Letcher County Chapter of Kentuckians For The Commonwealth

Wanna make a difference in this year's elections, and get paid while doing it?

Kentuckians For The Commonwealth is dozens of part-time contract positions to make a difference in the 2022 election. These positions will work from August 8 to November 12. All jobs are $22/hour and include extensive training and support. There are lots of jobs for different interests!
We'll begin reviewing applications on July 18. Learn more and apply at kftc.org/jobs

KFTC is hiring!

We seek to hire dozens of part-time contract positions to make a difference in the 2022 election. These positions will work from August 8 to November 12. All jobs are $22/hour and include extensive training and support. There are lots of jobs for different interests!

We'll begin reviewing applications on July 18. Learn more and apply at kftc.org/jobs.

Tonight, join us online!
https://www.mobilize.us/kftc/event/425521/

What we're learning: Canvassing on climate in Hazard · Kentuckians For The Commonwealth Since late August, we've been making our way through neighborhoods in Hazard, knocking doors and asking everyone we meet about their experiences and thoughts about the changing climate. How concerned are they about climate change? How have they seen it play out in their lives? What do they think the...

You can run for public office – or help someone else win! Learn more and register at www.mobilize.us/kftc/event/418624/.

Learn the basics of running for office including honing your message, building your team, designing your campaign plan, asking for donations, and running a field campaign. If you've ever thought about running for office, this is a great space to explore that more deeply.

This training is 2 days:
Part 1 is November 6, 12-4pm ET
Part 2 is December 4, 12-4pm ET

Candidate and Campaign Manager Training · Kentuckians For The Commonwealth You can run for public office - or help someone else win. Learn the basics of running for office including honing your message, building your team, designing your campaign plan, asking for donations, and running a field campaign. If you've ever thought about running for office, this is a great space...

Can you call or email your legislator today? HB 272 is on the agenda to be brought up today (Wednesday 2/24) in the House. Please call the legislative message line immediately: 800-372-7181. Ask to leave a message for your legislators (your State Representative and State Senator). Tell them: "Please vote NO on HB 272. This bill is unnecessary and will harm families struggling to make ends meet."

You can also easily send your representative an email using this form: https://secure.everyaction.com/_dYcm90EgkuuAqcelQ-vgg2

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Water is life. But for too many Kentuckians, water bills are a crushing expense. And instead of offering help, some KY lawmakers are making a tough situation even worse.

Republicans in the KY House are pushing HB 272, a bill that lets water companies charge a 10% penalty for late water bills. HB 272 also says the Kentucky Public Service Commission can't do its job of protecting consumers and can't modify or reject unreasonable late fees on water bills.

secure.everyaction.com

Water is life. But for too many Kentuckians, water bills are a crushing expense. And instead of offering help, some KY lawmakers are making a tough situation even worse.

Republicans in the KY House are pushing HB 272, a bill that lets water companies charge a 10% penalty for late water bills. HB 272 also says the Kentucky Public Service Commission can't do its job of protecting consumers and can't modify or reject unreasonable late fees on water bills.

HB 272 will be heard on Wednesday, Feb 10, in a House committee. Please call the legislative message line immediately: 800-372-7181. Ask to leave a message for your legislators (your State Representative and State Senator) and all members of the House Local Government Committee. Tell them: "Water is life. VOTE NO on HB 272."

Are you a rural electric co-op customer in Kentucky? If so, please sign up to help KFTC with an online research project.

This project may require a few hours in February and March. It's not a big lift for any one person. Many hands make light work! We need 2+ volunteers for each of the 20+ rural co-ops in Kentucky.

Sign up here and we'll follow up with more information.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf980Uyo4IaqwVsufk1G2ZOzvSmvQE53ualEkQwh5TRJACn5w/viewform

JUST IMAGINE: Healing harm, sharing grief, envisioning the Kentucky we deserve.

A group of KFTC members have been working together to deepen our understanding of Just Transition, and to ensure that our work is committed to racial justice and building an anti-racist Kentucky. We need liberated imaginings - ideas that reach beyond, and challenge the expectations we’ve been taught! We’re asking our creative community to help, by submitting art of all genres.

Through this process, we hope to emerge with new, inspiring, and more inclusive ways to communicate about Just Transition in Kentucky. Artist stipends are available, including stipends specifically reserved for Black and Indigenous artists. Learn more about the Call to Artists and submit your work at bit.ly/just_imagine_kftc.

