CLASSACT NEWS

Did you miss the symposium on Benazir Bhutto in December? Click below for highlights from the interactive session organized by the Alumnae-i Network for Harvard Women (ANHW) Pakistan in partnership with #CourtingTheLaw. The session features reflections from speakers who have either personally known Benazir Bhutto or studied and written about her life’s work.

Click here

ClassACT HR73 is pleased to announce two great events taking place in December.

1. Remembering Benazir Bhutto: Lessons in Resilience, Democracy, and Leadership

The first, on Saturday, December 12 at 9am EST, features former Benazir Bhutto Leadership Program Fellow, Natasha Jehangir Khan, as co-moderator, and HR73 classmate Peter Galbraith, as a member of the panel.

To join, please register at anhwlahoresecretary@gmail.com

Co-sponsors: Harvard Law School Women’s Law Association, ClassACT HR’73

Media Partners: Courting the Law

Optional Resource Materials:

● Benazir Bhutto’s biography and interview by the Academy of Achievement

● Benazir Bhutto: Paying the Ultimate Price (Podcast) 

● Benazir Bhutto’s interview on “Rendevouz with Simi Grewal” 

● Obituary by the NY Times

2. ClassACT HR85 Presents:

Healing American Democracy: A Conversation with Michael Abramowitz, ’85, president of Freedom House

Tuesday, December 15, 8pm EST

For the second, the ClassACT HR73 Justice and Civic Engagement Initiative is proud to promote this forum presented by ClassACT HR85.

Register here

The fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 seemed to mark the triumph of democracy. Yet, three decades later, democratic governance is declining around the globe. Shockingly to many, recent events have called into question the security and vibrancy of American democracy as well.

ClassACT HR85 welcomes fellow alumni to join us in exploring the issue of democracy protection. To launch our initiative into this vital and timely issue, we are excited to announce an upcoming online event: “Healing American Democracy: A Conversation with Michael Abramowitz, ’85, president of Freedom House.” The event will take place on Tuesday, December 15 @8:00 PM EST.

Freedom House was founded in 1941 to advocate for American participation in World War II and the fight against fascism. Since 1973, Freedom House has been assessing levels of democracy in every country around the globe in its annual report Freedom in the World. Michael Abramowitz has been the president of Freedom House since 2017.

This online event will consist of a moderated conversation between Michael and David Schanzer, ’85, followed by an open discussion on democracy protection and ways private citizens can work towards securing American democracy.

Preregistration for the event is required. Please join us here.

ClassACT HR85 uses the communications platform – Shindig. Anyone that would appreciate some assistance navigating the Shindig platform is encouraged to log on at 7:45pm.

We are partnering again this year with Sue Press in the Treme neighborhood of New Orleans in her annual winter coat giveaway to neighborhood children. We made a wish list on Amazon for Sue here.  You can order coats from the list until December 14th. Please make sure to specify Sue's address for delivery. It is included in the wish list, and just in case, it is: Sue L. Press The Ole & Nu Style Fellas Social Aid & Pleasure Organization 1830 Dumaine Street  New Orleans, LA  70116 (504-905-9086); e-mail ttmillerj77@gmail.com

THE OLE & NU STYLE FELLAS SOCIAL AID & PLEASURE ORGANIZATION The Ole & Nu Style Fellas Social Aid & Pleasure Organization was established in 1997 to contribute to the community culture known as “Second Line.”  “Second Liners” are best described as an organized group which follows brass bands onto the streets of our wonderful city of New Orleans.  Children hold our future in their hands, so we must prepare them for every aspect of becoming responsible adults.We believe that education is the key to freedom and progress; without it, our future is lost.

THE GRACE OF GOD & THE MAN MACHINE A BLACK LIVES MATTERS PLAY JOCUNDA FESTIVAL

Jocunda Festival presents the award-winning playwright (and HR'73 classmate!) Robert Bowie Jr.’s Black Lives Matter play, THE GRACE OF GOD & THE MAN MACHINE, formally known as “ONAJE”, will appear on Sunday, October 25th at 8:00 p.m. EST on Zoom. Donations are $15.00. A Q&A with the playwright, director, actors and audience will follow led by Van Dirk Fisher, the director and founder of the Riant Theatre.

