Protest. Call. March. Donate

Halima
Apr 12
3 min read

It may sound like a broken record, and it will—for the next four years.

Protest. Call. March. Donate. Write letters to the editor. Recruit like-minded voters. Support local candidates. The list goes on. These are the actions we must take if we want to avoid silently watching our democracy erode. We cannot let up.

National Actions:

Congress is in recess this month:

House of Representatives: April 11–27
Senate: April 12–27

Senator Warren, Senator Markey, and Representative Keating have no town halls scheduled this week. Typically, we’d encourage attendance at those events, but in the meantime, you can still call their offices to voice your concerns.

Some urgent talking points include:

Opposing the SAVE Act
Expressing concern about FEMA freezing funds due to Trump’s executive order barring states with sanctuary cities from receiving federal support

You can find a full list of ongoing federal issues at 5Calls.org.

Update on the SAVE Act: As I wrote last week, the SAVE Act passed the House with a vote of 220–208. Four Democrats voted in favor:

Jared Golden (ME)
Marie Perez (WA)
Henry Cuellar (TX)
Ed Case (HI)

If you're one of the 1.5 million women in Massachusetts whose name doesn’t match the one on your birth certificate, your right to vote in federal elections could be jeopardized if this bill becomes law. Even if the Senate does not pass it, now is a smart time to apply for a passport—for yourself and your family. Planning ahead is better than scrambling later.

State Actions:

The ACLU of Massachusetts has prioritized two key bills:

The Location Shield Act (HD2965/SD501)
- Bans the sale and trade of cellphone location data on the open market
The Dignity Not Deportation Act (HD3596/SD1107)
- Prohibits immigration detention in state/local facilities
- Ends voluntary cooperation with federal immigration enforcement

Call or email your state legislators and urge their support:

Senator Michael Rodrigues 617-722-1114 (Boston Office) michael.rodrigues@masenate.gov
State Representative Mark Sylvia 617-722-2400 (Boston Office) mark.sylvia@mahouse.gov

Local Actions:

There are two open positions for Library Trustee in town. Kimberly Burt is running for re-election, but we need a second candidate.
- Deadline to pull nomination papers: April 21 at 5 PM
- Deadline to submit: April 23 at 5 PM
- Trustees meet monthly, typically on Thursday evenings.
May 5 is the last day to register to vote.
Local Demonstration
- Saturday, April 19 at 12 PM on Route 6 in Fairhaven
- Sponsored by the Fairhaven Democratic Town Committee
- The 50501 group is also promoting national protests against the Trump Administration on the same day
Rochester Women’s Club Earth Day Town Cleanup
- Saturday, April 19 from 10 AM – 2 PM
- Pick up trash bags and choose your cleanup area at the club
- DPW will collect trash bags from the roadside later in the week
Rochester Town Dems Meeting
- April 16 at 6:15 PM

My Two Cents:

I am horrified—to put it mildly—by the Trump administration’s decision to round up 130 Venezuelan nationals and deport them to El Salvador’s infamous mega-prison. The matter is currently tied up in the courts.

But we can act now. Boycott the airlines chartering ICE deportation flights. One such airline is Avelo Airlines, a low-fare carrier flying out of New Haven, CT. Tell your friends and family in Connecticut.

Another company losing my support is Airbnb. Co-founder and board member Joe Gebbia also sits on the Tesla board and works with Elon Musk’s DOGE initiative. Instead, I’m switching to VRBO, which recently deepened its commitment to diversity and inclusion.

As Always…

I welcome your feedback and encourage you to share this post with like-minded friends.

If you’ve:

Made phone calls
Donated to political causes (e.g., Bernie Sanders is raising funds for his rallies)
Have Taken part in any of the actions I’ve mentioned

…please let me know! It helps me understand the impact and momentum of our collective efforts.

Sharing is Caring, Your Political Action Committee