Dear PAGE activist,
Over the year and a half, cruelty and spectacle have emerged as the hallmarks of this administration. This week, while Trump made headlines with his summit with North Korean dictator Kim Jong-Un (by many accounts one of the world’s worst human rights abuser), the domestic immigration crisis continues to be horrifying. In the past six weeks, the Trump administration policy has separated 2,000 children from their parents at the border. This tragic, inhumane cruelty demands our utmost attention and action.
There are indications that worse is to come. We learned this week that the former WalMart in Texas being used to hold 1,500 minor immigrant children isn’t big enough to house Trump’s cruelty - his administration is considering building tent camps to house up to 5,000 more kids. Meanwhile, asylum seekers are sleeping on the ground outside our southern border, as Attorney General Jeff Sessions coldly declares that people fleeing domestic abuse or gang violence are not eligible for asylum.
This week, we keep fighting tooth and nail against these cruel policies, while keeping up our efforts to vote in a Congress in November that will act as a check against the monstrous policies of this administration. We also get to know more about the brave activists of the Afghan peace movement, many of whom have known only war in their lifetimes.
As always, our actions are curated for US Americans abroad and global citizens. If you’re new to PAGE, get in touch with us at engage.with.page@gmail.com, or check out our websiteand updated toolkit. Please help us spread the word about PAGE by forwarding this email to friends, family members, and like-minded acquaintances, where they can join our community by clicking on this link to our sign-up sheet.
In solidarity,
PAGE Global Coordinating Committee
Priority Actions
- Mobilize your loved ones against the Trump administration's inhumane treatment of immigrants. In past weeks, we’ve reported on the effects of family separation, such as the death by suicide of a father separated from his family, and a little boy whose devastating drawing of his family shows the pain of Trump’s policies. Separating children from families is “unforgivable,” according to people who are witnessing it firsthand. The public health literature on adverse childhood experiences shows how early trauma can damage children’s health and well-being throughout their lifespan. Last week the U.N. Commission for Human rights stated “the use of immigration detention and family separation as a deterrent runs counter to human rights standards and principles,” and “there is nothing normal about detaining children.”
- Donate to organizations that are working on the ground to help and protect children and families, such as the Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services (RAICES), the Young Center for Immigrant Children’s Rights, the Florence Project, and Kids in Need of Defense. Give as generously as you can, and share your gift on social media to encourage others to give.
- Find out by clicking here if your Senator is one of the co-sponsors of the "Keep Families Together Act", which aims stop the cruel policy of separating children from their parents. If your Senator is a sponsor, thank them by phone or on social media - if they aren’t, call and ask them to do so now! 5Calls will brief you further on this issue and link you to your Senator for a call.
- Write a letter about how family separation is contrary to human decency and what our values should be. Herd on the Hill, a group of volunteers who visit the Washington, D.C. offices of Members of Congress (MoCs), is collecting letters urging lawmakers to exert their power to stop family separation. Write your own letter here, which will be hand-delivered to your MoC. Letters will be delivered on Tuesday, June 19th, so act now!
- Speak to your family and loved ones about what you can do together, as a family, to help other families. Perhaps you can make a family donation to an organization supporting immigrant rights (see above!). Perhaps you can write a letter to your local newspaper.
- Support the growing Afghan peace movement. The people of Afghanistan have lived in a state of war for the past four decades, including the American war of the past 16 years. Recently, a group of young Afghans have launched a grassroots movement for peace via a 700-kim cross-country march from the Helmand Province, a Taliban stronghold, to the capital Kabul. These activists have braved security threats, 100-degree temperatures and the challenge of fasting (going without food or water) during the holy month of Ramadan to spread their message of peace.
- Watch this video on the march for peace from Al Jazeera. Check out more images and videos of the #HelmandPeaceMarch on Twitter - we got inspired by these kids singing an “Anthem of Peace” in Ghazni province.
- Share what you learned on social media. Bring attention to the peace march on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or whatever social media you use.
- Brainstorm ways to support the peace movement with your PAGE group and other friends and activists. Are there local movements for peace in your country of residence? Any ideas? Please share them with us at engage.with.page@gmail.com.
- Keep Getting that Vote Out. Did you know that only 12-14% of U.S.-Americans abroad vote in Presidential elections, with less than 4% voting in midterm elections? Yikes! We have a lot of work to do - especially since there are signs that November’s “blue wave” may be faltering. Winning back at least one chamber of Congress is critical to stopping the Trump agenda until 2020.
- Write an op-ed encouraging fellow U.S.-Americans abroad to vote! Our friends at Action Together Zurich have got the statistics and the arguments to encourage every U.S.-American abroad to vote, as seen in this op-ed. They’re working with PAGE members and voters abroad to exercise their right to vote. If you’d like to write an op-ed of your own, get in touch with ActionTogether-Zurich, and they can help support!
- Join our Global Get Out the Vote Efforts! Join fellow US-Americans abroad to Get Out The Vote for November elections! VoteFromAbroad.Org has all the info you need to register you and your friends abroad. To share widely with friends and on social media, like “VoteFromAbroad” on Facebook. Don’t forget to use this form to organize and track the number of people you register to vote and tweet us @PAGEofdemocracy to tell us about your efforts, using #NotTooFarAwayToVote!
- Write for PAGE! Do you love to write? Do you like staying engaged with progressive politics? We’re looking for 1-2 more writers and editors to support with our weekly actions. This flexible commitment is generally about 3-5 hours/month; writers get connected with a global network and receive training on digital communications. If you or someone you know is interested, email us at engage.with.page@gmail.com.
**Thank you for your progressive action!**