March 2025 Newsletter

Welcome to the next edition of the Greater Lafayette Indivisible (“GLI”) newsletter.  We’re imagining that activism is like a waterway that builds in intensity.  In addition to calls to action, we’ll also provide information about upcoming events and opportunities to foster community, good news, and places in which we’re finding inspiration.

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Ripples (small direct actions)

• Lafayette Urban Ministry (LUM) has a Match Campaign from March 1 to April 30.  Every dollar donated to the LUM Immigration Clinic during that time will be matched up to a specified amount.  Local businesses, individuals, and groups will donate the “match money” prior to the campaign.  You can find more information here.
  
• Get a library card!  We are so lucky to have 5 (!) branches of the Tippecanoe County Public Library and the West Lafayette Public Library.  Did you know that you can use your library card to access streaming services like Kanopy, OverDrive, Libby, and Hoopla?  You can borrow audiobooks, e-books, and magazines, and stream movies and shows right on your phone, tablet, or computer.  Public libraries are often under threat of defunding, so strengthening support by getting a library card is an act of resistance.
  
• Relatedly, The West Lafayette Public Library (208 W Columbia St., West Lafayette) is hosting a free screening of two PBS documentaries: “Free for All: The Public Library” and “Read or Restrict.”  The event will take place on Saturday, March 29, from 2-3:30 pm in the Elm and Maple Rooms on the second floor.  It is free to the public and no RSVP is required.  You can find more information here.  In addition to street parking, parking is also available in the garage across the street at 117 N Chauncey Ave, West Lafayette.  The Library staff can validate your ticket at the front desk.
  
• De-Trash the Wabash on Saturday, April 5 from 9 am – 12 pm.  Register here by April 2.  Check in at the Riverside Skating Rink building at Tapawingo Park at 9 am, then gather your supplies and head out to your site.  Pizza lunch will be provided back at Tapawingo Park at 12 pm. Be sure to bring your water bottle and refill it from the Indiana American Water truck.  You can find more information in the Facebook event and County website.
  
• The People’s Union USA has posted a list of upcoming movements, including dates during which they recommend either complete Economic Blackouts or specific boycotts.  You can find the list on their website.
  
• The Department of Justice (DOJ) has instructed the Florence Immigrant & Refugee Rights Project to stop providing legal services to detained immigrant children. This is an unprecedented affront to the rights of immigrant children and new terrain for their organization.  The Florence Project is a nonprofit organization that provides free legal services, social services, and advocacy to immigrants facing detention and potential deportation.  The detained immigrant children they serve through the Unaccompanied Children Program (UCP) arrive in the United States without a parent or a legal guardian, are in government custody, and will face the full force of the government in their immigration case.  Without the services provided through the UCP, children, no matter their age, will be forced to represent themselves against a trained government prosecutor.  You can support their work by donating here.
  

Rush (action at the county level)

• Consider running for office in 2026.  It feels like the midterm elections are a long way away, but now is the time to prepare to run.  The County website has a list of the offices that are up for election in 2026, and many of them are local.  GLI will host its “Run For Something” seminar again soon, so be on the lookout for that.  In the meantime, you can watch a video of the presentation “How the Local and State Democratic Party Functions” from Greater Lafayette Indivisible’s 2021 virtual Resistance Fair and hosted by Lisa Dullum.  As a reminder, GLI is a 501(c)(4) tax-exempt organization and it is nonpartisan.  However, GLI supports progressive candidates and policies, and most of those are affiliated with the Democratic Party.

Rapids (action at the state level)

When the legislature reconvenes on Monday, March 3, it will be the second half of the legislative session, when House bills are sent to the Senate, and Senate bills are sent to the House. Only bills that were passed by the first chamber are eligible to cross over, meaning many bills are essentially “dead.” However, language from dead bills can be resurrected into live bills via amendments, so it’s important to stay vigilant.

