The Amp

This week, Kirstjen Neilsen resigned as Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Her departure could be seen as a win for immigrant rights but many are concerned that it is a sign that the administration will take even harsher measures. Trump appointed Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Commissioner Kevin McAleenan as acting DHS secretary. At CBP, his agents separated over 2,800 children from their families and since December, four migrants have died in custody. Amidst these changes, a federal judge blocked the policy that requires asylum seekers to wait in Mexico while their cases are processed through U.S. immigration courts. Discuss this development citing the values of Community, Voice, and Equality.

• Take Action: Sign and share Define American’s petition Demand that the next DHS secretary must oppose family separation!
• Messaging and communication tools: The Opportunity Agenda’s 4 Tips to Keep the Border Conversation on What Really Matters; Communications to Protect Dreamers and our Nation’s Values and Immigration Policy Solutions: Promoting Family Unity; America’s Voice’s Failing and Flailing; ACLU’s Trump Picks Family Separation Advocate Kevin McAleenan to Be Acting Secretary of Homeland Security
• Hashtags: #FamiliesBelongTogether; #EndFamilyDetention; #WeAreNotFooled; #PresidentNotKing

Today on Capitol Hill, Senator Chris Coons and Representative Judy Chu introduced the No Ban Act bills in the Senate and House. The legislation wouldn’t just repeal Trump’s Muslim, asylum, and refugee bans — it would limit the ability for this or any future admin to do something like it ever again. Cite the values of Equality, Voice, and Community when discussing the bills.

• Take Action: Sign and share the #RepealTheBan petition.
• Messaging and communication tools: The Opportunity Agenda’s Talking About the Muslim Ban and Messaging Advice on The Supreme Court's Muslim Ban Decision; National Immigration Law Center’s RepealTheBan.org and toolkit
• Hashtags #RepealTheBan; #NoMuslimBanEver
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The Prison Fellowship and its partners are celebrating Second Chance Month to recognize the dignity and potential of 70 million Americans with criminal records who have repaid their debt to society. Join the campaign and Twitter chats each Monday this month. Cite the values of Redemption and Mobility.

• Messaging and communication tools: The Opportunity Agenda's Foster Successful Reintegration; Prison Fellowship's model resolutions for state and local officials, petition and social media toolkit;
• Hashtags: #SecondChanceMonth #SecondChances and #SecondPrison

This month is also Medicaid Awareness Month, with a different topic each week. This week, advocates will focus on how Medicaid Expansion has helped millions. Next week the focus will be on how Medicaid is a lifeline for rural America and veterans. When talking about Medicaid, cite the values of Economic Security and Community.

• Messaging and communication tools: The Opportunity Agenda's Talking about Economic Justice; Protect Our Care's State by State Fact Sheets, How Medicaid Helps Children and Families and Shareable Graphics; Center for American Progress' Who Receives Medicaid? A State-by-State Breakdown; Center on Budget and Policy Priorities' Medicaid Briefs: Who is Harmed by Work Requirements?
• Hashtag: #MedicaidMatters

Today is labor organizer and activist Dolores Huerta's 89th birthday. Use this anniversary to discuss the concerns of immigrant workers in the U.S. today. Cite the values of Equality, Voice and Economic Opportunity.

• Messaging tools: Independent Lens’ "Dolores" (Documentary) and The Opportunity Agenda’s Talking about the Importance of Unions and Economic Security
• Hashtag: #doloreshuerta and Twitter handles: @DoloresHuerta and @Dolores_Movie

Seven days after the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act on this day. The Act included the Fair Housing Act. Under the leadership of current Secretary Ben Carson, Housing and Urban Development has stepped back its enforcement of fair housing laws. And last month, fair housing groups settled an historic lawsuit with Facebook after alleging that its advertising platform enabled landlords and real estate brokers to exclude people of color, and other protected groups from receiving housing ads. Use this hook to discuss home opportunity and fair housing. Cite the values of Voice and Economic Security.

• Messaging tool: The Opportunity Agenda's Why Fair Housing, Fair Lending and Equal Opportunity and Reforming HUD’s Regulations to Affirmatively Further Fair Housing; The National Fair Housing Alliance's The Fair Housing Act at 50
• Hashtags: #FHAct50 #FairHousing

On this day in 1935, the worst dust storm in American history caused immense economic and agricultural damage across several states in what came to be known as “Black Sunday.” Combined with an eight-year drought, multiple dust storms caused crops and businesses to fail and forced many residents to flee in search of work in other states (as chronicled in books like John Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath). It’s important to commemorate how government intervention helped alleviate the crisis in the 1930s and how vital federal aid today can help Americans weather environmental catastrophes due to climate change. Cite the values of Economic Security and Community when talking about this anniversary.

• Messaging and communication tools: The Opportunity Agenda’s Talking about Economic Justice; Gulf Coast Rising’s Final Report; CultureStrike’s Climate Change is a Racial Justice Issue; Movement Generation’s Propagate Pollinate Practice; Peoples Climate Movement’s Resources
• Hashtag: #DustBowl; #ClimateStrike; #ClimateEmergency

Tax Day provides a great opportunity to connect the harms caused by the Trump-GOP tax scam with the Trump budget, which calls for slashing critical services such as healthcare and  education, and with Trump's call to repeal the Affordable Care Act. Cite the values of Economic Security and Community when talking about taxes on this day. And don't forget to file! 

• Take Action: Join the Twitterstorm at 12pm EST using this toolkit and hashtags #TaxDay2019 and #WhatsInYourReturn.
• Messaging tools: The Opportunity Agenda’s Quick Tips for Talking About Poverty and Taxes; Americans for Tax Fairness’ Tax Day 2019 Toolkit; Center on Budget and Policy Priorities' Tax Day 2019: Top Federal Tax Charts, Lightbox Collaborative's "I Love Taxes!"; Topos' Taxlandia; Institute for Policy Studies' Where Your 2018 Tax Dollar Was Spent
• Hashtags: #TaxDay; #TaxDay2019; #WhatsInYourReturn.

On this day in 1963, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. wrote his famous open letter from Birmingham Jail. King was incarcerated for disobeying an injunction against public protest in Birmingham. The letter outlined King’s belief in nonviolent civil disobedience in the struggle for civil rights. He wrote, "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere". This anniversary provides an opportunity to discuss the ongoing work of intersectional racial and economic justice. Cite the values of Equality, Voice, and Opportunity.

• Messaging and communication tools: The Opportunity Agenda’s Ten Lessons for Talking About Race and Ten Tips for Putting Intersectionality into Practice
• Hashtag: #birminghamjail