Tag Archives: Thanksgiving

Lonnie G. Bunch at The NMAAHC

11/22/2012 Nativegrl77

I’m writing to wish you and yours a happy Thanksgiving!

Today, I’d like to thank you for your support on behalf of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture.

This has been a big year for us — in February, we celebrated our groundbreaking. Construction is underway, and we are on target to open our doors in 2015.

With your loyalty and support, millions of people will experience the American story through a different lens, that of African American history and culture.

Thank you again for helping us build this important new addition to the Smithsonian family of museums. We can’t wait to see you in the Museum when we open!

From all of us here, we wish you a very happy Thanksgiving.

Sincerely,
Edison Wato signature
Edison R. Wato, Jr.
Membership Program Manager

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Let’s Talk Turkey about the Super-Committee …National Women’s Law Center

11/23/2011 Nativegrl77

Let’s talk turkey.

Politics might not be on the Thanksgiving menu, but when families and friends gather, it seems to be a side dish some of us are force fed.

We want to give you something to be thankful for by making sure you’re prepared to talk about what women and families have at stake in the economy and the truth about what happened with the super-committee. Remember that the super-committee was a special committee of Members of Congress created to come up with a plan to reduce the federal deficit over the next decade.

Last night, the super-committee announced that it did not reach agreement on a deficit reduction plan. To explain what this means for you — and Aunt Edith — below are a few key myths and facts.

MYTH: It would have been better if the super-committee reached a deal.FACT: No deal is better than a bad deal — and we were headed toward a bad deal. The fact that some members of the super-committee felt a strong enough obligation to protect the programs that women and families depend on is incredibly important. Had key safety net programs like Social Security, Medicaid and Medicare been cut in a last-minute deal, the damage could have been irreparable. For more info, check out our latest blog post: Five Reasons Why No Deal is Better than a Bad Deal.

MYTH: I heard Social Security, Medicaid and Medicare will automatically be cut.FACT: The automatic cuts do not reach Social Security, Medicaid, or many other programs for low-income Americans. Any Medicare cuts would affect payments to providers, not beneficiaries. The automatic cuts that are scheduled would affect defense and non-defense programs equally. Unfortunately, discretionary programs that specifically serve low-income people are not exempt. However, the cuts won’t start to take effect until 2013, so Congress has time make changes through the regular legislative process.

MYTH: The super-committee didn’t reach a deal and important programs were protected — so our advocacy worked! We don’t need to worry anymore.FACT: We still have lots to do. We need to work to extend federal emergency unemployment benefit programs and pass job creation measures. We need to fund the government through the rest of this fiscal year, without strings attached that limit women’s rights. And the fight to make millionaires and billionaires pay their fair share and to protect Social Security, Medicaid, Medicare, and other vital programs will continue. So enjoy, rest up — and join us next week.

This Thanksgiving, we could not be more grateful for the dedication of our network of activists like you, who took action to send emails and make phone calls throughout the super-committee’s deliberations.While the super-committee’s work has ended, our work for a fair economy continues. We couldn’t do it without you.National Women’s Law Center

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Working on Thanksgiving …Jess Kutch, Change.org

11/17/2011 Nativegrl77 1 Comment

Join Anthony’s massive campaign to save Thanksgiving for families. Ask Target to open at 5AM, not midnight, on Black Friday.

Anthony Hardwick’s campaign to save Thanksgiving from the holiday shopping arms race has made headlines in literally thousands of media outlets around the country — and sparked a national conversation about protecting family time on Thanksgiving.

To recap: Last week, Anthony, a Target employee from Omaha, started a Change.org petition asking Target to move back its Black Friday opening time from midnight on Thanksgiving to (the somewhat less crazy) 5 a.m., so that thousands of workers and shoppers could have Thanksgiving dinner with their families.

Nearly 100,000 people have signed, and more than 50 other petitions have been started asking stores like Best Buy and Macy’s to move back their openings, too. Will you add your name to Anthony’s petition?

