There’s something about being in the Year of the Midterm that focuses the attention, don’t you think?
You could feel it in the room at our meeting this week. The room was FULL of people ready to dive in and do something meaningful.
It was great to see everyone who made it! What a way to celebrate one year of Moving FORWRD! If you missed it, read on for an update. Key links and action items below.
Local artist Akina Adderley kicked off the meeting with a powerful original song — and then got all of us singing.
Then we laid out some ambitious plans to unleash the FORWRD network on three fronts in 2026: locally, statewide, and nationally. We’re excited to tell you more about these plans as they develop!
Next, we heard from two guest speakers. First, Jeremy Smith of Civitech told us confidently that the GOP is on track to lose three of the seats they gerrymandered last summer. ‼️
Here’s Jeremy’s summary … good stuff here! (“Be fun and normal” 👍🏽)
After that, Renee LaFair of March Matters talked about the importance of increasing participation in the primary elections on March 3 (early voting starts February 17!). Most of our gerrymandered districts are either bright red or bright blue, she reminded us. Whoever wins in March — when most voters stay home — typically wins in November. Here are four things all of us can do right now:
1. Get Ready to Vote Yourself. This link from March Matters has everything you need to prepare to vote, from verifying that you are registered to links to figure out who is on your ballot.
2. Get your friends to vote. Of all of your friends who vote in November, only about 1/3 of them vote in the primary. You can download the March Matters toolkit, which will give you access to everything you need for outreach including cut and paste wording for emails, text messages, social media posts, and ready to use graphics.
3. Connect March Matters with businesses and other organizations that could use their materials to encourage their stakeholders to vote. This can also be influencers or people with large email lists or bloggers.
4. Volunteer. March Matters is looking for volunteers to help with tabling at events over the next 3 weeks. Email them at [email protected] to help.
As we broke into small groups, folks had an opportunity to sign on to five separate initiatives:
Supporting our immigrant neighbors,
Arts & Culture — planning & executing cultural events & activities,
Neighborhood groups — smaller groups for hyper-local FORWRD networking and activation,
Getting out the vote for the March primaries, and
All Eyes on Texas — leveraging our networks and our relationships to effect real change in Texas elections.
If you signed up for one of these initiatives, you’ll be hearing from us next week about next steps. One thing we’ve noticed in our first year together is that three volunteers working together — call them a “power trio” — can be extremely effective at leading an effort.
DID SOMEONE SAY POWER TRIO 🎸
How many power trios can we activate across Austin … and beyond?
If you couldn’t attend the meeting and you’d like to jump in to one (or more!) of these initiatives, let us know.
IMPORTANT: If you were at the Supporting Our Immigrant Neighbors group and want to be on a FORWRD task force dedicated to this effort, please send us your email. Unfortunately, we don’t have a list of who was in this group.
The meeting ended the way every meeting should end: with CAKE.
It is such a privilege and a pleasure to come together as a community with all of you. Thank you to everyone who attended, brought snacks, bought drinks, talked to a stranger, and sang along. Thanks to the crackerjack staff at the 29th Street Ballroom and to all of you who volunteered to make the event run smoothly! And thank you to Akina and our awesome speakers. We can’t wait to do it again!
(If you attended the meeting … would you mind sharing your feedback with us? We’d love to hear your thoughts on what you’d like to see in the future.)
RESCHEDULED: Sat 2/21: Bringing Down a Dictator, Molly & Ann
FORWRD-Hyde Park’s documentary series continues!
On Saturday, Feb. 21 at 4 pm, they’ll host a screening of the 20-minute 2018 film “Molly and Ann,” about the friendship between these two Texas icons. Then, they’ll screen the 56-minute film “Bringing Down a Dictator,” about the nonviolent overthrow of Serbian dictator Slobodan Milosevic. Big thanks to FORWRD member Kim Sevcik for organizing this event! Space is limited — please RSVP.
🗓️ Calendar Highlights
For Friday, February 6th: Choose Your Own Adventure!
💜= FORWRD member recommended
Local Austin events (in person):
Fridays in February, 4:00-5:30 PM East Side Banners Over Austin NEW TIME! Join the Indivisible Rosedale Huddle at the 12th St bridge over IH-35 to wave signs and bring attention to current events.
