YOU: It’s such a busy time of year, why should I go to the time and effort to get to the Cherrywood Center at 6:30 this Wednesday night?
US: We’re glad you asked! Here are five good reasons:
We’ll be kicking off our midterm project!
In a little less than seven months, we will have our first chance to vote since Trump was elected in 2024.
Our first chance to vote since the Texas GOP decided to redraw the lines to benefit their party and their president.
Our first chance to vote since the Trump regime started an illegal war, murdered citizens in cold blood on American streets, held more than 3,800 children in horrific detention centers, and ignored his campaign promises to focus on the cost of groceries, energy, and other staples.
We intend to make the most of it, by providing focused and coordinated support in one district. Our FORWRD-To-Win committee has been researching districts and campaigns for months, anticipating this moment.
We’ve been waiting for this moment 🥁
This Wednesday, we’ll hear their update and decide on our next moves. (Scroll to the end of this message for the committee’s summaries and more resources about our finalists.)We’ll be deciding where to build our power.
As we support a candidate in another part of the state, we’ll also build relationships with the goal of launching a local chapter of FORWRD in that district. That way, we’ll be building the structure we need to sustain momentum looking ahead to 2028.We’ll be testing a new theory together.
There are already plenty of ways to support campaigns and candidates, and they all matter. But here’s the reality: 42 percent of people deliberately tune out political news. The attention economy demands that we look past traditional strategies like phone-banking or block-walking.
Zohran Mamdani’s “Zcavenger Hunt” and Kat Abughazaleh’s campaign zines are two recent examples of how fun and creativity can reach folks who typically tune out politics.
The specifics of how we’ll show up for “our” candidate remain to be written … by all of us. Show up on Wednesday night and help shape the conversation!
The Zcavenger Hunt was a phenomenon
We’ll sing “Deep In the Heart of Texas” together!
If you attended Raise Our Voice, you know that a huge highlight was Craig Hella Johnson’s NEW lyrics for Deep In the Heart of Texas. (Craig: “You never really knew the original lyrics, anyway.”) We’ll be sharing them and singing the new version! Come experience it!
(FYI, we’ll share Craig’s lyrics and a full event recap in our next newsletter.)
PURE JOY 📸: Riley Church
You Must Be Present to Win!
There’s only one way to shape the future of FORWRD: show up on Wednesday. We’ll be voting in person and the vote will be FINAL! Wear your soft pants, skip the bra, whatever makes you comfortable — but come out and vote!
For each finalist, our committee has prepared a report and provided a video and other resources.
Our two finalists are:
#1: BOBBY PULIDO
#2: KATY PADILLA STOUT
A few more details …
Parking: There are about 30 spaces in the back of the Cherrywood Center - enter the parking lot from the entrance on E. 38 ½ St, pull around back and see if there’s a spot. There is also ample street parking in the neighborhood. (Be careful not to block any bus stops.)
Arriving: Come in through the glass doors that face E. 38 ½ St. Give yourself time to park, make a nametag, grab a snack and find some friends — doors will open at 6:15 and the meeting will start right at 6:30. **We will have our FORWRD t-shirts for sale for $25 each - cash or Venmo!
Pitch in if you’re able! We will have a few snacks, drinks, and bottles of wine, but we love how our FORWRD ladies always show up ready to help. Bring a favorite snack, a bottle of wine, sparkling water - whatever is speaking to you! And if you are able to help clean up at 8:30, we will praise your name to the end of your days.
Questions? Email us at [email protected] ….
