giving Democrats a majority in the U.S. Senate. Black grassroots organizers and their allies played a critical role in those wins. Later, supporters of then-President Donald Trump, motivated by his false claims of voter fraud and racist rhetoric, attempted an insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. Many were injured in the attack and five people died. Yesterday we saw both the power of democracy and the fragility of our hold on it. In both, we hear our call to organize. Yesterday’s inept attempt at a coup was both shocking and unsurprising. We’ve invoked Nsé Ufot many times since she shared this affirmation/warning
with members at this year’s Fall Gathering: “Your eyes do not deceive you.” They continue to resonate. Donald Trump has never hidden his connection to organized white supremacists or his intention to undermine democracy. The elected leaders who’ve supported him left him unchecked and fed the disease of hatred and racism that fueled his power, and they embedded it in our institutions at every level. We see it clearly here in Kentucky. The path Mitch McConnell cleared for Donald Trump is the same path he laid for Daniel Cameron, and the same path the Kentucky General Assembly is taking. Every Kentuckian, every American – every elected leader – now has to choose between sanctioning seditious domestic terrorism, or acting against it to affirm the values of our democracy with a full rejection of insurrection and terrorism. Democracy is the participation of the people, and it’s on all of us to
uphold it as our national aspiration. As KFTC, we make our choice every day. Every day, we choose each other. We live out our belief in the principle of democracy. We know it’s powerful because we know that we are powerful together. We witnessed this yesterday, too, as Georgia again showed the world that organizing works. Organizing – people working together with purposeful strategy, multiracial solidarity, and joyful resolve – won in Georgia. The moment we’re in is chaotic, and we’re facing real challenges in Kentucky. Turning this thing around is our work to do, and doing it together is the only way. Today, find your breath, hold your loved ones close as you can, get grounded. In the coming days, weeks, and months, our task is to organize – and to keep choosing each other.
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Political education series applies abolitionist perspectives In January, KFTC launched its first ever Political Education Series: Abolition 101. Rooted in police and prison abolitionist perspectives, this political education series depends on a curriculum that cultivates our collective imagination. When we come together to reimagine seemingly concrete structures in our communities, real change can take root. The need to create a curriculum for a political education series was recognized during the uprisings of summer 2020. In response to the killings of Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, and so many others, Kentuckians were called to take action. Amongst these calls to action, Kentuckians were also navigating new social justice movements, theories, and rally cries. A desire to understand these concepts more fully was voiced by folks across the Commonwealth. With the help of staff, members, and advisors, a Political Education library was compiled and a virtual educational series began to be developed. The announcement of the Political Education Series garnered the interest of over one hundred
Kentuckians. And since January, folks from Paducah to Pikeville have met monthly to participate in group discussions and gain a deeper understanding of abolitionist definitions and concepts. Most recently, the series hosted formerly incarcerated Kentuckians that shared their stories of overcoming the prison system in Kentucky. You can watch two of their testimonies at www.bit.ly/PoliEd-Testimony. This curriculum intends to move us toward our vision: a Kentucky where all people can enjoy a better quality of life no matter where they live, what they look like, or how much money they have in their pockets. KFTC’s Political Education series will continue through 2021. If you’re interested in participating, please sign up at www.bit.ly/Political-Education.
Check out the content we’ve been discussing in our Facebook group! Open your camera phone and hover over the QR code to join.
Abolition 101: definition of common terms Abolition: Prison Industrial Complex Abolition is a political vision with the goal of eliminating imprisonment, policing, and surveillance and creating lasting alternatives to punishment and imprisonment. (Definition from Critical Resistance at www.criticalresistance.org) Racism: A system of structuring opportunity and assigning value based on the social interpretation of how one looks (which is what we call “race”), that purposely unfairly disadvantages some individuals and communities, unfairly advantages other individuals and communities. (From Dr. Camara Jones, former President of the American Public Health Association) Prison Industrial Complex: The prison industrial complex (PIC) is a term we use to describe the overlapping interests of government and industry that use surveillance, policing, and imprisonment as solutions to economic, social, and political problems. (Definition from Critical Resistance at www. criticalresistance.org)
Policing: The definition of policing is larger than most of us think when we say “police.” Policing can take many forms, such as local cops, sheriffs, School Resource Officers, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Customs and Border Patrol and the Dept. of Homeland Security, the CIA and the FBI, National Guard, neighborhood watch programs, plus all the technology and surveillance that all of these different types of police use. Incarceration: When we say someone is incarcerated, most of us picture someone sitting in a jail or prison cell. However, we also want to include some other forms of incarceration: juvenile detention centers, house arrest, ICE detention, and folks living in every phase of the deportation machine (living in fear as an undocumented citizen is its own type of prison). Defund/Divest/Invest: A political strategy with the goal of divesting/defunding (or taking money FROM) programs that no longer support us and investing in (or putting money IN) programs that will help our communities.
