I have a long-standing fear of karaoke. I have a deep love for the Southern Maine Workers Center. The only thing that can conquer deep fear is deep love, so here goes. Because I love this organization so much and believe so freaking deeply in what we can accomplish together, if I meet my fundraising goal for this campaign, I'm committed to facing my fears and singing karaoke in public.
If you donate to this campaign I will gladly accept your song suggestions!
I'm fundraising for the Southern Maine Workers Center because I love it. I love the fierceness and grit and scrappiness. I love our commitment to transformation together through grassroots organizing: to taking small (and large) risks, to learning together, to growing our political understanding through sharing our own experiences. SMWC has provided me with a community to hold my politics and my organizing in our corner in southern Maine while in solidarity with national and global movements for justice.
In the last year, SMWC has successfully organized to reject the Medicaid 1115 waiver which would have installed work requirements for Medicaid health care access. SMWC has launched an amazing worker support hotline and legal clinic that provides free organizing and legal services to anyone in Maine with questions about their rights at work. SMWC has run two study groups - one on building skills in organizing and one on all sorts of political education topics. SMWC has doggedly powered through a (seemingly endless) paid sick days campaign (my own personal heart) - where we've done everything from dialogue circles and open house nights, to elvis-themed press conferences, to public hearings, coalition-building, meeting with City Councillors, birthday-themed rallies complete with marching bands and cake, canvassing, talking to people and gathering thousands of signatures at the polls, at Pride, running a procott, the list goes on. It is truly amazing what we have done together in the last year.
Proud to ask for money for this organization that does so much with so little. Thank you!