For tickets register in advance for this webinar: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_nS9PhZTyTMimDacMyxCCeA

Join JusticeAid and music artists Rosanne Cash, Tom Morello, Regina Carter, Lila Downs, and Ivan Neville to rock for justice and voting rights in JusticeAid’s fall concert VOICES TO PROTECT THE VOTE. 100% of any money raised during the concert will go to support JusticeAid’s 2020 grantee-partner Election Protection, and their work fighting voter suppression and guaranteeing every American of voting age has access to the polls on November 3rd.

The concert will be live streamed on JusticeAid’s YouTube and Facebook  channels.

Tune in. Have fun. Make a difference.

Hitler. Mussolini. Hirohito. Totalitarian dictators whose names and ideologies are trapped in the pages of 20^th century history lessons – or are they? Is it possible their ideas and policies are taking root in America right now, at a frighteningly rapid pace?

Authoritarianism, illiberalism, nationalism, fascism: these words appear with alarming frequency in editorials, analyses, and popular articles in 2020. What are the shades of meaning among them? How do they play out in the politics of our time? What can we learn from recent history to help us understand and combat a darker future than many would wish to see?

Moderator A'Lelia Bundles ’74, award-winning journalist, writer and historian, will lead our outstanding panelists William Kristol ’73, political analyst; Nadine Strossen ’72, J.D. ’75, the first female President of the ACLU; and Dr. Chad Williams, RI ’17, Chair of African and African American Studies, Brandeis University, in a wide-ranging and provocative conversation.

Join us October 20 for this eye-opening discussion of fascism and its very real presence in our country’s past, present, and possibly its future.

To sign up, click here.

Given the challenges with Covid-19 and all the misinformation about voting in the upcoming election, everyone we talk with wants to do something other than sit around and complain. Well, here’s your chance!

ClassACT HR73 and JusticeAid have teamed up to provide you with opportunities to make a difference.

1. JusticeAid Film Forum, September 17^th, 7pm  

• https://justiceaid.org/film-forum/

• Cross platform live stream, screening JusticeAid Prize winners in documentary & social media, meet youth film makers. Special appearances: Jason Hehir/ Director The Last Dance; Kimberley Martin reporter ESPN. Live link to share to come.  (links to 2 finalists below.)

• Democracy Must Be Learned  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q6VoCzt9GNQ
• You Need to Vote https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4yNRP1CPqD0&feature=emb_title

• A rockin’ for Justice virtual concert featuring Grammy award winner Rosanne Cash;  multi-instrumentalist Ivan Neville;  musician, songwriter activist Tom Morello; and others. 

• Hot line for lawyers, 866- OUR-VOTE UPDATE - if you have legal experience, contact Ryan O’Connell
• Link to volunteer as poll monitor https://protectthevote.net/

Join us for a different kind of ClassACT Forum. Many of us are struggling to figure out what we as individuals can do to promote a fair and safe election process. We have enlisted a team from the 501(c)(3) Open Progress/Vote.org initiative to train us, as the "ClassACT Text Troop," to mobilize Vote by Mail! and potential voter registration efforts. Those who have done the training and who are already using this platform say it is effective and fun—and easy! If you know how to text, you can do it. We will start off with a short screening of a few JusticeAid Prize award winning entries of the Democracy 2020 Youth Film Festival, and a call to action from youth 15-25 to vote.  

Register here

Learn more about ClassACT's newest bridge project!

Understanding Our Differences’ mission is to educate communities to value and respect people of all abilities, through school-based interactive disability-awareness programs.  The goal is to foster a society that includes people with disabilities – who, at 20 percent of the US population, make up the largest minority group in the country – in truly authentic ways that benefit individuals, schools, workplaces and communities. Since 1978, Understanding our Differences volunteers have regularly been presenting its programs to students in grades 3-5 in our home district of Newton, MA, and in other Eastern Massachusetts cities and towns. The lessons increase students’ understanding of a range of disabilities and chronic disease conditions, with visual presentations, hands-on activities, and speakers with disabilities discussing their experiences and answering questions. The approach has demonstrated repeatedly that accurate information about disabilities makes the difference between discrimination and acceptance. Understanding Our Differences teaches children – at a young age when they are open and receptive to these lifelong lessons – to see the whole person and understand how specific disabilities don’t prevent active participation in the community.

