02.28 Cuomo’s 2021 book is gonna hit different
Comptroller forum, H.R.1 (major voting rights legislation), and tons of art shows
As we laid out this week, Cuomo is a bad man. Not only did he cover up the number of nursing home deaths, give blanket immunity to nursing home execs, force nursing homes to take in Covid-sick patients without proper staff, testing, and PPE, he also bullied Assemblymember Ron Kim for speaking out with the truth. If that wasn’t bad enough, we learned that he also sexually assaulted former aide and current Manhattan Boro Prez candidate, Lindsey Boylan. Now, another former aide of Cuomo’s has come forward to share her story of sexual harassment at the hands of the Governor. More below...
Now that Democrats have a supermajority in NY state and control every branch of the federal government, let’s get things done, ya? HR1 is a major piece of legislation that would expand access to voting in the United States. We’re talking automatic voter registration, reforming redistricting/gerrymandering (read our Gov 101!), and statutes to keep big money out of the campaign process—a wishlist that can become a reality this year! Another bill would bring crucial police reform.
Also, Dianne Morales imagines a Black femme-future and is hosting an event to bridge Black History Month and Women’s History Month, bc it's not one or the other for Black women!
JOIN THE CONVO! Drop your Qs in the chat or send us an email at softpowervote@gmail.com.
ON THE RADAR
WATCH: Sunday 02.28, 6 pm: Dianne Morales bridges Black History and Womxn’s History month Qiana Mickie (former Exec. Director of Just Food), Arielle Newton (Founder of Black GIving Fund), Shawnda Chapman Brown (Director Girls Fund Initiative and Board Member of Black Women's Blueprint)
WATCH: Monday 03.01 1 pm: The House of Representatives is moving forward with 2 transformative bills relating to voter rights and accountability in policing:
H.R.1 For the People Act is some MAJOR legislation that would: expand Americans' access to the ballot box, reduce the influence of big money in politics, and strengthen ethics rules for public servants:
Online, automatic, and same-day voter registration; Promotion of voter registration; Registration of minors; Redistricting reform (ie Gerrymandering); Election security; Campaign finance reform.
H.R. 1280 George Floyd Justice in Policing Actwould set forth provisions to hold law enforcement accountable for misconduct in court, improve transparency through data collection, and reform police training and policies:
Reform qualified immunity; DOJ Civil Rights Division authority to issue subpoenas to police depts; Allow state AGs to set up independent investigations into police misconduct; Restrict transfer of military equipment to law enforcement; Prohibit choke-holds; Prohibit no-knock warrants; Change threshold for use of force and deadly force as last resort (I mean, will only change with accountability), Require body-cams and car cams and federal funding to ensure their use (has proven to not prevent police brutality bc sill, no accountability).
WATCH: Monday 03.01, 7 pm: Bronx Special Election CD-15 Candidate Forum
The Bronx Young Democrats and City & State host. Register here!
**CANCELLED**WATCH: Saturday 03.06 12 pm: Comptroller Candidate Forum
2 Candidates Withdrew. Cancelled by organizer.
READ: The Carceral Force of Prosecutor Associations, Explained by Angela Davis
District attorney associations wield tremendous power and influence. They lobby state legislatures, file amicus briefs, and issue reports, and almost always take positions that oppose criminal justice reform.
CULTURAL WORK
Corky Lee, photographer, and activist who documented the Asian American experience sadly passed from Covid this year. Another icon claimed by this awful pandemic. We pay our respects and are forever grateful:
Not on the Menu: Corky Lee’s Life and Work One man's 40-year dedication to documenting the everyday life of Asian Americans and their fight for civil rights in New York City
Corky Lee’s Photographs Helped Generations of Asian-Americans See Themselves
The Test Kitchen, a series produced by Reply All about Bon Appétit’s racial reckoning last year. The first two episodes are up, but the final two won’t be published after the lead producers—PJ Vogt and Sruthi Pinnamaneni—came under fire for nurturing a parallel toxic work environment they were reporting on (TL;DR, they got called out for being hypocrites).
Latinx Abstract at BRIC, thru May 02. Latinx Abstract is a groundbreaking exhibition, focusing on the work of ten contemporary artists who work with varied media and approaches, and are united by their dedication to abstract languages.
Guadalupe Maravilla, “Seven Ancestral Stomachs.” On view at PPOW gallery thru March 27th. Maravilla grounds his multidisciplinary practice in activism, pulling from his lived experience of emigrating to the US from El Salvadar during the civil war in the 80s.
Grief and Grievance at the New Museum, an exhibition originally conceived by the visionary, Okwui Enwezor (1963-2019). Bringing together thirty-seven artists working in a variety of mediums who have addressed the concept of mourning, commemoration, and loss as a direct response to the national emergency of racist violence experienced by Black communities across America.
SOFT POWER VOTE
Cuomo is a Bad Man:
Hard to see the path out: “Sexual harassment is a form of power abuse, and when you piece it all together——the hidden, but now public harassment, and what we’ve already seen in broad daylight by Cuomo——you can put together a profile of the kind of power abuser he really is.”
A second former aide comes forward with claims of sexual harassment.
State Senators Alessandra Biaggi & Yuh-Line Niou and City Councilmember/Mayoral Candidate Carlos Menchaca call for Cuomo to resign.
State Assemblymember Ron Kim and Mayoral Candidate Dianne Morales call for the impeachment of Cuomo.
Also, Cuomo tried to bully an EPA supervisor to cover-up contaminated water from fracking in Upstate NY...THIS GUY!
Meet the Lieutenant Governor of NYS Kathy Hochul. She may be Governor soon.
PBS Frontline investigation with Jelani Cobb. Look back at the 2020 election and whose vote counts (and whose might not have). We stan Jelani!
92Y in convo with the mayoral candidates. All of ‘em!
Important Dates
03.13-03.21 Early Voting for Special Election,CD 11 & 15 (Bronx)
03.23 Special Election: CD 11 & 15 (Bronx)
05.28 Deadline to register to vote in the Primary
06.22 City-Wide Primary