On Tuesday, Oct 20 at 2:30 pm ET, Kentucky author Crystal Wilkinson will give a talk called River Running Free: Ancestral Memory and Black Imagination in the Foothills of Kentucky.
Register to join the conversation here: https://virginiatech.zoom.us/.../WN_JFQzNphjQJKZKBJiLqzLEg

CALL FOR VIDEO SUBMISSIONS:

We’re in a moment when so much is at stake. Kentuckians keep showing up for each other – by making masks and sharing meals; by speaking up to our elected representatives and coming together in the streets.

We want to hear about it from you!

We're creating a video to amplify KFTC members and friends speaking about this moment, the ways we are taking action, and our hopes for what comes out of this year.

To keep everyone healthy and safe, we’re asking people to film themselves and submit footage at bit.ly/KFTC20Vid by September 1.

KFTC members and leaders of the Kentucky Postal Worker Union are one Inez, today to defend the United States Postal Service.

Kentuckians For The Commonwealth is looking for progressive-minded folks who are interested in politics and want the opportunity to make a difference this election year.

Short term part-time and full-time Voter Empowerment Staff positions are available in regions across Kentucky. Job responsibilities may include door-to-door canvassing, phone banking, volunteer management, digital outreach and engagement, communications and social media support, fundraising, and/or data entry.

The assigned tasks will depend on the needs of KFTC and the skills and interests of the Voter Empowerment staff who are hired - that could be you!

KFTC is also seeking Voter Empowerment Lead Staff. These staff will create weekly schedules for Voter Empowerment Staff on their team, offer coaching and support to Voter Empowerment Staff while out in the field, plan and coordinate voter engagement activities for and with Voter Empowerment Staff, lead quality control measures in their region, and assist with other tasks as needed.

Read the full job description here: http://bit.ly/KFTCVEStaff2020.

And apply here: https://bit.ly/KFTCVEApp2020.

Applications close on Friday, August 14, 2020 at 4:00pm EST.

If you have any questions about this position please email [email protected] and type “Voter Empower Staff position” in the subject line.

We have a training coming up tonight (Tuesday) about registering people with felonies in their past to voted, at 7pm ET. We'll get into details and we'll practice and make plans to register some of the 170,000 people who recently won their right to vote back! https://secure.everyaction.com/FuAbgfn_2kSAKvylO-nAqQ2

Registering People with Felonies in their Past to Vote Webinar

Hey, check it out: Tonight (Thursday evening) at 7pm, KFTC is hosting a training for friends and members to learn best practices about how to register voters including people with felonies in their past and help people double check their voter registration leading up to the Oct 5th 2020 deadline. We’ll emphasize tactics people can use during COVID-19 to do this work safely.

Here's the link to register - https://secure.everyaction.com/Tco2L9b2hEm-fC3TIQEAHg2

Hope you can join us!

Voter Registration Training Webinar

Here's a bit of welcome news.

Yesterday the US House passed the RECLAIM Act, a bill that would create 13,000 jobs in Central Appalachia alone, cleaning up abandoned mine lands and polluted waterways.

The measure passed as part of a critical infrastructure bill, HR 2. That legislation also calls for investments in clean water infrastructure, broadband, hospitals, affordable housing, low-income schools, clean energy generation, the postal service, and roads and public transit.

KFTC members and our allies have been pushing Congress to pass the RECLAIM Act for more than five years. Special thanks to our friends at Appalachian Citizens' Law Center, Appalshop, and Center for Rural Strategies for their partnership. We appreciate the support and leadership of Congressman John Yarmuth (KY-3), and the advocacy of State Rep. Angie Hatton, District 94 Kentucky House of Representatives. We're also grateful for bipartisan support this campaign has received from dozens of fiscal courts and city governments across eastern Kentucky.

Kentuckians should also take note:

NONE of the Republican members of Congress from Kentucky voted for this bill yesterday. Congressman Rogers was the original cosponsor of the RECLAIM Act in 2015, but he voted no. Congressman Guthrie cosponsored the RECLAIM Act, but he voted no. Rep. Comer, Massie, and Barr have never expressed support for the RECLAIM Act, and they all voted no.

Now it's up to the Senate to act, and specifically it is up to Senator Mitch McConnell.

If not now, when?