Jeff and Marcia Herrmann (‘73/’74) have been passionate volunteers and supporters of UOD and its mission for decades. Marcia is a Past President of the Board of Directors and continues to serve on the Board.

Note: Multiple UOD Board and Advisory Board members have ties to Harvard University, including Harvard College, the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, the Business School, the School of Education, the Kennedy School, the Divinity School, the Medical School, and the School of Public Health.

Learn more here: https://www.classacthr73.org/sys/website/system-pages/?pageId=18002

ClassACT for Election Protection

Class Act has found an important and convenient opportunity for lawyers to volunteer and help voters during this election season.  

Election Protection (EP), a non-partisan organization that advises voters on their rights, is looking for lawyers to staff its hotlines on a remote basis.  You can take voters' calls at home to assist them with problems they encounter registering or trying to vote.     

EP needs volunteers now, as several states are conducting primaries.  Your service for EP will count for pro bono credit.  EP will assign you a particular state, which may not be your home state.  EP will provide you with three hours of training online, in two separate sessions, which you can watch at any time.  

Please see EP's message below, which includes the link for signing up and more details.  You can also contact Ryan O'Connell of Class Act (ryanoconnell2@gmail.com) if you have questions; please copy him if you sign up.  

The Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law seeks the pro bono assistance of volunteers with staffing remotely the Election Protection English language national voter hotline.  Please see below for additional information. 

Election Protection – Staffing National Voter Hotline Remotely (Remote)  - Record Call Volume

The Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law and its coalition partners seek legal volunteers to remotely staff Election Protection’s English language national voter hotline (1-866-OUR-VOTE)). The hotline is answered by remote volunteers seven days a week from 10:00 am – 6:00 pm Eastern, with additional shifts on Election Day.  The hotline provides assistance to voters with problems and guides them throughout the voting process.  Volunteers must complete two 1.5 hour trainings, including one on accessing the technology remotely.  Support is provided to the volunteers via a captain during their shift and “user guides” and substantive information on voting.   The Lawyers’ Committee is the client.  Volunteers sign up directly using the link provided below. 

The national, nonpartisan Election Protection coalition works year-round to ensure that all voters have an equal opportunity to vote and have that vote count. Made up of more than 100 local, state and national partners, Election Protection provides Americans from coast to coast with comprehensive information and assistance at all stages of voting – from registration, to absentee and early voting, to casting a vote at the polls, to overcoming obstacles to their participation. Election Protection helps voters make sure their vote is counted through a number of resources, including a suite of voter hotlines (866-OUR-VOTE,  888-VE-Y-VOTA, 888-API-VOTE and 844-Yalla-US), field programs and digital outreach tools.   Election Protection is not affiliated in any way with any candidate or political party and is available to all Americans.  For more information about Election Protection, please visit www.866OurVote.org.

 

What:	Staff Election Protection Hotline remotely from home
Who:	Lawyers, paralegals, legal assistants and law students
When:	Ongoing
How:	Online platform; computer with internet plus headphones needed
Training:	The training consists of two parts. YOU MUST DO BOTH OF THESE. o    Part 1 – 1.5 hour on-demand (i.e. watch at any time) substantive training Available at “2020 National Call Center Volunteer Training”:https://electionprotection.northpass.com/c/e02342166dc6187b66e92005ce98d8963f56a786 o    Part 2 – 1.5 hour on-demand training on how to use the technology. You will receive this link via We the Action.
Other Support:	Captains will be available during a volunteer’s shift. Extensive helpful documents available online.
Volunteer Code of Conduct:	Volunteers must “virtually agree” to Code of Conduct. https://forms.gle/EAq8AsM39DA5MeeY9
How to Volunteer:	Sign up directly using the link:  https://electionprotection.wetheaction.org/volunteering/private/A9XBmdJfCi4x   NOTE:  If you have a We the Action volunteer account, you must login before signing up for a shift. NOTE:  All shifts and trainings posted are Eastern Standard Time.

Share the pdf version of our volunteer opportunities here!