Samiya Rasheed and Rosalyn Lucas attended an advocacy event together Tuesday evening, despite the 90° temperatures and no air conditioning inside the Ecumenical Campus Ministries building.
Luckily, Lawrence PRIDE brought enough paddle fans to help people withstand the heat. Similarly, it along with 14 other local organizations at “Loud & Local: A Summer Advocacy Forum” brought the heat to withstand what’s happening in the government.
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“I think things like these are genuinely how I am coping best,” Rasheed said, referring to the event. “Because as much as there are these huge things that I feel really helpless towards, under any circumstance it’s good for me to remind myself that I do have whatever power I have, especially on a local level.”
Hosted by youth-led civic engagement group Loud Light, the forum Tuesday aimed to plug community members into organizations that celebrate culture and defend human rights.
“I think joy in this time is kind of a radical act,” Lucas said. “Loving your friends and family, loving your community and trying to build people up.”
Mac Moore/Lawrence TimesRosalyn Lucas and Samiya Rasheed
The 15 organizations present hosted tables, sharing tangible action items and free social gatherings aimed at building community through tumultuous times.
Lucas said visiting with Lawrence Tenants on Tuesday piqued her interest about involvement.
The group is composed of renters championing safe, accessible and truly affordable housing for all and is currently pushing for countywide tenant right to counsel, which would guarantee legal representation for anyone facing eviction.
Mac Moore/Lawrence TimesLawrence Tenants table
“I think especially right now, we’re all trying to have whatever agency we can,” Lucas said. “And right to counsel seems to be something that has a clearer route to approach and will really, really help the many people that are faced with evictions that are constantly unfair.”
Douglas County CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) is looking for volunteers, Program Director India Herman said, as the program seeks more innovative ways to meet the needs of kids in the child welfare system.
Mac Moore/Lawrence TimesDouglas County CASA table
Alina Matejkowski operates the ACLU of Kansas’ social media platforms as the digital communications specialist. She discussed a new legal reform work and immigration advocacy folks can lend help to. She said the organization also serves as a resource.
“Feel free to always use that as a resource, because we try to be as responsive as possible,” Matejkowski told attendees. “Because these issues are personal. They affect you. They will personally affect you and your loved ones.”
Mac Moore/Lawrence TimesAlina Matejkowski
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Mac Moore/Lawrence TimesLois Orth-Lopes, of the Lawrence Branch NAACP
Mac Moore/Lawrence TimesLeague of Women Voters of Lawrence/Douglas County
Mac Moore/Lawrence TimesCaleb Stephens shared information about Black Brunch LFK, bringing Black people together for a Sunday brunch once a month.
Mac Moore/Lawrence TimesClare’s Community Closet, a mutual aid resource and donation partner store founded by Clare Nderagakura, is now located at 10 E. Ninth St. Suite B in Lawrence.
Mac Moore/Lawrence TimesClare Nderagakura of Clare’s Community Closet
Mac Moore/Lawrence TimesLawrence Food Not Bombs table
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Mac Moore/Lawrence TimesMariel Ferreiro
Mac Moore/Lawrence TimesUrsula Minor and Lois Orth-Lopes at the Lawrence Branch NAACP table
Mac Moore/Lawrence TimesPaige Robinson at the Van Go table
Mac Moore/Lawrence TimesTrans Lawrence Coalition table
Mac Moore/Lawrence TimesLeague of Women Voters got folks registered to vote.
Mac Moore/Lawrence TimesDonnavan Dillon, Lawrence/Topeka organizer with Loud Light, led the event Tuesday.
Mac Moore/Lawrence TimesTatyana Younger hosts the Kansas Interfaith Action table.
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Mac Moore/Lawrence TimesTatyana Younger
Mac Moore/Lawrence TimesChristina Haswood
Mac Moore/Lawrence TimesUrsula Minor
Mac Moore/Lawrence TimesACLU of Kansas table
Mac Moore/Lawrence TimesPancho Metz
Mac Moore/Lawrence TimesPFLAG Lawrence table
Mac Moore/Lawrence TimesVal Metzler, of Lawrence PRIDE
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Mac Moore/Lawrence TimesLawrence PRIDE table
Mac Moore/Lawrence TimesDonnavan Dillon
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