Anthony’s campaign is already making huge strides: Several of Target’s competitors, like J.C. Penney and Sears, have now proudly announced that they’re opening later to give workers time to celebrate the holiday with loved ones. And there’s no doubt that Target and others will think twice before opening so early next year.

It’s up to you to keep up the pressure. Please sign Anthony’s petition and forward this email to everyone you know:

http://www.change.org/petitions/tell-target-to-save-thanksgiving

Thanks for being a change-maker,

– Jess and the Change.org team

P.S. Here are some of the other top Change.org petitions this week:

Rick Melargni is a Best Buy employee from Tampa, Florida. He started a petition on Change.org asking Best Buy to not open at midnight on Thanksgiving so families can share the holiday together.
Monique White lost her job as a youth counselor at a group home in Minnesota after state budget cuts. Now she’s fighting to stop US Bank from evicting her from her foreclosed home. Sign Monique’s petition to keep her home from US Bank.
Shawn Ambrose bought a ticket on a Greyhound bus for his daughter in college — but because the ticket was a gift, Greyhound charged him an extra $18 fee. Sign Shawn’s petition asking Greyhound to cancel its $18 “gift fee” for families traveling during the holidays.
Students at the University of Nevada want to save their school’s “working farm” — one of the few left in the country, where students can learn about farming and agriculture. Sign Wendy Baroli’s petition to stop the school from destroying the farm.
“Pancho” Ramos-Stierle was arrested on Monday morning while meditating in a peaceful protest at the Occupy Wall Street movement in Oakland, California. But because he’s undocumented, he faces deportation. His friends started a petition asking immigration officials to release Pancho immediately.
An Oklahoma man brutally injured a horse after dragging it behind his ATV. Now a group called “Hand 4 Paws” is asking a judge to impose the maximum sentence in the case.

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Working on Thanksgiving …Change.org

11/15/2011 Nativegrl77

While most of America will be sleeping off a belly full of turkey, stuffing, and pie next Thursday night, 29-year-old Anthony Hardwick will be waking up for a long night of work. That’s because Anthony has to report for his shift at a Target store in Omaha, Nebraska on Thanksgiving night.

For the first time on “Black Friday” — the biggest shopping day of the year — Target stores will be opening at midnight. That means retail employees like Anthony have to miss Thanksgiving celebrations with their families in order to work for big stores’ “Black Friday” midnight sales — or risk losing their jobs.

“All Americans should be able to break bread with loved ones on Thanksgiving,” Anthony says.

So Anthony decided to push back. He started a petition on Change.org asking Target to open stores at 5am instead of midnight on Black Friday. Click here to add your name to his petition. http://www.change.org/petitions/target-corporation-push-back-the-opening-of-target-retail-stores-on-black-friday-to-5am?

The sad reality is that by starting a petition to his employer on Change.org, he is putting his livelihood at risk. Anthony knows that he could be fired for taking his demand of Target public — but that’s how important it is to him that he spend Thanksgiving with his fiancee and her family.

Anthony isn’t alone in thinking that midnight (or earlier) start times for retail stores on Black Friday is are bad ideas — customers hate it, too. In fact, according to an article in the New York Times that featured Anthony’s petition, more and more consumers are avoiding Black Friday sales that interrupt Thanksgiving meals. And by being the first to petition his employer about this issue, he hopes to inspire workers at other retail stores to also speak out.

Target is one of the most prominent companies forcing its employees to miss Thanksgiving with their families. Anthony hopes that by calling out Target, he can force his employer to push back opening times at Target stores across the country — which will pressure other retail chains to do the same.

Please add your name to Anthony’s petition asking Target to push back its Black Friday opening time so he and other Target employees can spend Thanksgiving with their families:

http://www.change.org/petitions/target-corporation-push-back-the-opening-of-target-retail-stores-on-black-friday-to-5am

Thanks for being a change-maker,

– Jess and the Change.org team

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we just want to thank you …from CARE

11/27/2010 Nativegrl77

I hope you can take a moment to watch my special video message. This Thanksgiving, I am grateful for all the support you’ve shown to the girls and women that CARE works with in poor countries from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe.