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Central Kentucky Chapter celebrates at monthly meeting

Posted by: Beth Howard on March 27, 2013

The Central Kentucky KFTC Chapter held their monthly chapter meeting on Thursday, March 21st at 7 p.m.

KFTC thanks Gov. Beshear, mayors for their bold action on House Bill 279

Posted by: KFTC on March 27, 2013

KFTC has sent a letter to Gov. Steve Beshear thanking him for his "wise decision" to veto House Bill 279.

Madison County chapter meeting reportback

Posted by: Beth Bissmeyer on March 27, 2013

Madison County March Meeting

Madison County members had a full agenda for their March chapter meeting. They started it off, as always, with a fun, engaging icebreaker. This month, people were asked to share what is their favorite dinosaur, which led to moments of learning and laughter.

After reviewing the agenda, members dove into an exercise led by Betty Hibler and Meta Mendel-Reyes where people were asked to think about the first time they were aware of their whiteness or an instance where they were made aware of your race. People in the room broke into small groups for these discussions and came back together to share their experiences. Dorie Hubbard shared a story about being a student in the 1950s in an integrated school. During a program at this integrated school, when a white student and black student started to dance the jitterbug together on stage, the curtains were quickly closed on them. Other members shared instances of where they had to grabble with what it felt like to be a minority, while others talked about how they didn’t become aware of issues surrounding race until they were young adults. Members have used space in chapter meetings since January to have mini-workshops and conversations, so that they are continually thinking about racial justice and diversity.

Uphold the Veto of HB 279!

Posted by: KFTC on March 24, 2013

Responding to overwhelming public opposition, on Friday Gov. Steve Beshear vetoed House Bill 279.

Today's the day to contact your federal rep about the Ryan budget!

Posted by: Kentuckians For The Commonwealth on March 21, 2013

The U.S. House is expected to vote on Rep. Paul Ryan's budget proposal today. Here are some resources for understanding the impact of Ryan's budget, along with numbers you can use to call in while there's still time!

More illness in mining areas, new research finds

Posted by: KFTC on March 18, 2013

A new study has affirmed what most people in Floyd County already know: living in an area where there is coal mining is bad for one's health.

The study published last week in the Journal of Rural Health found that Floyd County residents were more likely to report higher incidences of asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, illnesses involving multiple organs, and general illness than residents in non-mining communities. Residents also reported more serious illness and cancer deaths in family members.

Videos from Voting Rights Rally in Frankfort

Posted by: Dave Newton on March 18, 2013

On March 6th we had a powerful lobby day and rally about Voting Rights in Frankfort.  Here are some videos from the speakers, most of which are former felons themselves.

KFTC member Ray Tucker is running for his utility board

Posted by: Kentuckians For The Commonwealth on March 18, 2013

Check out this video of Ray Tucker, former KFTC chairperson, who is running for the board of directors of his rural electric cooperative, South Kentucky RECC.

 

Stay tuned for more information on how you can help out with Ray's campaign.

Interviewing Former Felons and Telling Their Stories

Posted by: Dave Newton on March 18, 2013

IMG_1389Interviewing former felons and communicating out their stories is critical to the strategy of our campaign to restore voting rights to former felons who have served their debt to society.

It’s a way of  challenging what people think they know about who former felons are and showing them a range of people at least some of whom they feel like they can relate to - different ages, races, backgrounds, and hometowns. 

If someone can see a piece of themselves or their family and neighbors in a former felon’s story, or respect or look up to their accomplishments, that connection can make it easier to understand the issue and support restoration of voting rights. 

Here are some examples of interviews we've conducted in the past.

We use these stories in a lot of different ways - stories on our blog, shared through Facebook, in our newsletter balancing the scales, in large signs and on factsheets, or full stories sent to the media or to legislators. 

If you're a former felon interested in being interviewed about the right to vote, or if you know someone who might be, please contact your local KFTC organizer or Dave Newton [email protected] 859-420-8919.

Jefferson County Chapter meeting reportback

Posted by: Emily Nordling on March 14, 2013

 This Monday marked the Jefferson County chapter’s first meeting to include the new facilitation style agreed upon by our (also new) Chapter Development Work Team. We’re off to a great start! We began by introducing ourselves, laying out ground rules – such as “step forward, step back” – reading our mission statement, and reviewing our agenda.

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