A GUIDE TO REFORM Reform is a political vision with the goal of incremental change so as not to disrupt the status quo. We are currently living in a society reformed from slavery. There are some types of reform that actually move us further away from safer communities. Here is a simple guide for evaluating any suggested “reforms” of U.S. policing. Written by Mariame Kaba and published in Truthout, December 2017. OPPOSE proposed reforms allocating more money to the police OPPOSE proposed reforms advocating for MORE police and policing (under euphemistic terms like “community policing” run out of regular police districts). OPPOSE proposed reforms that are primarily technologyfocused. Why? a. It means more money to the police. b. Said technology is more likely to be turned against the public than it is to be used against cops. c. Police violence won’t end through technological advances (no matter what someone is selling you). OPPOSE proposed “reforms” focused on individual dialogues with individual cops. Individual dialogue projects reinforce the “bad apples” theory of oppressive policing.
SUPPORT proposals and legislation to offer reparations to victims of police violence and their families. SUPPORT proposals and legislation to require police officers to carry personal liability insurance to cover costs of brutality or death claims. SUPPORT proposals and legislation for (elected) independent civilian police accountability boards with power to investigate, discipline, fire police officers and administrators. (with caveats) SUPPORT proposals and legislation to disarm the police. SUPPORT proposals to simplify the process of dissolving existing police departments. SUPPORT proposals and legislation for data transparency (stops, arrests, budgeting, weapons, etc.)
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KFTC 2021 LEADERSHIP NOMINATIONS for selecting organization leaders The process for recommending, nominating, and electing members to KFTC’s Executive Committee reflects KFTC’s commitment to being a grassroots, member-led organization. It is an expression of KFTC’s core values, including our commitment to equity; an open, deliberate and democratic process; a model of shared leadership; and a practice of developing grassroots leaders as a primary strategy for social change. Anyone may nominate someone to serve in one of the four elected positions on KFTC’s Executive Committee or three seats on the Kentucky Coalition Board. In June, KFTC’s Leadership Development Committee considers those suggestions and recommends a slate of candidates for each board that is diverse and qualified.
The KFTC Steering Committee will review those recommendations on June 30, and formally nominate individuals for election at KFTC’s Annual Business Meeting on July 31. Nominations for the 2021/2022 Executive Committee and Kentucky Coalition Board are open until May 31, 2021. Here are ways nominations can be submitted: • Our online form: www.KFTC.org/nominations • Respond by mail using a form printed in balancing the scales • Email nominations@kftc.org
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE NOMINATIONS: Due May 31, 2021 KFTC’s Steering Committee is the statewide board that makes decisions about the organization’s strategy, policies, budget and long-term direction. The Steering Committee is made up of one representative from each chapter, plus five statewide officers. These five officers make up the Executive Committee. This group makes necessary decisions between Steering Committee meetings and provides leadership for the organization. Four members of the Executive Committee are elected. The fifth position is the immediate past chairperson. The following is a description of the elected positions: Chairperson The Chairperson is a voting member of the KFTC Steering Committee and Executive Committee, as well as the Chairperson of the KFTC Steering Committee and the Kentucky Coalition Board of Directors. They preside at all Annual Meetings, Steering Committee meetings, Executive Committee meetings and Kentucky Coalition Board of Directors meetings. Vice Chairperson The Vice Chairperson is a voting member of the KFTC Steering Committee and Executive Committee, as well as the Vice Chairperson of the KFTC Steering Committee and the Kentucky Coalition Board of Directors. They preside in the absence of the Chairperson at all Annual Meetings, Steering Committee meetings, Executive Committee meetings, and KC Board of Directors meetings. Secretary-Treasurer This officer serves as Secretary-Treasurer for KFTC and the Kentucky Coalition. They also serve as a
