Weekend Updates & Events
Plus action items and more
Hi everyone,
It’s been a lot this week — but remember, we’re in this together and we’re going to keep working to throw sand in the gears and save anything we can. Two good things happened last night: Senator Van Holler was able to meet with Kilmer Abrego Garcia and confirm that he is alive, and the young US citizen who was wrongfully detained by ICE in Florida was released (it never should have happened, and the story is incredibly disturbing). Remember — our voices matter and speaking up makes a difference. Keep going.
This Sunday is Easter. We won’t have a formal meeting, but Joel is fine with people coming and hanging out at Lakewood Social to gather, get food, and be in community. Hope to see some of you there! The following meeting will be on May 4th and we will be hearing from some people from NC Moms Demand Action, and then on May 18th we’ll be joined by our very own Durham state senator Sophia Chitlik! You can sign up on Mobilize here for all future events and get updated:
ACTIONS
(This is by no means a complete list- check out Durham Dems Action newsletter, Chop Wood, Carry Water NC, Democracy Out Loud and Engaged Durhamites for Democracy for more).
CALL your senators about the administration’s disregard of a 9-0 Supreme Court ruling to facilitate the return of Kilmar Abrego Garcia. Senator Van Holler met with him but he is not yet home, and the administration is still actively defying a SC ruling.
Sign up to volunteer at the food bank on 5/3 for a community building event! Limited to 20 people. Sign up here
Check out and help fund a new fun initiative in NC to help Riggs keep her seat (this group will also help elect Earls in 2026): itstherealsteal.com. You can sign up to get updates (they are simple and very time sensitive - within an hour of new information on the race!), as well as other helpful links and a timeline. She’s a great communicator so if you want the info, fast, and easy to understand, this is the place to go.
Check out the new Durham Resistance Hub website, organized by my precinct chair and community member Laura. It’s fantastic!!!
If you are able to volunteer for the May 1st Workers Unite rally sign up here. (More info on the rally below).
Read Emily Amick’s article How To Keep Fighting Without Falling Apart.
Take a survey: Senator Tillis would like to hear from his constituents. Take 5 minutes to let him know your thoughts. Link to survey
EVENTS (small selection, lots more going on I’m sure):
April 18th, 4-6 PM in Raleigh. IN PERSON - Weekly Tesla protest with Engaged Durhamites. Sign up here
April 19th protests. There are several opportunities to get out in the streets again! I’ll be working but look forward to seeing some of your photos. Bring friends who couldn’t come the last time!
Raleigh 11 AM-1 PM, IN PERSON- "Forward Together: A March for Justice and Unity," a powerful demonstration calling for equity, democracy and collective action. Organized by 50501 and partnered with NC Poor People’s Campaign. Rally includes a march.
Durham - 11 AM, downtown at the Bull. Sign up here.
Earth Day Celebration, 1 - 5 PM at Lakewood, IN PERSON. Hope to see some of you all there!
May 1st - Raleigh NC at Halifax Mall from 4 -6 PM, IN PERSON. May Day is International Workers Day. Join workers across NC, the country, and the globe as we unite and fight back against the billionaire takeover. We have officially endorsed this event which has been organized by the NC Poor People’s Campaign. RSVP here!
Thursday, April 24th 6-8 PM. IN PERSON. People’s Town Hall with Senator Chris Murphy, Rep. Maxwell Frost, and our very own Anderson Clayton. Sign up here!
I’m sure there are events and things I’m missing, but want to get this off before work and school this morning.
There’s a lot going on with the Riggs race - but remember, it’s not over until she is rightfully certified to serve in the seat she won and every vote is counted. We’ve come a long way:
HOUSEKEEPING:
We don’t have an email list - this is it! If you want to join the group, just subscribe to the Substack and you can fill out this form here. You can come to meetings (some meetings, all meetings) or just read along and do the action items and learn. We are working on building up a leadership team as well as on getting volunteers to help out with various tasks - fill out the form and stay tuned.
You can find us on Bluesky, Threads, TikTok and Instagram, where we have an active social media presence. Links to that and a whole lot more on our Linktree, found here: Linktr.ee/Durhamgotv.
Check out prior posts for recommendations on our favorite news sources, tips on calling your representatives, link to a Signal channel for carpools, and more!
Feel free to post events or discuss things in the chat and comments.
Thanks for reading! Subscribe for free to receive updates.
We’re all in this together. And we’re not going anywhere.
Anna