Adam Keller, Alabama Arise, will be our guest speaker on Thursday, 21 September at 6:00 pm for our monthly meeting and pot luck dinner. Among other things, he will talk about Alabama Arise and what they do, their statewide policy priorities, and his goals as the new northeast AL organizer. Adam will also talk briefly about the state of Alabama’s labor movement.
(If you aren't familiar with Alabama Arise, please give them a look at https://www.alarise.org/ Jim and I have been members for years and look forward to being in person with such a smart, caring and hard working group of people at the Annual meeting coming up in a couple of weeks. It's a real 'boost' to be in a room with hundreds of 'like minded' people from all over the state making good things happen and giving voice to those who aren't being heard! Beverly)
Adam Keller joined Arise as the northeast Alabama organizer in 2023. A lifelong Southerner, he has spent more than a decade as an activist and organizer in north Alabama and has been involved in a variety of campaigns and organizations fighting for the better Alabama that is not only possible, but necessary. Adam is a former high school history teacher and spent more than five years representing educators in Huntsville. He is a union stagehand with IATSE 900 and is proud to volunteer for his local and the North Alabama Labor Council. He holds a B.S. in social science from Athens State University.
Taken from the website:
Expanding Medicaid and ending the state sales tax on groceries will remain top goals on Alabama Arise’s 2023 legislative agenda. More than 400 members voted on Arise’s issue priorities in recent days after the organization’s annual meeting Saturday. The seven issues chosen were:
Adequate budgets for human services like education, health care and child care, including Medicaid expansion to make health coverage affordable for all Alabamians.
Tax reform, including untaxing groceries and capping the state’s upside-down deduction for federal income taxes, which overwhelmingly benefits rich households.
Voting rights, including automatic universal voter registration, removal of barriers to voting rights restoration for disenfranchised Alabamians, and other policies to expand and protect multiracial democracy in the state.
Criminal justice reform, including retroactive application of state sentencing guidelines and repeal of the Habitual Felony Offender Act.
Death penalty reform, including a law to require juries to be unanimous in any decision to impose a death sentence.
Public transportation to empower Alabamians with low incomes to stay connected to work, school, health care and their communities.
Payday and title lending reform to protect consumers from getting trapped in debt.
“Arise believes in dignity, equity and justice for everyone,” Alabama Arise executive director Robyn Hyden said. “Our 2023 issue priorities reflect the need to work together to break down policy barriers that keep people in poverty, and that disproportionately harm Black and Hispanic Alabamians. We must build a healthier, more just and more inclusive future for our state.”
Our monthly meetings are 'pot luck dinner - so please bring your favorite dish to share with others. If you are unable to do that this month - please join us anyway! There's always more than enough food :) Also, please bring a friend!
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