voting member of the KFTC Steering Committee and Executive Committee, as well as the Kentucky Coalition Board of Directors. The Secretary-Treasurer also serves as the chair of the Finance Committee. At-Large Representative The At-Large Representative is a member elected from anywhere in the state. They serve as a voting member of the KFTC Steering Committee and Executive Committee, as well as the Kentucky Coalition Board of Directors. Requirements: • A statewide officer must be a member of KFTC. • • A statewide officer cannot be a paid employee or the immediate family member of a paid employee of KFTC or Kentucky Coalition. • A statewide officer cannot serve in the same position for more than two years. • The Leadership Development Committee will consider all nominees and recommend a diverse slate of qualified candidates, taking into account a diversity of characteristics including gender, age, race, income, educational background, place of residence, level of involvement in the local chapter and statewide organization, issue interests, and other desired qualities. The Leadership Development Committee values your suggestions. You may nominate as many people as you like. You may nominate a person for a specific statewide office, or “for any position” on the KFTC Executive Committee. Either way, the Leadership Development Committee considers all nominees to be eligible for any and all of the positions.
KFTC’S CURRENT EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE: • T he chair is Cassia Herron. She has served two years, and will rotate into the Immediate Past-Chair position. • T he vice-chair is Alan Smith. He has served two years and is not eligible for another term in that position, but is eligible to serve in other positions. • T he secretary-treasurer is Rebecca Tucker. She has served two years as secretarytreasurer and is not eligible for another term in that position, but is eligible to serve in other positions. • T he at-large representative is Tiff Duncan. She has served one year in the position and is eligible for another term. •
The fifth position on the Executive Committee is an unelected position filled by the immediate past chair. This position is currently filled by former chair Meta MendelReyes. Cassia Herron will be rotating into this position.
Executive Committee members also may be nominated for positions other than the one in which they currently serve.
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KFTC 2021 LEADERSHIP NOMINATIONS for selecting organization leaders KENTUCKY COALITION BOARD NOMINATIONS: Due May 31, 2021 Kentucky Coalition is the affiliate organization of Kentuckians For The Commonwealth. Kentucky Coalition (KC) is a 501(c)(3) organization, meaning that it is allowed to accept tax-deductible donations from members and can access foundation grants that are not available to KFTC as a 501(c)(4). Kentucky Coalition’s purpose is to support grassroots community organizing, leadership development, and public education around important public policy. Its reach stretches beyond KFTC and beyond Kentucky. Kentucky Coalition has provided support and acted as fiscal agent for groups working in Appalachia and the South. For instance, Kentucky Coalition is currently the fiscal agent for the Alliance for Appalachia, a group of 15 organizations from Central Appalachia working to stop mountaintop removal mining and creating a sustainable, just Appalachia. The Kentucky Coalition Board provides general oversight and direction for the organization. It maintains a close working relationship with the KFTC Steering Committee, monitors finances, and conducts planning and evaluation. The board meets at least quarterly, often by conference call.
The Kentucky Coalition Board is composed of the five members of the KFTC Executive Committee plus three additional members who are elected by the KFTC membership at its annual meeting. Kentucky Coalition Board members serve one-year terms. The Kentucky Coalition board members who also are members of the Executive Committee follow the term limits placed on them as KFTC Executive Committee members. The three additional Kentucky Coalition Board members may serve four consecutive one-year terms.
The following members, in addition to the Executive Committee members, currently serve on the KC Board:
Requirements: • A Kentucky Coalition board member must be a member of KFTC. • A Kentucky Coalition board member cannot be a paid employee or the immediate family member of a paid employee of KFTC or Kentucky Coalition. • A Kentucky Coalition board member not on the KFTC Executive Committee cannot serve in the same position for more than four one-year consecutive terms. • The KFTC Leadership Development Committee will consider all nominees and recommend a diverse slate of qualified candidates, taking
into account a diversity of characteristics including gender, age, race, income, educational background, place of residence, level of involvement in the local chapter and statewide organization, issue interests and other desired qualities. • It is preferred that nominees to the Kentucky Coalition Board are people with prior experience on the KFTC Steering Committee or Finance Committee who do not currently serve as their chapter’s representative.
