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July 22, 2019 | Deeds Digest No. 146
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Hello #Changemakers!
It is with bittersweet feelings that I want to let you all know that, as of today, I will no longer be a member of the Deeds' staff team. I am moving on to pursue other adventures. And I am wistful about saying goodbye to the day-to-day work that we accomplish here.
Deeds began as an idea, became a clearer vision and then was made reality, not by anything that I did, but really because of all that YOU have done. In 3 years of working together, we have accomplished so much!
Through our 19 high school and college chapters on campuses throughout this state, I have been privileged to see the energy and activism with which each of you has addressed issues of importance. You've done incredible work through your chapter capstone projects - from passing a city council resolution in El Paso, to educating fellow students on the legislative process, to advocating for the placement of free menstrual products on your campuses, to educating fellow students about toxic masculinity and also about how to have healthy, supportive sexual relationships. And so much more.
Additionally, in our 3 short years of working together, you have been an instrumental part of passing 25 bills into law and in preventing the passage of some pretty awful ones, too! The courage you have displayed when you've shown up in committee hearings to testify or in press conferences or to advocate in legislative offices has been nothing short of inspiring to watch. And I am so very proud of each and every one of you.
I am pleased to let you know that two of our current Deeds team members will be taking over the reins as our Co-Executive Directors. Claudia Yoli will oversee our programming and Amber Davis will oversee our operations. They are going to take Deeds in a direction that I am sure I could never have envisioned. And I cannot wait to see all that they and you will accomplish together.
Please know that working with you for these past several years has been the honor and privilege of a lifetime. I look forward to everything you will do in the future, all you will achieve and all that you will become.
Much love,
-wendy
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This past weekend, #TeamDeeds joined over 3,000 activists and community organizers from across the country at Netroots Nation 2019! The conference was hosted in the historic city of Philadelphia, where resistance and people power still persist.
With over hundreds of panels and trainings to choose from, our team had the opportunity to share ideas and best practices with so many influencers in our movement. We built community with fellow Changemakers, stood in solidarity with those fighting at the forefront of our issues, and plotted our collective wins to come.
Our favorite keynote, titled Making Herstory: The Women who are Shifting the Balance of Power in Washington, included Rep. Ilhan Omar, Rep. Deb Haaland, Rep. Rashida Tlaib, Rep. Ayanna Pressley, and She the People founder Aimee Allison.
They talked about their recent visit to El Paso (my hometown!) and their experience touring the detention facility where immigrant women and children are being detained, dehumanized, and abused.
These sisters in power are shaking up politics and sending a loud and clear message to the world–– they are here to stay. They are here to fight.
Adelante Siempre,
Claudia Yoli Ferla
Director of Student Outreach and Organizing
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Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera Are Getting Monuments in NYC
Marsha P Johnson: ‘America’s first transgender statue’ will immortalise Stonewall riots veteran. At the celebration of Stonewall's 50th anniversary, it was announced that trans activists Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera, whom were integral parts of early LGBTQ+ activism movements are getting monuments in their honor. Activists and LGBTQ+ historians are working hard to make sure their legacies are authentically represented as not just LGBTQ+ activists but include all their intersections as women of color, black people, sex workers and marginalized peoples.
Here's more of what's inspiring us...
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Here at Deeds, we’re here to help you learn about candidates' approaches to issues that are important to you, so that when you vote next year, you’ll do so with the best information possible. But to know what you care about and how you'll decide who you want to support, we need to hear from you, #Changemaker!
Please fill out the survey below to tell us about the issues that will drive your participation at the polls next November.
We got this,
Izzie
Deeds' Summer Intern
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This Week's #Changemaker:
TSU Campus Organizer TeQuila Chatmon
Hi!
My name is TeQuila Chatmon and I can best be described as an ordinary young woman who does extraordinary things. I am from the Greater 5th Ward area of Houston, Texas and a proud Houston native. I am currently a student at Texas Southern University majoring in Administration of Justice with a minor in Sociology. I am the Campus Organizer and President of the Texas Southern University Chapter of Deeds not words, as well as the President of the Texas Southern University Chapter of IGNITE. My drive is to change the negative stigma associated with my campus and community. I hope to bring change in the corrupt criminal justice system. My love for helping and encouraging others is what fuels my passion.
What are you currently working on to make change in your community?
I am currently working on what I call the “Know your rights” campaign that will seek to educate people of color on their legal rights so that they will not be subjected to unfair treatment by officials and the criminal justice system.
What advice would you give to others who are looking to make a difference, but don't know where to start?
I would tell other young #Changemakers to always act on things that they are passionate about and to always be empathetic to others. Personally, I feel that if an issue is affecting others, then it is affecting you too. Martin Luther King Jr. once said that “injustice somewhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”
What's are you biggest hopes/dreams for the future?
My biggest hope for the future is that the criminal justice system is reformed, and the school to prison pipeline that is greatly affecting minorities is erased.
–TeQuila Chatmon, #Changemaker
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