Welcome to PLAN’S first Fall edition of the PLANista!
Take a look at all the stuff we’ve been up to!
Standing Rock Fundraiser and #NoDAPL Rally in Reno
PLAN was proud to join Native leaders and the Be The Change project the last week in September to rally in support of the estimated 6,000 people camped at Standing Rock Reservation in North Dakota who are putting their lives on hold and their bodies on the line to stop the Dakota Access oil pipeline. The Reno rally was also held to raise funds and gather winter weather supplies that will be delivered to the camp by Be The Change and others.
Nationwide Action to Keep it in the Ground
Over the past month PLAN has taken action at home and in Washington D.C. to protect our climate, land and water. On August 23rd, PLAN Director, Bob Fulkerson was scheduled to go to trial on charges stemming from the June Keep it in the Ground Rally. Dozens of supporters came to a rally outside the courthouse and accompanied Bob during the proceedings, which were eventually postponed. We are still waiting on a new trial date.
PLAN also was proud to stand together with frontline and Indigenous leaders outside the White House to deliver 1 million signatures to President Obama demanding no new fossil fuel leases on public land and water. Later we took the fight to the doorstep of the U.S. Department of the Interior where the Bureau of Land Management is located. The BLM recently reported that future oil and gas lease sales will be held online, out of the view of the public. PLAN joined 40+ climate protectors in peacefully occupying the DOI lobby before 13 people were arrested in an act of civil disobedience. Our message is clear: No more pipelines, no new leases – we have never been stronger, and we will not stop!
Keep it in the Ground & No TPP Event at Lake Tahoe Summit
As President Obama, Minority Leader Reid and other decorated elected officials gathered in South Lake Tahoe for the annual Tahoe Summit, two movements joined forces on the streets outside to deliver important messages to leaders and attendees. Activists demanded that President Obama end leasing of federal coal, oil and gas, as well as get on the path to a just transition and clean energy future. Our future is not for sale, keep it in the ground!
Family Defenders!
PLAN’s Family Defenders program is dedicated to helping immigrant families this election season! We are focused on immigrant voters and keeping our Nevada families together. On August 25th Reno held its first Family Defenders meeting with 7 people in attendance. Las Vegas held its first Family Defenders meeting on August 8th with 8 people in attendance. Since then, our program has grown with new volunteers, voter registration work, promoting citizenship fairs, and Get Out The Vote efforts! In Reno the Family Defender’s program was able to engage high schools in voter registration and recruit volunteers!
We visited Hug High school and Sparks high school and reached 80 students all together! We spoke to 5 classes, registered 7 students, and recruited 47 students to join PLAN. The Family Defenders programs is glad to have this chance to engage our communities about this year’s election!
Pathway to Citizenship!
PLAN’s been uplifting our immigrant communities and helping our neighbors on the road to citizenship! In September we held citizenship fairs in Reno and Las Vegas and this month we held them in both locations as well. In October we served 66 people all together!
In Reno we held our citizenship workshop at the LiUNA labor union headquarters. We assisted many people with the help of LiUNA and our volunteers who came out to help. The Guatemalan counsel also dropped by to visit and take part in our fair!
Along with partners like iAmerica, the American Immigration Lawyers Association, Asian Community Resource Center and Mi Familia Vota, PLAN hosted a citizenship fair in Las Vegas at the Rio Casino. We were able to assist a wide range of community members thanks to our dedicated volunteers. PLAN will continue to build immigrant power by ensuring that eligible community members have access to citizenship. If you have any questions about our citizenship work or would like to volunteer, please contact Karla Rodriguez at krodriguez@planevada.org.
Introducing the Nevada Coalition for Women’s Equity
In November 2015, women from AAUW called together community members to launch an effort to pass an Equal Pay bill in the Nevada Legislature. Since the initial launch, PLAN Action along with 7 other organizations have come together to advocate for a gender equity platform.
The Nevada Coalition for Women’s Equity’s (NCWE) priorities also include paid leave, affordable family planning, increasing the minimum wage, domestic workers rights, affordable childcare and the enforcement of Title IX. The coalition conducted a survey of legislative candidates on the seven issues and have produced a report that can be found at NV4Equity.org.
Reno/Sparks NAACP’s Banquet
PLAN attended our member group, Reno/Sparks NAACP’s annual 71st annual Freedom Fund Awards Banquet. The Banquet took place on October 8th in Reno Nevada at the Circus Circus casino. We were excited to be a part of this fantastic fundraiser and show support for the NAACP! We also brought our new social work interns, who enjoyed their first banquet event!
Immigration forms
In September PLAN’s Immigration program in Reno was able to partner with many local organizations for citizenship screenings, citizenship test preparation, and information forms. We worked with Fraternidada Guatemalteca, Latinos Unidos from Carson City, Family Resource Center from Sun Valley, and the labor union LiUNA. These information sessions were held successfully throughout the city of Reno and Carson City!
“American Outrage” film screening links past to present
On September 8th, PLAN hosted more than 40 people for a backyard screening of the documentary chronicling the Dann sister’s valiant fight to defend their land and way of life from mining giant Barrick Gold. After the film Professor Debra Harry drew connection between the Western Shoshone sisters’ struggle to stop an open pit gold mine from desecrating their ancestral land to the historic movement at Standing Rock to halt the Dakota Access Pipeline. Local Native leaders organizing to provide solidarity and support for the encampment shared i
information before ending the night with a prayer.
Nevadan’s Vote!
PLAN has had a great run this election year with voter registration! In Las Vegas, Reno, Carson City, and rural areas with canvassers, volunteers, service agencies, and local community events we have had a full year this election season! All together PLAN has registered 5,872 people throughout Nevada!
It has been great talking with communities all over and listening to the issues folks truly care about. We have enjoyed our time engaging with our residents and helping them in this year’s voting process. We hope that everyone in Nevada votes and allows their voices to be heard in this upcoming historical election!
Thanks to our Voter Registration teams!
So long for now!
Thanks for checking out our page! Keep up to date with PLAN events and initiatives through Facebook and our Twitter page! Also, if you enjoy our work and would like to take part or help, please consider volunteering or making a financial gift here. Community member’s donations allow us to do the work we do in Nevada! Thank you for your support!