CURRENT KENTUCKY COALITION BOARD OF DIRECTORS:
• E zra Dike is in his second term. • J oy Fitzgerald is in her first term. • M atthew Gidcomb is in his first term.
SAVE THE DATE KFTC 2021 (VIRTUAL) ANNUAL MEETING JULY 30 & 31 This event is possible because of you!
Learn more at www.kftc.org
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Your Name:
CALL FOR NOMINATIONS: KFTC Executive Committee and Kentucky Coalition Board. Due May 31, 2021.
Phone:
You may nominate yourself or any other member for KFTC’s Executive Committee and the Kentucky Coalition Board of Directors. All nominations must be received by 5 p.m. ET on May 31, 2021. You may make your nominations by returning this form to KFTC at P.O. Box 1450, London, KY 40743. You also may email your nominations to nominations@kftc.org, or use an online form at www.kftc.org/nominations.
Email:
KFTC EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE: Due July 31, 2021
KENTUCKY COALITION BOARD: Due July 31, 2021
You may nominate as many people as you like for the KFTC Executive Committee. Use additional paper if needed, and a separate form for each nominee.
You may nominate as many people as you like for the Kentucky Coalition board. Use additional paper if needed, and a separate form for each nominee.
I would like to nominate: __________________________________________
I would like to nominate ___________________________________________ for a position on the Kentucky Coalition Board.
For the following position(s) on KFTC’s Executive Committee:
I believe this person is a good choice because: ___________________________ ____________________________________________________________
Chairperson Vice Chairperson
Secretary-Treasurer
Any of the positions
At-large Rep
I believe this person is a good choice because: ___________________________ ____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
I have spoken with this person about my nomination, and they are willing to be considered (it’s okay if you haven’t).
I have NOT yet spoken with this person about my nomination, and I do not know if they are willing to be considered.
____________________________________________________________
I have spoken with this person about my nomination, and they are willing to be considered (it’s okay if you haven’t).
I have NOT yet spoken with this person about my nomination, and I do not know if they are willing to be considered.
You may nominate as many people as you like for the Kentucky Coalition board. Use additional paper if needed, and a separate form for each nominee. I would like to nominate ___________________________________________ for a position on the Kentucky Coalition Board.
I would like to nominate: __________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
For the following position(s) on KFTC’s Executive Committee:
____________________________________________________________
Chairperson Vice Chairperson
Secretary-Treasurer
Any of the positions
At-large Rep
I believe this person is a good choice because: ___________________________
I have spoken with this person about my nomination, and they are willing to be considered (it’s okay if you haven’t).
I have NOT yet spoken with this person about my nomination, and I do not know if they are willing to be considered.
I believe this person is a good choice because: ___________________________ ____________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________
I have spoken with this person about my nomination, and they are willing to be considered (it’s okay if you haven’t).
I have NOT yet spoken with this person about my nomination, and I do not know if they are willing to be considered.
Return this form to:
KFTC P.O. Box 1450 London, KY 40743
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WHERE HAVE KFTC MEMBERS BEEN LATELY?
KFTC OFFICES AND STAFF MAIN OFFICE Morgan Brown, Ashley Frasher, and Burt Lauderdale P.O. Box 1450 London, KY 40743 606-878-2161 | Fax: 606-878-5714 info@kftc.org
FIELD OFFICES Jefferson County E’Beth Adami, Corey Dutton, Carissa Lenfert, Shauntrice Martin, and Jessie Skaggs 735 Lampton Street #202 Louisville, KY 40203 502-589-3188 Southern Kentucky Alexa Hatcher, Laura Harper Knight,and Whitney Kuklinski 958 Collett Ave., Suite 500 Bowling Green, KY 42101 270-282-4553
Photo by Melissa Alexander, Survival Media Agency Meredith Wadlington, KFTC organizer with the Central Kentucky chapter, traveled south to help get out the vote with Showing Up for Racial Justice (SURJ) during January’s Georgia run-off elections – an election that had high stakes for the country. SURJ’s primary purpose in Georgia was to organize poor and working class white people to impact the election. They worked in coalition with Black and people of color-led organizations, like New Georgia Project and Mijente, to secure victories for Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff and Democratic control of the U.S. Senate. A similar state-based coalition exists here in Kentucky, with both KFTC and SURJ taking part. Search for a SURJ chapter near you or support their work with a donation at www.showingupforracialjustice.org.
