The Amp

During National Family Caregivers Month, it’s important to discuss our government's role in supporting caregivers. Cite the values of Community and Economic Security.

• Messaging and communication tools: Caregiver Action Network's National Family Caregivers Month Theme and Social Media Kit; Background on National Family Caregivers Month; Caring Across Generations' Policy Agenda;
• Read more: The U.S. Must Improve its Long-Term Care Industry (Aspen Institute)
• Hashtags: #NationalCaregiversMonth; #CaregivingInCrisis

For Native American Heritage Month, discuss the values of Voice, Economic Security, and Opportunity with your audiences.

• Messaging and communication tools: Everyday Feminism's 6 Ways to De-stereotype Native American Heritage Month; The Opportunity Agenda’s ‘We Are All Related’ and Native Artists: Shifting Our National Script; Smithsonian Museum partners’ Native American History Month; U.S. Department of Arts and Culture's #HonorNativeLand: A Guide and Call for Acknowledgement; National Congress of American Indians' Proud to Be Campaign; Reclaiming Native Truths’ Changing the Narrative about Native Americans; IllumiNative’s The false narratives, invisibility, and the erasure of Native peoples must end
• Hashtags: #NativesVote; #NAHeritage

Open enrollment for 2021 health insurance plans under the Affordable Care Act starts Nov. 1 and will end on Dec.15. The Trump administration is not advertising this fact and will be actively testifying against the ACA in the Supreme Court this month. November will be an important month for discussing the importance of healthcare insurance by citing the values of Community and Economic Security.

• Enrollment resources (look for updates as these partners learn more about the Trump administration's implementation of the ACA for 2021 enrollment): Georgetown University Center for Children and Families' Navigator Resource Guide; GetAmericaCovered.org; Kaiser Family Foundation’s FAQs: Marketplace Eligibility, Enrollment Periods, Plans and Premiums
• Messaging and communication tools: Center on Budget and Policy Priorities'  Social Media Graphics on Open Enrollment; 5 Good Reasons to Visit HealthCare.gov During Open Enrollment and Sabotage Watch: Tracking Efforts to Undermine the ACA
• Hashtags: #ACA; #GetCovered

Today is Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead). In the past, Detention Watch Network has used this day to remember the people who have died in immigration detention in the U.S. Cite the values of Voice and Community when discussing this day.

• Messaging and communication tools: The Opportunity Agenda’s Five Questions to Ask When Crafting Messages about Refugees in the Current Climate and 5 Tips for Talking About Border Communities Without Talking about a Wall; Detention Watch Network's Day of the Dead Digital Strategy resources;
• Hashtags: #LegislativeGraveyard; #diadelosmuertos; #DetentionDeaths; #DayoftheDead

The Carlisle Indian School opened in Carlisle, Pennsylvania on Nov. 1, 1879. It was the first boarding school of many that the federal government set up to forcefully assimilate Native children into white culture after taking them from their families. This shameful anniversary is a historical precedent for the Trump administration’s separation of families at the U.S. border. Discuss both the Indian schools and family separation by citing the values of Economic Security, Community, and Voice.

• Messaging and communication tools: The Carlisle Indian School Project’s Institutional History; The Opportunity Agenda’s ‘We Are All Related’; Smithsonian Museum and partners’ Native American History Month; U.S. Department of Arts and Culture's #HonorNativeLand: A Guide and Call for Acknowledgement; National Congress of American Indians' Proud to Be Campaign; Reclaiming Native Truths’ Changing the Narrative about Native Americans; IllumiNative’s The false narratives, invisibility, and the erasure of Native peoples must end
• Hashtag: #NAHeritage #NativesVote

On this day in 2013, 19-year-old Renisha McBride was shot and killed for asking for help after a car crash in Dearborn Heights, Michigan. The homeowner said that he thought his home was being broken into after he heard her knocking on his door early in the morning. Discuss the anniversary of McBride’s death by citing the values of Voice and Community.

• Messaging and communication tools: The Opportunity Agenda’s What does safety really mean in America? and Ten Lessons for Talking About Race, Racism and Racial Justice; Movement for Black Lives’ A Vision for Black Lives
• Hashtag: #RenishaMcBride; #BlackLivesMatter; #racialjustice

Across the country, voters will go to the polls to cast ballots for president, Congress, state and local offices, and ballot issues — many related to economic opportunity and racial justice. After the Supreme Court gutted key protections of the Voting Rights Act, states are finding new ways to disenfranchise voters. Cite the values of Voice and Community when talking about Election Day.

• Messaging and communication tools: #GoVote's Free digital art for sharing online; The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights' All Voting is Local project; Voting Record and the Leadership Conference Education Fund's; U.S. Commission on Civil Right’s Assessment of Minority Voting Rights Access in the United States; Movement for Black Lives' BlackNovember.org
• Hashtags: #govote; #togetherwevote; #blacknovember

On this day in 1986, President Ronald Reagan signed the Immigration Reform and Control Act (IRCA) of 1986, legalizing all undocumeted immigrants who entered the U.S. before 1982. Charles Kawasaki of The Migration Policy Institute points out that it was “an important milestone in U.S. immigration history, representing the first and most comprehensive legislation to take on the issue of illegal immigration to the United States.” Use this anniversary to talk about the need for truly just and humane immigration reform. Cite the values of Economic Security, Community, and Voice.

