- Newsletter
The Current ⚡️June 2024
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A NOTE FROM ELENA – SENIOR POLICY ASSOCIATE
Hi everyone!! I am Elena Perez, the Senior Policy Associate (& a federal lobbyist) with March For Our Lives! In this role, I help advise on and oversee efforts that are a part of our federal policy goals. This can be in various forms, from working with coalitions, collaborating across teams in our own organization to help inform how to organize or talk about our priority legislation, building relationships & communicating with members of Congress, co-create our policy strategy, and develop opportunities for other young people to get involved.
Some of my work in the past few weeks includes partnering with the organizing team to have folks drop into congressional offices to show support for the Counseling Not Criminalization in School Act (CNC) and the People’s Response Act. I also hosted a federal lobby day for those 2 bills just last week, which included over 23 meetings and 200+ office drop-ins. I also co-hosted a congressional briefing on legislation that supports community safety programs with the Movement for Black Lives, Color of Change, and the Futures Institute.
Building the Movement
1. JOIN THE LITTY TEAM
A movement is nothing without art, so join the LITTY Team. As a volunteer-led team, LITTY enables you to immerse yourself in creative movement work alongside other students.
2. ORGANIZE WITH US DURING THE ELECTIONS
Join March For Our Lives to secure a future free of gun violence by volunteering for our electoral work! Sign up below, and a youth organizer will contact you to add you to our team.
3. CHECK IT OUT! WEAR ORANGE MONTH
This year, we once again unite in our call to end gun violence as we come together for Wear Orange. We honor the communities shattered by gun violence alongside the more than 120 people who are shot and killed and hundreds more who are wounded and traumatized every day in our country.
OUR WORK ON THE PRA
In-person and online, working to transform public safety for all.
Earlier this month, organizers from across the country came together for one day in Washington, DC, to advocate for the People’s Response Act. The People’s Response Act, spearheaded by U.S. Representative Cori Bush, proposes a groundbreaking shift in public safety. The Act advocates for a holistic approach, integrating public safety with health services under the Department of Human Health and Services. Addressing root causes and focusing on prevention aims to save lives and foster community well-being. Emphasizing equity and inclusivity, the Act strives to create systems that support all communities to thrive.
With 225+ meetings and office drop-ins, June 12th kicked off our summer of grassroots advocacy, fighting for a better future. Keep the momentum going! Click the link below to message your representative and learn more about how you can get involved in the fight to pass the People’s Response Act.
Upcoming in the Movement
Anytime – An Explainer on the Rahimi Case
In 2020, a man named Zackey Rahimi physically assaulted his partner and threatened her life with a gun, then fired his guns in public places on multiple occasions. Last Friday, the Supreme Court affirmed our constitutional right to disarm those who pose a threat to their partner or others. A federal law, U.S.§922(g)(8), prohibits those subject to domestic violence restraining orders, as Rahimi was, from possessing firearms.
To find out more about the intimate connection between domestic violence and gun violence and to read the stories of the survivors who know this all too well, read our amicus brief in U.S. v. Rahimi below.
07/03/2024 – Litty Team Meeting
A movement is nothing without art, so join the LITTY Team. As a volunteer-led team, LITTY enables you to immerse yourself in creative movement work alongside other students.
Weekly meetings are open to all! Feel free to join.
Getting Connected to MFOL
Meet With A Coach
Our team is ready to support you with expert coaching, advice, and mentorship. If you’re putting together an event, need help developing a strategy, or just need someone to help, call us!
Join the Discord
Our Discord community is where all our staff and top organizers are, plotting the next steps for the movement. Join us to be the first to know about events and news about MFOL and the movement.