Building community, sharing hope, and standing for justice since 2004

A Call to Vote in Feb 21 Primary and April 4 WI Spring elections:

Date: 
Tuesday, February 21, 2023 - 7:00am - 8:00pm
Date: 
Tuesday, April 4, 2023 - 7:00am - 8:00pm
Location: 
Your polling place

Urgent Call To Action: Vote in the WI Supreme Court Justice Primary and Spring Elections

Cast Your Ballot in both of these important elections!
The Supreme Court’s decisions redefine our rights and possibilities for citizens to impact change.

February 21 Primary Election
April 4 Spring Election
for WI Supreme Court Justice and local races

Visit myvote.wi.gov to check your registration and to see what’s on your ballot.

There are four WI Supreme Court Justice candidates. You can vote for one. The two receiving the most votes will advance to the April 4 Spring Election.

2023 WI Supreme Court Candidates


Ask all of your friends, family, colleagues to vote. Consider helping other local efforts to get out the vote. Both elections are critically important. Vote and make it clear to others that both elections are crucial for the future of Wisconsin.

Go to http://bit.ly/3H3VGdu to learn about the candidates (alphabetical order):
Jennifer Dorow, Dan Kelly, Everett Mitchell, Janet Protasiewicz

Faithful Stance for Equity events

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Date: 
Monday, February 6, 2023 - 7:00pm
Date: 
Tuesday, February 7, 2023 - 7:00pm
Location: 
Zoom meeting

Faithful Stance for Equity Events: Rev. Jennifer Butler speaking on Feb 5, 6 about White Christian Nationalism. Feb. 7: American Democracy and the Role of Faith


For the past 18 months, WISDOM and MICAH, along with our friends at the Wisconsin Council of Churches and Wisconsin Faith Voices for Justice, have been sponsoring monthly events to help people of faith to be equipped to be effective advocates for equity.  Past meetings have include discussions on working to ensure that our schools teach the truth about the past and present in racism and intolerance, and how those have impacted us all.  

We have several important presentations in early February: 

Feb. 5, 6, 7.  Our coalition will sponsor an exciting series of events, Faith and Democracy, featuring Rev. Jennifer Butler, founder of "Faith In Public Life." Rev. Butler will be in Wisconsin for three days, as part of a national tour to train communities to reclaim their faith traditions to push back against the white Christian nationalism that is attempting to take over our electorate. 

Rev. Butler's visit aims to empower communities to push back more effectively against the misuse of religion and interrupt the grip that hypocrisy and heresy have - on white Christians in particular - across the current social and political landscape.

For any or all of the events, register here: See listing of the 3 workshops/webinars with Rev. Butler by clicking below on "read more" 

32nd Fox Cities Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration

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Date: 
Monday, January 16, 2023 - 6:30pm - 8:00pm
Location: 
Zoom Meeting

Martin Luther King, Jr., Day Celebration

Keynote speaker: Henry Sanders, Madison365

“What is Your Life’s Purpose?”

Musical Performances:

Rosanna Williams, AASD Student

Kyree Allen, Lawrence University Alumni

Via Zoom. Registration required to attend: go.lawrence.edu/mlk32.

Sponsored by Lawrence University, City of Appleton, United Way Fox Cities, Appleton Area School District, Boys and Girls Club of the Fox Valley, People of Progression, Pointers Community Initiaties, Covey

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Follow-up for Transformational Justice Campaign Launch

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The December 8 Transformational Justice Launch event in Madison was very energizing and productive. 
The day began with a panel that gave an overview of much of the work on Transformational Justice.  It includes important stories by people who have been formerly incarcerating, highlighting needs for changes. This panel presentation was covered by Wisconsin Eye, and can be seen here:   (It will ask you to subscribe to Wisconsin Eye.  There is no cost for that; it mostly just gets you on their mailing list).

The principal aims of the Transformational Justice Campaign are:

  • Invest in programs and strategies that will end the racial and economic disparities that fuel mass incarceration in Wisconsin
  • Reduce our prison population to 11,000, and reduce the number of people on extended supervision.
  • Justice Reinvestment: Allocate money, especially savings from reduced incarceration, to building up communities that have been most harmed by mass incarceration.
  • View people who have been convicted of a crime as human beings, members of families, and assets to the community.
  • Restore formerly incarcerated people to full participation in communities, the economy and civic life.   

                                                       See a list of issues that are prominent in the campaign. . . .

Governor listening sessions

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Date: 
Wednesday, December 14, 2022 - 6:00pm
Location: 
Virtual

More you can do for Transformational Justice.  The Governor is hosting Listening Sessions. Here are the two possibilities---one virtual, one local.  You can register now:  More details will be coming soon and, if you are registered you'll get those details.

Virtual Budget Listening Session 
Wednesday, December 14, at 6 p.m. 
Register to attend via Zoom here. 

