These past two weeks have been bustling with action in support of our vulnerable neighbors. We’ve got some collective celebrating to do!

First, here’s a missive from the INCREDIBLE FORWRD member (who chooses to remain anonymous 😎) who planned and executed a hugely successful bake sale in Hyde Park:

In early November, FORWRD Hyde Park hosted a Community Bake Sale to benefit Grassroots Leadership, an Austin based nonprofit that helps our immigrant neighbors and friends. With the contributions from excellent bakers in FORWRD and Bake Back Better, we were able to raise more than $2,000 for Grassroots Leadership. This will help provide groceries for those in our community who are not able to leave their homes due to ICE pressure.

We are grateful for those who contributed baked goods and those who generously donated money to the cause. This was a community event benefiting those in need in our community. When we work together we can do big things.

Meanwhile, FORWRD member and all-around good-troublemaker Jamie Gardner approached us last week with a pretty big request: commit to feeding 18 families who are vulnerable to ICE raids and needed groceries.

When the call went out on Signal, folks immediately stepped up. This wasn’t just “pick up a can of green beans”; every volunteer was asked to buy a week’s worth of groceries and a whole lot of staples, like cooking oil and peanut butter. These generous and kind-hearted volunteers collectively donated well over $1500 in food and hygiene supplies.

There was a collective sentiment among the shoppers that it was a unique and humbling experience to shop for a specific family. It made volunteers walk the aisles differently, thinking about the items that might not be on the list but would be appreciated.

FORWRD members made this all happen in less than a week.❗️And donated enough diapers and feminine products to fill up an entire car. ‼️

Honestly? We’re GOBSMACKED at these accomplishments. LOOK WHAT WE DID TOGETHER.

Thank you to everyone who shopped, who donated funds, who helped organize and distribute the food, nd many thanks to Jamie Gardner and the Monarch Collective for coordinating this massive effort with Austin Sanctuary Network.

Having said that … the work of feeding these 18 families will be ongoing for the immediate future. If you would like to support this project, there are many ways to plug in (sorting donations, organizing a drive, shopping, etc). Please send an email with your name, area of interest, and cell phone number. THANK YOU 🙏🏾

One of the many good-news stories from election night came out of Fort Worth, where Democrat Taylor Rehmet spent $68,000 in Senate District 9 and beat two billionaire-funded GOP candidates. Taylor will now face Leigh Wambsganss in a runoff on January 31.

The conventional wisdom says that a district that voted for Trump by more than 17 points is likely to vote for the GOP candidate in the runoff. But change is clearly in the air (this new Marist poll is one indication of a shifting electorate).

And Rehmet is smart enough to say things like this:

Plus, we learned something interesting about Fort Worth during the FORWRD meet & greet with Gina Hinojosa (which was great, btw!). Compared to other Texas cities, Fort Worth has relatively low voter turnout rates.

How low? The past three off-year elections had an average turnout rate of 11.9%.

So here’s what we’re wondering: could we use the power of our relationships with friends and family in Fort Worth to try to improve turnout on January 31?

Seems like we could even call this effort a SMART goal, since it’s Strategic, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound.

So! Do you root for the Horned Frogs … AND democracy? Do you crave Joe T. Garcia’s AND a change in leadership? If you’ve got a network in Fort Worth you’re willing to tap into, please give us a shout. We’re pulling a group together to discuss tactics, contacts, and opportunities.

We felt SO DAMN GRATEFUL to the voters of California for countering Texas’ gerrymander — and to Governor Newsom for leading the fight — that we decided to say thank you.

The card read “Dear Governor Newsom, We Texans know a fighter when we see one. Thanks for standing up for us when our own state stole our power. Stronger together, FORWRD-ATX.”

We feel even more delighted about California’s outcome now that a three-judge panel has blocked Texas from using the new gerrymandered map. Which feels like exactly the karmic blowback that Donald Trump, Greg Abbott and the Texas GOP had coming to them.

(Big upside: this ruling means we get to keep both our beloved local Central Texas reps. Greg Casar and Lloyd Doggett will now run in their existing districts 🥳)

Yeah, the Supreme Court could still save the GOP’s bacon. But hoo boy, aren’t we lucky that the Trump regime doesn’t seem to know any good lawyers?

We’re still nailing down the details … but we’re exploring the possibility of a project based around the principles of deep canvassing. (Here’s an article that provides an overview of what this looks like.)

We’re pursuing a deep canvassing training opportunity, and together, we’ll build a plan to use this technique tactically all the way through next year’s midterms.

We’re also discussing a project aimed at increasing voter turnout in next year’s primary elections. We can build on our efforts in Fort Worth — and likely borrow from the tactics of deep canvassing.

These projects both fall into what we’re beginning to think of as FORWRD’s “sweet spot” — a bit upstream from campaigns, but still connected to long-term political goals.

As always: if you have ideas or you’d like to jump into either one of these nascent projects, raise your hand!

For Friday, November 21st : Find time to squeeze in some connection!

💜= FORWRD  member recommended

Local Austin events (in person):