• Indivisible activists around the state are working on a coordinated plan to visit our Senators every week.  Since the Indianapolis offices are closest to Lafayette, we will plan to pick a day or 2 in March and schedule ½ – 1 hour visits for Todd Young’s office on the Northside of Indianapolis for the full day from 9-5pm to meet with his staff and voice our concerns over Musk, his cabinet, bills, immigration, women’s health, LGTBQ+, voting rights, any or all.
  
• The Younger Women’s Task Force (YWTF) is hosting Legislative Actions Hours from 5:30-6:30 pm on Thursdays through May 15.  Using a reproductive justice lens, they will identify, track, and lobby on important bills moving in the Indiana State House. During the weekly hour-long Zoom call, attendees will take action on those bills together.  You can find more information and sign up for specific Thursdays here.
  
• MADVoters (Mutually Assured Democracy) is utilizing their “Bill Tracker” feature on their website during the state legislative session, where you can keep track of a bill as it makes its way through the legislative process and advocate as needed.  You can also keep up with their current initiatives here.
  
• The League of Women Voters of Indiana has been posting action alerts for state legislation on their Facebook page.  Each alert includes a summary of the proposed bill, a suggested action (oppose or support), and a way to contact the appropriate elected officials.

Other opportunities for this month:

• Indiana is one of the 17 states that are suing to end protections for students with special needs.  You can read more about it here.  Call Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita at (317) 232-6201 and ask him to protect Section 504.
  
• Check out the Indiana fREADom to Read coalition.  They are a grassroots coalition of passionate Hoosiers dedicated to safeguarding the fundamental freedom to read. Their collective efforts are geared towards ensuring every Hoosier enjoys the unrestricted freedom to read and access books of all genres.  Their work is organized and supported by the Indiana Library Federation.

• Hoosiers For Democracy is a growing movement of Indiana citizens who are concerned about the erosion of democratic norms, the continual drumbeat of extremism, and the persistent undermining of our democratic institutions.  They recently started a Substack newsletter, which you can find here.
  
• Women4Change Indiana is dedicated to empowering women to break barriers, challenge norms, and lead transformative change in their communities and beyond.  Their mission is to create an Indiana where women of all backgrounds can access the resources, opportunities, and support they need to live safe and fulfilling lives. Through advocacy, education, and collaboration, they strive to amplify women’s voices, elevate their leadership, and drive social and economic progress for all.  You can find more information on their website (linked above) or their Facebook page.
  

Roar (action at the national level)

• Utilize the website 5calls.org.  5 Calls makes it easy for you to reach your members of Congress and make your voice heard.  They research issues, write scripts that clearly articulate a progressive position, figure out the most influential decision-makers, and collect phone numbers for their offices.  All you have to do is call.
  
• We are hosting an evening of letter and postcard writing in support of Vote Forward and the Blue Wave Postcard Movement on Thursday, March 13, from 5:30-7:30 pm in the Walnut Room of the West Lafayette Public Library (208 W Columbia Street, West Lafayette, second floor).  We will be writing to voters in Wisconsin to help increase the participation of historically underrepresented communities in the upcoming Supreme Court Race.  We’ll provide all of the supplies, so you’ll just need to bring your passion for voting and a desire to encourage Wisconsin voters to get out and vote.  You can sign up via Mobilize here.
  
  In addition to street parking, parking is also available in the garage across the street at 117 N Chauncey Ave, West Lafayette.  The Library staff can validate your ticket at the front desk.
  

Vote Forward is a 501(c)(4) nonprofit organization that empowers grassroots volunteers to send handwritten letters encouraging fellow Americans to vote. Blue Wave Postcard Movement’s mission is to mobilize millions of advocates, constituents, and voters in local and national elections, as well as to raise awareness of social and environmental justice issues through strategic and well-designed peer-to-peer postcard outreach campaigns.

• If you haven’t yet read the new guide from Indivisible national, you can find it here.

Opportunities to build community

• Greater Lafayette Commerce is hosting the second annual Latino Business Expo on Friday, March 7, from 2-6 pm at the Tippecanoe County Fairgrounds (1406 Teal Road, Lafayette, 47905).  You can find more information here.
  