• Messaging and communication tools: Vice’s What a Reagan-Era Policy Can Teach Us About Immigration Reform Today; Documented Circa ‘86’s Immigration Reform Turns Thirty; Migration Policy Institute’s IRCA in Retrospect: Guideposts for Today’s Immigration Reform and  Video: Will Immigration Reform Ever Succeed Again? The Legacy of IRCA & Its Enduring Lessons
• Hashtags: #IRCA1986; #IRCA86

On Nov. 9, 1989 the Berlin Wall fell. The anniversary is an opportunity to discuss militarization at the U.S. southern border. Cite the values of Economic Security and Community.

• Messaging and communication tools: The Opportunity Agenda’s Five Questions to ask when Crafting Messages about Refugees in the Current Climate and Five Tips for Talking About Border Communities Without Talking about a Wall
• Hashtag: #WorldwithoutWalls

On Nov. 10, 1969, the public television children’s show, Sesame Street, first aired. At the time, it was the most racially diverse children’s show ever on TV. As one of the actors, Loretta Moore Long, noted: "Sesame Street has incorporated a hidden curriculum … that seeks to bolster the Black and minority child’s self-respect and to portray the multi-ethnic, multicultural world into which both majority and minority child are growing.” Use this anniversary to talk about the need for inclusion and intersectionality in television programs. Cite the values of Voice and Equality.

• Messaging and communication tools: The Daily Beast’s The Forgotten Tale of How Black Psychiatrists Helped Make ‘Sesame Street’; The Opportunity Agenda’s Power of Pop: Media Analysis of Representations of Immigrants in Popular TV Shows and Ten Lessons for Talking About Race, Racism and Racial Justice
• Hashtag: #ThisIsMyStreet

Transgender Awareness Week raises the visibility of transgender and gender non-conforming people in order to address the issues faced by the community. When discussing transgender concerns, be sure to refer to the values of Voice and Community.

• Messaging and communication tools: The Opportunity Agenda’s Ten Tips for Putting Intersectionality into Practice; GLAAD's Media Reference Guide and resource kit for journalists covering Transgender Day of Remembrance
• Hashtags: #TransWeek

On Nov. 13, 1956, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down segregation on Montgomery buses (Browder v. Gayle) and ordered Alabama to desegregate all public buses. Less than a year before, activist Rosa Parks was arrested for violating bus segregation laws by refusing to give up her bus seat to a white man. Her action launched a boycott of the buses that lasted for months. Fred Gray filed a lawsuit challenging bus segregation in federal district court on behalf of four black women who had faced discrimination. Discuss this anniversary by citing the values of Voice and Equality.

• Messaging and communication tools: The Opportunity Agenda’s Ten Lessons for Talking About Race, Racism and Racial Justice
• Hashtag: #BrowderVGayle

Today is World Kindness Day. Started by the World Kindness Movement, the day highlights "our good deeds in our communities, cities, and nations; it is for us to further focus on the positive power and common thread of kindness, which binds us together." Use this day to discuss the values we share as a nation, like Community, Voice, and Equality.

• Messaging and communication tools: The Opportunity Agenda's Vision, Values, Voice: A Communications Toolkit; TribLive's Be like Mister Rogers: Wear your cardigan for World Kindness Day
• Hashtags: #WorldkindnessDay2020

On this day in 1960, six-year-old Ruby Bridges integrated her New Orleans elementary school. She was escorted by four federal marshals and was met by a white mob who screamed insults and slurs. True school integration is still an issue in places like New York City. Discuss this anniversary and the need for real school integration by citing the values of Voice and Equality.

• Messaging and communication tools: The Opportunity Agenda’s Ten Lessons for Talking About Race, Racism and Racial Justice; Integrate NYC’s Real Integration and Constitution
• Hashtag: #RubyBridges

2020's Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week is Nov. 15-22. Sponsored each year by the National Coalition for the Homeless and the National Student Campaign Against Hunger and Homelessness, the event is an annual opportunity for people to come together and draw attention to the problems of hunger and homelessness. When talking about homelessness this week, cite the values of Community, Voice, and Economic Security.

• Messaging and communication tools: Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week’s website; The Opportunity Agenda's Perceptions about Poverty and Homelessness and Talking About Economic Justice; Center on Budget and Policy Priorities' Republican Plans to Cut Taxes Now, Cut Programs Later Would Increase Homelessness and Hardship; National Coalition for the Homeless' Manual for HHWeek; Western Regional Advocacy Project's' Homeless Bill of Rights
• Hashtag: #hhweek

Today is the Transgender Day of Remembrance/Resilence honoring those killed by anti-trans violence, which overwhelmingly targets Black and Latinx trans women and femmes. In 2014, the Audre Lorde Project founded Trans Day of Resilience to celebrate the power of the living trans family. When talking about these issues, cite the values of Voice and Equality.

