The Opportunity Agenda's weekly action alert system provides tools and tips for using breaking news to frame and advance economic opportunity and racial justice solutions. If you'd like to get The Amp delivered to your inbox, click the "Sign Up" button on the left.
Amplify Values In These Emerging Issues
Challenge Injustices Revealed by Natural Disasters, Hurricanes like Dorian
Hurricane Dorian has already broken storm records as it heads towards the United States. As we’ve seen many times before, natural disasters have the ability to reveal existing inequality among those directly affected. People living in poverty are disproportionately affected by natural disasters. Use Hurricane Dorian to push for economic justice in infrastructure, storm preparedness and recovery spending. Cite the values of Economic Security and Community.
- Messaging and communication tools: Shriver Center on Poverty Law’s What Natural Disasters Reveal About Racism and Poverty; Center on Budget and Policy Priorities’ History Shows What Steps Trump Administration and Congress Can Take to Ensure Access to Health Care for Those Affected by the Hurricanes; The Brookings Institute’s Can people afford American infrastructure?; Sightline Institute’s Talking about Climate Change and Weather; Latino Rebels' Climate Change, Poverty and Human Rights: An Emergency Without Precedent
- Hashtag: #Dorian; #climatejustice
Reject Trump’s Family Detention Plans
At the end of August, the Trump administration announced a new regulation intended to bypass legal protections for children detained by immigration officials (The Flores Agreement). The new rule would allow the indefinite detention of migrant families. Protest this rule by citing the values of Community, Family Unity, and Economic Security.
- Take action: Sign and share Save the Children’s petition Stop Indefinite Detention of Children!
- Messaging and communication tools: the Opportunity Agenda’s Talking About Imprisoned Children at the Border; Families Belong Together’s Final Rule on Flores: Talking Points and Graphics; National Immigration Law Center’s NILC Denounces New Trump Rule to Hold Children and Families in Detention Indefinitely; The Unitarian Universalist Service Committee’s New Trump Rule Would Lock Up Children Indefinitely
- Hashtags: #StopFamilyDetention; #ProtectMigrantChildren; #SaveFlores
Upcoming Media Hooks & Events
Sept. 4 - 11, 2019
Click on the dates below for messaging/communications tools and hashtags.
- Hunger Action Month
- National Recovery Month
- The Coalition on Human Needs webinar on Census Bureau's upcoming release of national poverty data. Wednesday, Sept. 4: At 2pm EDT
- Trump administration rescinded DACA: Sept. 5, 2017
- Jane Addams’ birthday: Sept. 6, 1860
- National Food Bank Day: Sept. 6, 2019
- Attica Uprising began: Sept. 9, 1971
- The Census Bureau releases national poverty and income data: Sept. 10
- “Patriot Day”/ Anniversary of Attacks on World Trade Center and Pentagon: Sept. 11, 2001
For a look further ahead in September, click here.