• We All Belong Greater Lafayette is hosting a Community Action Fair on Saturday, March 8, from 1-5 pm at the Unitarian Universalist Church (333 Meridian Street, West Lafayette).  This event is free and open to the public and it will feature local activist organizations that will have tables to discuss their groups with the community.
  
  Around 2:30 pm, there will be an option to move to the sanctuary where, after brief introductions, everyone will break up into groups to discuss what common goals we have and how we can support each other and work together to get us through the next 4 years.  The table displays will remain available for visitors throughout the afternoon.
  
  Parking around the building is limited, but street parking is available in the surrounding neighborhood.  Please be courteous when parking in front of neighbors’ houses.  We All Belong also has a community calendar on their website with other upcoming events and opportunities.
  
• Indivisible will be hosting its next monthly gatherings on Wednesday, March 12, and Wednesday, April 9, from 6 to 7 pm at Second Flight Books (2122 Scott St, Lafayette).  This will be an informal opportunity to meet like-minded folks, discuss opportunities for action, strategize together, and socialize; depending on what you need for renewal.  We’ll provide snacks and nametags, so you’ll just need to bring yourself and a willingness to network.  Parking is available in their lot off of Reynolds and on Scott Street.  Additional parking can be found at and around Columbian Park nearby.  You can sign up via Mobilize here.
  
• Fuel Coffee Shop is hosting weekly gatherings for people who want to affect positive political change at the state level, but don’t know how to get started.  Dubbed “Bluesdays at Fuel” because “the opposite of orange is blue,” the weekly meetings will take place at 4 pm on Tuesdays at their Lafayette location (106 S 16th St, Lafayette, 47905).  You can find more information in this recurring Facebook event.
  

Good news

• MADVoters has published a list of state bills that we defeated together!  You can find it on their Facebook page here.
  
• The Friends of the Tippecanoe County Public Library is hosting a 4-day spring book sale at the Downtown Library (627 South Street, Lafayette).  It begins on Friday, March 7, with a Member’s Night for Friends of TCPL (memberships are $10 per year and are available at the door), and it ends on Monday, March 10.  The times and discounts vary each day of the sale.  You can find more information here.
  
• Representative Chris Campbell’s bill to allow foster children to open bank accounts has passed in the House Committee.  You can read the Purdue Exponent’s article here
  
• The Art Museum of Greater Lafayette is hosting a bicentennial exhibition that is meant to feature regional art and honor Lafayette’s history.  Titled “Bicentennial: Regionally Related Works from the Permanent Collection,” this exhibit will be housed in the Weil Gallery through June 13, 2025.  You can find more information here.

What is inspiring us

• West Lafayette High School is performing the pro-labor musical “Newsies” in the auditorium at 7 pm on Friday, March 7, and Saturday, March 8.  It depicts the 1899 “newsboys” strike against publisher Pulitzer and Hearst.  (Book by Harvey Fierstein)  Come hear a bunch of Gen-Z kids singing about labor organizing and yelling “Strike! Strike! Strike!”  Tickets will be about $12 at the door.  Contact Beth with questions: [email protected].
  
• Exodus Refugee Immigration in Indianapolis recently hosted a letter writing advocacy day to advocate for their clients and immigrant neighbors, and they had a great turnout.  They have compiled a document on their website for folks to write their own letters to their federal and state elected officials.  It includes who to contact, how to contact them, and what legislation is most concerning right now.  There are also sample letters that you can use as a starting point.
  
• The Lakota People’s Law Project recently released their Decolonized Reading List for 2025, which you can find here.  The Lakota People’s Law Project is part of Sacred Defense Fund, a nonprofit 501(c)(3) law and policy center.  You can read more about their work here.

• Matt recently read this essay called “They Are a Minority” by Hamilton Nolan and found it to be insightful and encouraging.

Do you have an organization, an event, or a bit of good news that you’d like us to include in a future newsletter?  Email [email protected]!

As always, you can donate toward our efforts here.  Donations are used for voter registration booth fees, supplies, and administrative costs.  Thank you for your continued support!