If you haven’t yet voted, give yourself enough time to drive, park, and walk. As long as you’re in line to vote by 6pm, you can vote.

Find your polling location here: https://www.sos.ky.gov/elections/Pages/Polling-Locations.aspx

And if you or someone you know has difficulty voting, call the Election Protection Hotline at 866-OUR-VOTE (866-687-8683). It’ll be open even after the polls close.

ATTENTION KENTUCKY VOTERS: If you were unable to vote today because of long lines at your polling place please contact Election Protection at 866-OUR-VOTE (866-687-8683).

Know folks who still need to vote in our area?

Missed the deadline to request your mail-in ballot? You still have plenty of options. Check it out and share!

In-person voting options for the June 23 primary election There are options for voting in person before or on Election Day (Tuesday, June 23) if you were unable to request a mail-in absentee ballot by the June 15 deadline.Quick LinksList of county clerksIn-person voting locations (on and before Election Day)Check the status of your mail-in absentee ballotV...

Roll call: Have you requested your mail-in ballot yet? Tell us about it!

If not - You have until 11:59pm tonight, Monday 6/15! Request it online or from your county clerk to be able to vote in the 2020 Kentucky Primary election.

Go to GoVoteKY.com - and tell everyone you know.

Coal miners told to keep working during the outbreak despite close quarters, damaged lungs Because of the nature of the work — a lot of crowding, coughing and spitting — and the significant incidence of lung damage from years of exposure to coal dust, silica and diesel exhaust, coal miners may be especially vulnerable to the coronavirus, medical researchers say. Yet the states say the...

Senate struggles to finalize trillion-dollar stimulus bill as economic calamity grows Senators are in the midst of negotiating a massive trillion-dollar-plus stimulus bill to fight the coronavirus, but may not be able to resolve their differences in time to meet a Friday midnight deadline set by Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to reach a deal.

Governor's race could decide whether 100K+ Kentuckians regain the right to vote An estimated 312,000 Kentuckians can't vote because of a felony conviction. That could change after the state's gubernatorial election on Nov. 5.

You are invited Saturday to attend a community conversation in Hazard with Rev. William Barber II and Rev. Liz Theoharis, co-chairs of the Poor People's Campaign: A National Call for a Moral Revival. These inspiring leaders are visiting KY for several days as part of the national "We Must Do More" tour. The purpose of the tour is to build relationships and call on people of conscience to work deeply together for a moral agenda that cares about poor and low-wealth people, people of color, the sick, immigrants, workers, the environment, people with disabilities, LGBTQ community, and peace over war.

Free and open to all.

We'll enjoy a free meal together at 6 pm, followed by a program that will include conversation with Rev. Dr. William Barber and Rev. Liz Theoharis the leaders of The Poor People's Campaign - A National Call for Moral Revival about building a moral movement in Kentucky.

Please RSVP: kftc.org/ppchazard

The Poor People's Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival will be back in Kentucky this weekend with Rev. William Barber II and Rev. Liz Theoharis for a series of events and community conversations. Please join us for any or all of these events!

We Must Do MORE Press Conference
Friday, October 25, 2019 at 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM EDT
Senator McConnell's Office (1885 Dixie Hwy, Ste 345, Covington)

Mass Meeting
Friday, October 25, 2019 at 6:30 PM – 8:30 PM EDT
Lincoln Grant Scholar House (824 Greenup St., Covington)

A Community Conversation w co-chairs of Poor People's Campaign
Saturday, October 26, 2019 at 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM EDT
St. John's Episcopal Church (701 Engineer St, Corbin)

Community Conversation & Dinner with the Poor People's Campaign
Saturday, October 26, 2019 at 6:00 PM – 8:30 PM EDT
NEW LOCATION: Consolidated Baptist Church (180 Winterberry Street, Hazard)

Kentucky Moral Monday | We Must Do MORE Tour
Monday, October 28, 2019 at 5:00 PM – 8:00 PM EDT
5:00 PM - Gather at Cook Memorial Hall to March
6:00 PM - Mass Meeting at John L. Hill Chapel
Georgetown College (400 East College St. Georgetown)

Today, Monday 10/7, is the Voter Registration Deadline in Kentucky;

If you're not registered or need to update your voter address because you've moved, get down to your local County Clerk's office or register online - https://vrsws.sos.ky.gov/ovrweb/govoteky

If you want to check your voter registration status just to be safe, visit the Voter Information Center - https://vrsws.sos.ky.gov/vic/

You can register or update your voting address online by 4pm today local time or by getting a voter registration card in the mail to your County Clerk postmarked today.