Budget Listening Session in Green Bay 
Tuesday, December 20, at 5:30 p.m. 
Register to attend here

Please register for one if you can, and encourage others to do the same.  It is most helpful for each individual to focus on one thing (like TAD funding, or any of the other things listed in the transformational justice launch--see above story).  It is extra helpful if you have a testimony to share (even if you are not an "impacted" person,if you share why you care, it makes your testimony more powerful.

 

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Dec 7 Community Vigil for Victims of Gun Violence

Date: 
Wednesday, December 7, 2022 - 6:00pm - 7:00pm
Location: 
Houdini Plaza, 111 W College Ave, Appleton

Vigil for Gun Violence Victims

Wednesday, December 7, 2022

Houdini Plaza, downtown Appleton
6 - 7 pm.

Moms Demand Action-Wisconsin, Wisconsin Anti-Violence Effort (WAVE) and ESTHER are hosting an Appleton vigil remembering gun violence victims. This vigil is in solidarity with Sandy Hook Promise in recognition of the 10 year-anniversary of Sandy Hook. The vigil recognizes ALL victims of gun violence. Join our community in a candlelight vigil to honor victims of gun violence. Candles will be handed out at Houdini Plaza. Conversation and pay-as-you-go-coffee afterwards at Copper Rock coffeehouse. Brief comments will be made by Rev. Hannah Roberts Villnave, Assistant Minister of Fox Valley Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, Nancy Jones of WAVE, and Ann MacPhetridge of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America.

Link to facebook event here.

RSVP using this link.

 

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Transformational Justice Campaign Launch

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Date: 
Thursday, December 8, 2022 - 10:00am - 4:00pm
Location: 
Capitol Building and nearby, Madison, WI


Transformational Justice Campaign Launch

2023 and Beyond

State Capitol and nearby, Madison, WI

Register at https://bit.ly/transformationaljusticelaunch

Email scompanik@yahoo.com if you are interested in carpooling to Madison.

Watch recorded video of the first hour of the program here
Sponsored by WISDOM, FREE and EXPO

Program

10 - 11 AM
Public presentation at the North Hearing Room in the State Capitol featuring remarks on Solitary Confinement, TAD, Old Law Parole, and Post-release Issues. Video of this is segment is available here.		 1-2 PM
Start of Transformational Justice Convening: Welcome, Reflection, Icebreaker
11 AM - 12 PM
Drop Lit at Legislative offices and the Governor’s Office in the Stated Capitol		 2-3 PM
Breakout Sessions by region: Madison Action Day and Joint Finance Committee hearings discussion
12 - 1 PM
Lunch at Grace Episcopal Church, 116 W Washington Ave, Madison		 3-4 PM
- Breakout sessions: strategic planning for issue campaigns
- Closing remarks and calls to action


Help spread the word. Download and share the attached flier.

Support ESTHER through Alternative Gifts

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package with red bowAre you a person who’s “hard to buy for” at holiday time or on birthdays or other special occasions? You already have all the shirts, ties, scarves, slippers, motorized shoe polishers or battery-powered wine openers you need. And you hate fruitcake.

More and more, people are turning to “alternative gifts” in situations like these.

ESTHER would love to be the recipient of alternative gifts made in your honor.

Please suggest to your friends and family that they visit esther-foxvalley.org/altgifts

This #GivingTuesday, Show Your Support for ESTHER

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This #GivingTuesday
Show Your Support for ESTHER

Giving Tuesday Logo

If we work together, we can make things better! Help us build our financial strength as an organization, so that we can be a force for positive change in our community for years to come.

Will you consider supporting ESTHER this #GivingTuesday?

Yes, I’ll Help!

For 18 years, ESTHER members have been working tirelessly to tackle the challenges that face us in building a better world: challenges like racism, mass incarceration, childhood poverty, unfair immigration laws, gun violence, gerrymandering, voter suppression … and so many more. We do this by working WITH people who are most affected by these issues and building public support for common-sense approaches.

We raise up, train and support leaders in their communities. We advocate for systemic changes that make our community better for everyone who lives here. We educate the public through forums, films, speakers, and other events. We educate ourselves through intensive self-study and reflection.

This #GivingTuesday, help us stay strong financially, so we can keep on building community, sharing hope, and standing for justice in the coming months and years.

Yes, I’ll Help!

Thank you!

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Introducing ESTHER’s new organizer, Katie Olson

Katie OlsonESTHER’s Leadership Board is proud to announce that Katie Olson has been named our new Lead Organizer. Katie brings energy, vision and experience to her work with ESTHER. And, in the words of Gary Crevier, president of ESTHER, her “passion and commitment to doing justice for the poor promises to make a huge impact in the Fox Valley.”

We invite you to read Katie’s own words explaining why this new work excites her and how she plans to approach being ESTHER’s lead organizer:

… To me, the most important part of my new role is to empower the members of ESTHER to be change-makers in our community. Knowing that ESTHER is already a force to be reckoned with, I plan to come in and really listen with my heart to everyone involved with the organization. I will take the time to learn why people are engaged with social justice and use that knowledge to connect with other community members….