• Messaging and communication tools: Forward Together’s Trans Day of Resilience art project; The Opportunity Agenda’s Ten Tips for Putting Intersectionality into Practice; GLAAD's Media Reference Guide and resource kit for journalists covering Transgender Day of Remembrance
• Hashtags: #TDOR; #TransDayofRemembrance; #TransDayofResilience

On Nov. 20, 1962, President John F. Kennedy issued Executive Order 11063, banning federally-funded housing organizations from racially discriminating. The order was symbolic and it wasn’t until the passage of the Fair Housing Act of 1968 that fair housing regulations were enforced. Today anti-discrimination housing policies are under attack by the Trump administration. Under the leadership of current Secretary Ben Carson, Housing and Urban Development has stepped back its enforcement of fair housing laws. 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: #FairHousing; #FightforHousingJustice; #DefendCivilRights

On Nov. 20, 1969, Native American activists landed on Alcatraz Island in the San Francisco Bay and occupied the island. They called themselves “Indians of All Tribes” and issued a proclamation, “We Hold the Rock.” The protest lasted for 19 months until the protest was forcibly ended by the U.S. government. Cite this anniversary as part of Native American History Month by using the values of Voice and Equality. 

• Messaging and communication tools: National Park Service's American Indian Occupation - 50th Anniversary; Zinn Education Project's Alcatraz Occupation; The Opportunity Agenda’s ‘We Are All Related; Smithsonian Museum and partners’ Native American History Month; U.S. Department of Arts and Culture's #HonorNativeLand: A Guide and Call for Acknowledgement; National Congress of American Indians' Proud to Be Campaign; Reclaiming Native Truths’ Changing the Narrative about Native Americans; IllumiNative’s The false narratives, invisibility, and the erasure of Native peoples must end
• Hashtag: #NAHeritage

On this day in 2014, 12-year old Tamir Rice was shot by police in Cleveland, Ohio for carrying a toy gun. He died the next day. Discuss the anniversary of his death by citing the values of Voice and Community.

• Messaging and communication tools: The Opportunity Agenda’s What does safety really mean in America? and Ten Lessons for Talking About Race, Racism and Racial Justice; Movement for Black Lives’ A Vision for Black Lives
• Hashtag: #TamirRice; #BlackLivesMatter; #racialjustice

On this day in 2002, the Department of Homeland Security was founded when President George Bush signed the Homeland Security Act into law, more than a year after the September 11th attacks. This bold government restructuring reframed immigration as a security issue. Use this anniversary to discuss the legacy of DHS agencies like Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Border Patrol. Cite the values of Economic Security and Community when discussing this anniversary. 

• 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
• Hashtags: #FamiliesBelongTogether; #EndFamilyDetention; #AbolishICE; 

Thanksgiving is often a time when tough or awkward conversations arise around the dinner table. Use these tools to keep your conversations focused on values.

• Messaging and communication tools: The Opportunity Agenda's Five Tips for Surviving Holiday Conversations; Zinn Education Project's The Politics of Thanksgiving Day; Colorlines' 5 Ways to Face Race at the Thanksgiving Table and Not Choke; Teaching Tolerance's Teaching Thanksgiving in a Socially Responsible Way; United American Indians of New England's National Day of Mourning
• Hashtags: #Thanksgiving; #thankstaking; #NationalDayofMourning

The Friday after Thanksgiving is often dubbed “Black Friday” because consumer spending puts retailers’ revenues “in the black.” And the day after has been declared to be "Small Business Saturday."

• Take Action: Use these hooks to share the Shop Your Values campaign run by the Main Street Alliance to support small businesses that are active community members advocating for economic and racial justice across the country. Also see Give Women Your Money: A Shoppable Spreadsheet for women-lead businesses.
• Messaging and communication tool: BlackOut Black Friday's Why Black Out Friday?; The Opportunity Agenda’s Campaign for Community Values Message Toolkit; TalkPoverty's Black Friday Isn’t the Only Time Workers Face Unfair Schedules; Center on Budget and Policy Priorities' 5 Things to Tell Your Family on Thanksgiving About ACA Coverage
• Hashtags: #blackfriday; #shopyourvalues

Shirley Chisholm was born on this day in 1924. Chisolm was the first black woman elected to Congress. Cite the values of Voice and Equality when talking about this day.

• Messaging and communication tools: The Opportunity Agenda’s Voice and Equality; National Public Radio’s A Look Back On Shirley Chisholm's Historic 1968 House Victory; Smithsonian’s “Unbought And Unbossed:” When a Black Woman Ran for the White House; WVTF’s 50 Years Later, Chisholm's Election Still Inspires Candidates
• Hashtags: #ShirleyChisholm #UnboughtUnbossed