Note that students who are away from home going to school have the right to either use a permanent home address or temporary local address as their voting address, but we encourage students to consider registering locally especially if home is far away. You'll be at school on election day and it's easier to just walk right down the street and vote as opposed to going home or voting absentee.

Note that 17 year-olds can register to vote if they will by 18 on or before November 5.

Whereas people with felonies in their past have their right to vote taken from them in Kentucky (unless they get a pardon from the Governor), people with misdemeanors in their past or people who are pre-trial in jails do have the right to register and vote.

Also, check out www.KentuckyElection.org to learn about candidates and where they stand on issues!

Today, Monday 10/7, is the Voter Registration Deadline in Kentucky;

If you're not registered or need to update your voter address because you've moved, get down to your local County Clerk's office or register online - https://vrsws.sos.ky.gov/ovrweb/govoteky

If you want to check your voter registration status just to be safe, visit the Voter Information Center - https://vrsws.sos.ky.gov/vic/

You can register or update your voting address online by 4pm today local time or by getting a voter registration card in the mail to your County Clerk postmarked today.

Note that students who are away from home going to school have the right to either use a permanent home address or temporary local address as their voting address, but we encourage students to consider registering locally especially if home is far away. You'll be at school on election day and it's easier to just walk right down the street and vote as opposed to going home or voting absentee.

Note that 17 year-olds can register to vote if they will by 18 on or before November 5.

Whereas people with felonies in their past have their right to vote taken from them in Kentucky (unless they get a pardon from the Governor), people with misdemeanors in their past or people who are pre-trial in jails do have the right to register and vote.

Also, check out www.KentuckyElection.org to learn about candidates and where they stand on issues!

Please share this Facebook post or our blog entry about this far and wide today to make sure your friends will be all set to vote! http://kftc.org/blog/voter-registration-deadline-today-tuesday-10719

Please join us on Sunday, 10/13 at 2pm at Riverside Park in Whitesburg to commemorate this momentous occasion. Members of the Black Lung Association of Southeastern Kentucky and the East Kentucky Coalfield Black Lung Association have worked very hard to honor the lives of their loved ones who they've lost to black lung disease, and we are honored to be there with them at the dedication of this important memorial. We hope you'll grab your camp chair and come on out!

Reading Guide: Quotes, Key Terms, and Questions This resource includes quotes, key terms/names/historical events, and guiding questions for each of over 30 essays and creative works that compose The 1619 Project.

We are glad to share the following message from the Blackjewel Miners Blockade.

Today is a big day for the miners protesting in Harlan County -- and they're asking for your support. Here's how:

1. Follow: on social media
Instagram:
Twitter:

2. Amplify: Share their social media posts today. Keep an eye out especially during the afternoon hours. Use the hashtags and

3. Donate: +encourage others to donate to support the the miners, the miners' families, and the blockade.
GoFundMe: https://tinyurl.com/supportminers

Feel free to use the following information/talking points (developed by the miners and their supporters) when amplifying their social media today.

From school teachers to to***co farmworkers, Appalachian workers are rising up and fighting back! Today the Teamsters join the Black Jewel miners blockade to escalate the fight for miners' pay. Miners and their families can't wait for bankruptcy hearings and backroom deals - they need to be paid what's owed to them today! They are thousands of dollars in the hole, with no relief in sight. Donate today to the miners and their families who have been blocking a coal train in the summer heat for weeks demanding backpay for Blackjewel employees everywhere. https://tinyurl.com/supportminers

Brief Background: Blackjewel, the 6th largest coal operator in the US, stiffed the miners their pay when they declared bankruptcy. checks from their employer bounced when they tried to buy food and pay utility bills. Starting July 29th, a group of miners decided to block the tracks, and thus the transport of over 1 million dollars worth of coal, in protest over wage theft. Miners are now in their third week of the blockade.

Please show up for the Blackjewel miners at a rally on Friday afternoon, August 16th in Cumberland. Their flyer is below.

They are encouraging folks to come to the protest site any time tomorrow afternoon, and stay as long as you can. The also provide several ways to share financial support.

We are Kentuckians. We choose each other.