“Ordinary people with extraordinary vision can redeem the soul of America by getting in what I call good trouble, necessary trouble. Voting and participating in the democratic process are key. The vote is the most powerful nonviolent change agent you have in a democratic society. You must use it because it is not guaranteed. You can lose it.”

— John Lewis, 2020

On his last days, John Lewis penned a letter to America titled “Together, You Can Redeem the Soul of Our Nation”. Give it a read again. It is still as relevant as it was five years ago. 

What do we do NOW? And what do we do NEXT?

No Kings, the big stupid bill, the 4th of July, Good Trouble actions on the 17th. There’s A LOT going on. Our heads are spinning but we are determined.

Deep breath. 

Let’s start with the easy one: Good Trouble on July 17th. Yes! We are planning events! Join your NJ 11th for Change friends at Ginty Field in Morris Township from 6 - 7:30pm for a Good Trouble Lives On event featuring speakers, music, and good trouble. Bring your signs (or maybe you will score one of those cool new NJ 11th fans at the event!)  https://mobilize.us/s/oBs4PR. 

NO KINGS is a day we won’t forget. And we will have a lot to say about it too, but not yet.  Keep an eye out this week for our longer NO KINGS Debrief newsletter with video links and information on what comes next. 

In the meantime, it’s hot. Like really, really hot. If only we had a way to cool down…. Wait a minute! 

Thanks to all of our members who joined us last Saturday night to make ❌👑NO KINGS rally signs while we watched the once-in-a-lifetime broadcast of “Good Night, and Good Luck” together! We are still thinking about George Clooney delivering that final monologue:

PRIMARY DAY IS TOMORROW! 

EVENTS? WE HAVE EVENTS! There are 3 events just on Saturday, June 14th! 

Can’t stop won’t stop:
June 7: Sign making and watch party 
June 10: Primary 
June 14: NJ 11th for Change REUNION before the Morristown NO KINGS rally
June 14: NO KINGS rally in Morristown
June 14: Montclair Pride! We will have a table there, come volunteer!

Are you ready for it? We have all your details right here!

If your group chats look like our group chats, you are spending tons of time talking about the upcoming primary election. But if you somehow managed to avoid the topic, here’s a reminder: we are THREE WEEKS AWAY from the gubernatorial primary in NJ! 

The Primary Election is June 10! 

Overwhelmed? Yup. We know the feeling. Rather than add to the noise, this newsletter is going to be short, quick, and best of all ACTIONABLE. So here are three quick things you can do today. Best of all, they really really matter. 

Number 1 — CALL YOUR REPS! 

Outraged? You better believe we’re outraged! Kilmar Abrego Garcia was illegally snatched from his life and family in Maryland and deported to a mega-prison in El Salvador last month. Despite a Supreme Court ruling, the current administration isn’t bringing him back. In fact, now they say maybe “homegrown” criminals should be shipped off too. 

Senator Chris Van Hollen of Maryland has led the charge demanding that Garcia be returned. We are thrilled to see Senator Booker continuing to stand up and speak out, saying he will be heading to El Salvador himself. Senator Kim has condemned these actions and called the Trump administration wrong. Give our senators a call and say thank you! They need to hear it!

Got all your plans set for Saturday? 

Working on your signs? Make sure you have some rain gear, though the forecast is improving. Keep your figures crossed! 

NJ 11th for Change members will be everywhere! We are hearing that 1000+ folks have signed up for each of the “Hands Off!” rallies in Montclair, in Morristown, AND in Bridgewater! 

And lots of you will be in NYC! All the details about how to meet up at the end of this newsletter. But first, we must TALK ABOUT CORY.

CORY BOOKER: “DISRUPTING BUSINESS AS USUAL”

After 72 days of enduring the chaos and malice of Trump’s second administration, causing a disruption was New Jersey senator Cory Booker’s plan on Monday evening when he walked onto the Senate floor.

And disrupt it he did. For 25 glorious hours, and 5 minutes.

Senator Booker delivered the longest speech ever on the Senate floor, beating Strom Thurmond’s 1957 record (a filibuster against the Civil Rights Act) by almost a full hour. 

Thank you to everyone who made it out for our NJ 11th for Change Volunteer Meeting on Thursday! It was so great to be together. Help us plan the next one and DONATE today! We can’t do this work without your support!

Was the room packed for the volunteer meeting? Yeah. It was. Did we have to extend the room for another hour because folks had a lot to say? Yeah. Yeah we did. We are so grateful to Bill Solomon for recording the event so we could share it with those of you who couldn’t make it. More events to come (gotta point out that donate link again!).

Purple has always been our color. We’ve been thinking that you probably need some fresh purple NJ 11th for Change swag for all the upcoming rallies and marches you’ve got on your calendar? 

Of course you do (and we know where you can get some!)

Come to our next volunteer meeting this Thursday, March 27th at 6:30! 

We need to hear from you! What kind of work should we focus on between now and November? More importantly, what do YOU want to do? As you all know, we’re a sneakers-on-the-ground group. What we want everyone ready to discuss on 3/27 is less “what our side needs to accomplish as a sweeping national movement” and more “what should WE as NJ 11th for Change do, in terms of issue-focus and action plans”. What can WE do; not the DNC, not legislators, but US. 

Talk to us!

Last week was frantic and in the end, beyond frustrating. Enraging, that’s the word we were looking for. Enraging. But we go on. 

We've been in planning meetings with various partners all weekend and have events to share! National call to action April 5! The next NJ 11th for Change meetup! Not to mention the Governing New Jersey discussion with Attorney General Matt Platkin this Tuesday. You did sign up, right? If not, go do that now! Sign up here.

Might need to print this photo of Representative Al Green of Texas and put in on the fridge as a reminder: 

STAND UP AND SPEAK OUT

It’s the last day of February. Time to BUY NOTHING and DO SOMETHING!