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Dear Members and Friends,
Like me, you’re probably have been worrying and dreading the new Trump regime.
We’ll find out his first day his initial targets.
At the state and federal level, we are forced to be reactive. We have to pick our battles both in FL and for US democracy and women’s rights. Our main focus will be Florida and issue driven. We will get some things turned around and many we won’t. But we will fight, we are never silent, and we will never give up.
One of the key things for us to connect to probable Trump voters who never thought he would do the things he said in his many rallies. Connect on an issue and share the facts. With Amendment 4, we approached many different people to get the 57% vote. We will always focus on facts and truth. We got outside our bubble and it worked.
I have high hopes for us as a FL NOW team as well as in coalitions with others we trust and align with. We’ll need new approaches, e.g., disrupt and disobey, boycott. Each of us must find ways to have hope and build hope with others.
For the FL Legislative Session, we have strong representatives that work together. With your help, they’ll get some bad bills stopped, some bad bills changed to be less harmful, and pass some good bills. And yes, some bad stuff will get through due to the GOP Supermajority. Please, can you see your way to visit Tallahassee during the legislative session? We need concerned feminists to meet these legislators face to face. FL NOW will help you set up appointments and meet with Barbara DeVane, our FL NOW lobbyist.
Our focus is on the FL legislative session and committee meetings, January through early May. We have a one pager that states our priorities. Many of us across the state are testifying at Legislative Delegation Meetings. Like the last three sessions, we will be focused on making bad bills less bad. We hope to get some doable things through the legislature like cleaning up the 6-week ban law so doctors don’t fear their licenses will be revoked for acting for the health of pregnant people that are in dire straits, e.g., excessive bleeding. I don’t know if we’ll get a bill written for this. Offering something doable was a great idea from Minerva Glidden.
We need to do Tally Days (2 days only) in late Jan or early Feb and perhaps a second visit in March. Please let me know if you are willing to consider going, dcdeland@att.net.
We desperately need new members and donations. We need members to renew and rejoin. Have your family and friends join. FL NOW especially needs donations since we are covering the expense our lobbyist, our Legislative Director and our Communications Director. We pay them pittances. We need to have “Mobilize" (an online platform that alerts users to Events, Petitions and Volunteer Opportunities) that we can share with the Chapters, but it is $100/month. Can you help with that?
At the May 2-4 FL NOW Conference, we will be electing a new Board. Please step up to be President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, Membership Director, Communications Director, or Legislative Director. We need a strong Board for 2025-2027. Please let us know if you would consider one of the positions, dcdeland@att.net.
I am more than excited to work with you this year. It is going to take us supporting each other and driving hope in very difficult times.
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