Northern Kentucky Dave Newton, Joe Gallenstein, and Caitlin Sparks 306 Greenup Street Covington, KY 41011 859-380-6103 Central Kentucky Tayna Fogle, Jessica Hays Lucas, Erik Hungerbuhler, Heather Mahoney, Nikita Perumal, and Meredith Wadlington, 250 Plaza Drive, Suite 4 Lexington, KY 40503 859-276-0563 Big Sandy Jerry Hardt and Jacob Mack-Boll 152 North Lake Drive P.O. Box 864 Prestonsburg, KY 41653 Madison County Lisa Abbott 210 N. Broadway #3 Berea, KY 40403 859-868-1179
Email any staff member at firstname@kftc.org, except for Jessica Hays Lucas use: jessicabreen@kftc.org and for Whitney Kuklinski use: whitneykuklinski@kftc.org. NKY member Kimmy Sandlin was tabling at Roebling Point Books & Coffee and talking to folks about the RECLAIM Act and the Empower Kentucky plan.
Members and staff were making calls about Voting Rights!
Your support makes this publication – and all the important work of KFTC members reflected in it – possible. Thank you! Here are three things you can do today: • Become a Sustaining Giver. With an automatic, recurring gift, you can ensure that KFTC’s work to build grassroots power keeps happening every day, all year long.
Change Service Requested
Kentuckians For The Commonwealth P.O. Box 1450 London, Ky. 40743
BUILD GRASSROOTS POWER JOIN KFTC OR RENEW YOUR MEMBERSHIP
• Renew your membership. • Invite a friend or family member to join KFTC. Give online: www.KFTC.org/support
Become A Sustaining Giver: Your automatic, recurring gift provides steady income to support KFTC’s work throughout the year. You get to choose how much and how often you give – and make a bigger impact. I will contribute $ _____ every: ⎕ Month ⎕ Quarter ⎕ Year To update an existing Sustaining Gift, contact Ashley at ashley@kftc.org or (606) 878-2161.
NAME: _______________________________________________________ ADDRESS: _______________________________________________________ CITY: __________________________________________________________ STATE & ZIP: _____________________________
_____________________
HOME PHONE: ____________________ CELL PHONE:______________________
I would rather make a one-time gift of:
⎕$250 ⎕$100 ⎕$50 ⎕$25 ⎕$15 ⎕$5 ⎕Other Amount: $_______ Suggested membership dues are $15-$50 annually, based on ability to pay. Your gift will make you a member or renew your membership for another year.
Payment Method:
EMAIL: _______________________________________________________
I would like my donation to go to: ⎕ KFTC: Donations are not tax-deductible. ⎕ KY Coalition: Donations are tax-deductible.
⎕ Check or money order enclosed. ⎕ Bank withdrawal: Please return this form with a voided check. (Best option for Sustaining Givers)
Tell us which issues you care about:
⎕ Credit card: Complete information below. ⎕ Visa ⎕ Mastercard ⎕ Am. Express ⎕ Discover
⎕ Just and Sustainable Economy: (good jobs; fair taxes; thriving local communities; good housing, education, and services; more)
Card Number: __ __ __ __ -__ __ __ __ -__ __ __ __ -__ __ __ __
⎕ Energy, Health, and Environment: (protect our air, water, health and climate; grow clean energy jobs; invest in a just transition in Appalachia; more)
Expiration Date ___ ___ / ___ ___ I authorize KFTC/KY Coalition and their authorized third-party processing vendor(s) to debit my account or charge my credit card in accordance with the information provided. I understand that this authority will remain in effect until cancelled or changed by reasonable notification to KFTC/KY Coalition.
Authorized Signature: ____________________________________ Date: ________________________________________________
⎕ Fairness and Equality: (racial justice; LGBTQ equality; fair immigration reform; more) ⎕ Healthy Democracy: (restore voting rights; expand and inform voter participation; reduce role of money in politics; more)
Donate online at: www.kftc.org/support