💜Saturday, February 7th, 11:00 AM-1:00 PM To Immigrants, With Love - Hosted by Lincoln-Goldfinch Law, this is a community gathering rooted in care, solidarity, and action. Write messages of love and support for immigrant families, Learn about rights and resources, how to take action and connect with the community, and enjoy music and sweet treats. Bring your art, poetry, and music!
💜💜Mondays in February, 5:00-5:30 PM Weekly Protest at the Menchaca Library Join FORWRD members in holding up signs at the Menchaca Library every Monday. Bring your own sign or borrow one of ours!
Monday, February 9th, 5:30-7:30 PM Indivisible Austin Monthly Meeting Because democracy won't defend itself! Come hang with your fellow Austinites, changemakers, and democracy-defenders in real life. This isn’t your average political meeting — we’re mixing action with energy and real talk with real plans.
Tuesdays in February 4:00-5:30 PM West Side Banners Over Austin with the Rosedale Huddle. NEW TIME!! The Banner Drops are STILL HAPPENING! These are super fun, peaceful, energetic! We will be holding banners and signs over the interstate at peak traffic /visibility times - we wave flags, support our banners and thumbs up to the many honks and waves from cars and trucks below. (Fan favorite? “Stop Truth Decay!”) At Far West and MoPac
💜💜Thursdays in February 5:00-6:00 PM Protest in Support of Those Being Terrorized by ICE A group of concerned citizens would like to continue to draw attention to the brutal tactics that ICE is using against our neighbors with a weekly protest. Bring a sign if you have one - or just join in. Plan to walk around the big intersection at 45th and Lamar during rush hour to keep this issue front and center in people's minds.
💜💜💜Saturday, February 14th 9:00 AM til sold out Community Bake Sale Be sweet for your sweetie and come buy some delicious homemade baked goods! The Community Bake Sale runs 9 am until we are sold out! All money will go to the Austin Mutual Aid Immigrant Support Fund
💜💜💜Saturday, February 21st 4:00-6:30 PM FORWRD-Hyde Park Documentary Watch Party Join FORWRD-Hyde Park for two very special documentary screenings and conversations! We will be watching the 20 minute short documentary “Molly and Ann” followed by the 56 minute documentary “Bringing Down a Dictator”. The director of “Molly and Ann:, Paul Stekler, will be joining us for the discussion. This documentary screening will be facilitated by FORWRD member, Kim Sevcik! **RSVP Here
Online Events (from the comfort of your couch!)
💜Friday, February 6th 3:00-4:30 PM Community Defender Training: Parents, Kids, and ICE Detention This training will go over the Parental Interest Directive and parental rights and children’s rights in the ICE arrest, detention, and deportation contexts. We will also cover emerging risks in this enforcement environment and some ways that parents might navigate and lessen those risks.
Tuesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays (times vary): Volunteer Deputy Registrar Training with Powered by People The key to restoring democracy is getting voters to the polls! In Texas, you must first get certified as a Volunteer Deputy Registrar (VDR) in order to help register voters. Take this quick 1 hour training! Bring a friend!
Tuesdays 6-7 PM: How We Win in 2026: Relational Organizing Training Join Blue Action in an interactive training session where you’ll learn the essentials of relational organizing—a proven strategy for building powerful, people-centered movements. Great for new and experienced organizers alike!
Wednesday, February 11th 6:00-7:30 PM ICE Watch and Community Defense Training Whether or not you are part of an established community response network, this training will share important skills for building neighborhood resilience, documenting ICE activity, and supporting neighbors. In addition to covering the basics of ICE Watch, we will discuss new analysis on ICE operations, rapid response tactics, and safety guidance.
Friday, February 13th 10:00-11:30 AM ICE Watch and Community Defense Training Whether or not you are part of an established community response network, this training will share important skills for building neighborhood resilience, documenting ICE activity, and supporting neighbors. In addition to covering the basics of ICE Watch, we will discuss new analysis on ICE operations, rapid response tactics, and safety guidance.
© Nick Anderson, The Contrarian
