ICPJ is a member of Drive Michigan Forward (DMF) — a coalition made up of immigrants and allies. Our goal is to restore driver’s licenses to all and pave the way for basic dignity and security for members of our community. There are six important requests that we are making of you today:
- Please join us during the #DriveMichiganForward Week of Action from May 17 – May 21st! We will be posting ready-made posts on ICPJ’s Facebook page daily. Just copy & paste to spread the word. (More details below.)
- Sign the petition here to thank the #DriveSAFE bills sponsors and to urge Senator Tom Barrett, Chair of the MI Senate Transportation & Infrastructure Committee to which SB 433 & 434 have been referred, to give the bills a hearing.
- Please sign up to participate in the Deep Canvassing Phone Bank THIS WEEK. (Details about how to prepare & sign up below.) This is an opportunity to do deep canvassing — talking with voters about why you support the Drive SAFE legislation, connecting with them about their views, and building toward common goals of paving the way for basic dignity & security for all.
- Help ICPJ get the word out: ICPJ is hosting a #DriveSAFE Brown Bag, Wednesday, June 9th, 12pm. Registration Required here. This will be a brief zoom meeting – to provide all the information you need to know about this campaign.
- Introduce this issue and your views to others in your network who live outside of Washtenaw County. If you can make connections with congregations or organizations in areas where legislators are not yet supportive of #DriveSAFE, this would be really helpful. We can help you with whatever background information you might want.
- Forward this information to 5 of your friends. ICPJ has a strong network of friends committed to justice. Reach out, share information, and build the momentum that we need.
About #DriveMichiganForward
By restoring driver’s licenses to all Michiganders, regardless of immigration status, we can make Michigan a place where everyone has the opportunity to thrive and belong.
The Drive SAFE House Bills 4835 and 4836 and Senate Bills 433 and 434 were reintroduced to the Michigan Legislature Tuesday, May 11th. This year, we have a fighting chance at getting Drive SAFE bills into a hearing in the House Rules and Competitiveness Committee. Now, we need to up the momentum and encourage Committee Chair Rep. Jim Lilly to support Drive SAFE House Bills before the legislative session ends!
Week of Action – May 17 – 21st
As part of the Drive Michigan Forward, DMF is putting together a five-day Week of Action to coincide with the Drive SAFE Bill being reintroduced to the Michigan legislature. Our goal is to amplify the campaign and let legislators know that we will not be silenced and that undocumented Michiganders deserve driver’s licenses!
What can you do?
- Forward the ICPJ Facebook post to your own page each day.
- Retweet ICPJ’s tweets: @icpj
- Watch https://www.facebook.com/DriveMichiganForward for daily updates on ways to stay involved.
- Head to https://www.drivemichiganforward.com/to sign up for the week’s events and get more resources to post on your social media!
Deep Canvassing Phone Banks
Our collective purpose is creating a buzz of excitement and support with voters and the legislators responsible for granting the Drive SAFE bills a hearing, and it is work deeply grounded in racial justice & immigrant rights. We will do this through deep canvass phone banks, but first we need to get skilled in that tactic. Training has already begun, but it’s not too late to get involved. Please reach out to Caitlin to get more information and to answer questions you might have! Caitlin@wethepeoplemi.org
When are the phone banks? If you haven’t yet signed up for the phone banks, please do so here: Sign up here to join in on the Week of Action phone banks!
- Tuesday, May 18th, 5:00 – 8:00pm
- Wednesday, May 19th, 12:00 – 3:00pm
- Thursday, May 20th, 5:00 – 8:00pm
DMF is ALMOST to our goal for people who have signed up to participate in the Week of Action! Can you take 5 minutes to text 5 friends who care about racial justice and immigrant rights and ask them to join us next week? The sample text is below.
Hello (Name)! I am volunteering to reach out to voters about the important racial justice issue of drivers licenses for undocumented immigrants. I’d love for you to join us in our Week of Action! We’re phone banking on May 18, 19, & 20. Are you able to join us? Here is the link with more info & the sign up if you can: https://secure.everyaction.com/z6L8P23gqEuDnlzuPb6jmg2
#DriveSAFE ICPJ Brown Bag Chat
Wednesday, May 26th, 12-12:45pm
Join ICPJ for an informal presentation and conversation about Michigan’s Drive SAFE legislation and how, working together, we can support this important effort. Registration required here.