Posted by: KFTC Staff on August 21, 2019
Most Kentuckians know that the political leaders now in office tend to not have the best interests of the people at heart. And until they do, we have a hard time bringing to life our vision for stronger and more just Kentucky.
To build strength and get more progressive people elected and better policies passed, KFTC members are taking to the streets, going door to door, talking to their neighbors, hosting events across the state and using phone, email and text to reach out to voters and remind them that who’s elected really does matter.
A new tool in the toolbox is an event they're calling a "Meet and Greet."
Through canvassing, tabling and other outreach efforts, KFTC is meeting a lot of new people out in the community. Some are interested in getting involved in fighting for democracy. It's going to take all of us to win in November and beyond, so we need large numbers of people to be engaged in our work.
Posted by: KFTC Staff on August 20, 2019
By the end of the first day of classes yesterday, KFTC members had registered 164 students to vote at nine events at Northern Kentucky University, Jefferson County and Technical College, Thomas More University, and Gateway Community and Technical College.
Most people don’t realize it, but students have the right to be registered to vote at school where they live and that’s an especially good idea if their parents live far away. Tuesday, November 5th is Election Day, but it’s also a school day, so we want voting to be as accessible as possible for students.
Posted by: Joe Gallenstein on August 20, 2019
Members of Kentuckians For The Commonwealth love democracy. That’s why we spend so much time fighting for voting rights, fair representation, registering voters, working on our voter guide, and doing all we can to make sure that every voice is heard and respected in our democracy!
Posted by: Joe Gallenstein on August 20, 2019
On August 6, Dayton became the 12th city in Kentucky to pass a fairness ordinance!
Mayor Ben Baker, who helped found the Northern Kentucky KFTC Chapter and served as its Steering Committee representative for several years, led a process that resulted in 5-0 vote in support of extending non-discrimination protections to LGBTQ+ Kentuckians living and working in the city! (You can watch the video here!)
Posted by: KFTC Staff on August 19, 2019
KFTC's annual meeting featured a Disability Justice 101 workshop co-facilitated by Centrak Kentucky KFTC member Tiffany Duncan and KFTC staff members Chandra Cruz-Thomson and Beth Howard. The workshop gave an introduction of Disability Justice concepts, a timeline of disability justice and disability rights organizing and modeled ways to incorporate disability justice tools and principles into our meeting spaces.
According to Disability Justice activist Mia Mingus, “Disability justice is a multi-issue political understanding of disability and ableism, moving away from a rights based equality model and beyond just access, to a framework that centers justice and wholeness for all disabled people and communities.”
Posted by: KFTC Staff on August 17, 2019
It was 38 years ago today – August 17, 1981 – that a group of 26 people from 12 counties meeting in Hazard agreed to officially form a new organization: KFTC, then known as the Kentucky Fair Tax Coalition.
"People, especially in eastern Kentucky, were getting to know each other. All around the region there was a loose network of people who had worked together with each other in various ways over the past 15 years or so. What we didn't have in those days was a structured connection between us. There was a no interlocking of these community-level efforts, until KFTC." – Herb E. Smith, Letcher County
According to the book Making History: The First Ten Years of KFTC:
"We just knew that it made sense to work together across county lines because the problems we faced were similar and needed to be addressed on the state or national level," said Gladys Maynard, who was representing the Concerned Citizens of Martin County and became KFTC's first chairperson.
Posted by: Meta Mendel-Reyes, KFTC Chairperson on July 15, 2019
This spring 2019, KFTC’s Steering Committee voted to go “all in” to impact the important elections in 2019 and 2020. They saw the urgency of this moment when so many things – our health care, pensions, schools, environment and our democracy – are at stake. Impacting the elections means engaging with hundreds of thousands of voters and changing the narrative about what’s possible in Kentucky. In the letter below, KFTC Chairperson Meta Mendel-Reyes explains why this moment is different – and why we have to rise to it.
Posted by: KFTC Staff on July 11, 2019
Late this spring, KFTC began a Racial Justice Assessment and Visioning process. This update is the first of what will likely be an ongoing series where we’ll share updates on what we’re learning, activities we’re engaging in, and potential next steps as we go through this process.
In June 2018, the KFTC Steering Committee held a racial justice workshop for its summer retreat. Coming out of the workshop were three ideas the Steering Committee wanted to explore: 1) a racial justice audit or assessment of KFTC’s overall work; 2) a People of Color Caucus for members and staff; and 3) a Racial Justice Advisory Committee.
After further discussion, the People of Color Caucus has gotten underway and the Steering Committee put on hold the Racial Justice Advisory Committee until after we go through the assessment process.
Posted by: Joe Gallenstein on July 11, 2019
People across the world, including here in Kentucky, are disgusted and distrubed by the images coming from ICE detention facilities.
Posted by: Lisa Abbott on July 9, 2019
KFTC members and residents of many other coal producing states and regions have followed the activities of Revelation Energy, LLC with increasing alarm in recent years.
They watched closely as the company went a buying spree, acquiring hundreds of mine permits and hundreds of thousands of acres of mines in Kentucky alone from 2014 to 2018. They tracked notices of dozens of safety, health and environmental violations and overdue taxes charged against Revelation Energy, many of which remain outstanding. (According to the Lexington Herald Leader, Revelation Energy has been the top violator of reclamation and environmental rules in each of the last three years.)
And throughout this year, KFTC members actively organized against proposed mining permits and permit amendments sought by Revelation Energy that threaten water quality and community well-being in Harlan and Pulaski counties.
