Greens and Allies, walk with us! Meeting at the Westlake monorail station at 12:45pm. Wear something green. You will see a short lady holding up a very tall sunflower!

REMINDER — 

It all starts with you.

The Green Party of Washington State is one of the many sponsors of the #M4M4ALL [March for Medicare for All] which takes place in cities and towns all over the country this Saturday, July 24, 2021.

The Green Party of Washington State strongly urges all Green Party members and supporters to get involved!

The Green Party supports single-payer universal health care and preventive care for all. We believe that health care is a right, not a privilege. Single-payer universal healthcare has been in our platform since 2000. This has not changed.

What has changed is that now an overwhelming majority of US residents agree with us. Unfortunately, elected politicians from the major parties are reluctant to go against a powerful corporate healthcare system that favors dollars over public health.

The COVID-19 pandemic taught people that human life is worth more than clickbait. So many people want Medicare for All right now that a critical mass of us are about to take to the streets.

Take action! Join us at the march! Join this massive grassroots effort. Together, we will win!

The Seattle march will start at Westlake Park and end at the Seattle Center Mural Amphitheater. More Speakers will convene at the Mural Stage behind the space needle. Registration Details are here: https://www.mobilize.us/marchformedicareforallm4m4all-1/event/388622/

Seattle march details: Green Allies meet up at 12:45 PM at the Westlake monorail station. Visual clue: Big Sunflower. People wearing more than the average amount of Green. People coming from out of town may want to park near the Seattle Center and take the monorail to the rally start at Westlake. Also, you may want to do a park and ride, Uber, Lift or Taxi, or look on the #M4M4All website for a rideshare. We highly encourage public transportation.

Requests for Green Party Supporters and March Participants:

• Please share information and boost posts about #M4M4ALL. All of us are differently-abled, spreading the information and sharing live streams also speaks to power, and is an important act of solidarity for our organizers.
• Donate if you can, this march is people powered but money helps the cause!
• Green Party supporters should ‘be seen being Green’ and take photos and videos. Please wear a green hat, top, or scarf if possible as a visual cue. Seattle Greens meet up at 12:45 PM at the Westlake monorail station.
• [Seattle] Volunteers to set up and table outside at the Seattle Center Mural Amphitheatre. Let us know if you can help with setting up and/or staffing our table. We will also be collecting signatures for Initiative 1362 — Whole Washington — Universal Healthcare for Washington State!
• If you have a Green Party friend in another part of the country, help them find their local March!  This is something that all Progressives can agree on, so we can bring our not Green [yet] friends too!

Mandate from the People: It is time to reject Illness for Profit and Choose Healthcare for All!

Take action! Join us at the march! Join this massive grassroots effort from several Progressive sponsors.

Together, we will win.

It all starts with you.

The Green Party supports single-payer universal health care and preventive care for all. We believe that health care is a right, not a privilege. It’s been in our platform since 2000.

The Greens are not the outliers anymore, much like the majority of Americans now believe in climate science, the majority of Americans also now agree that we need healthcare for all.

Take action! Join us at the march! As a united people, we can take on those who are working to block the will of the people. Greens are taking part, along with other coalition members in a massive grassroots effort. Together, we will win.

“This question is both simple and complex. We are a coalition of groups that are coming together to march for Medicare for All. Who is in that coalition depends on which city you are talking about. There is no one single group behind this. The list seems to grow every day. Some people are even politically homeless and simply focused on doing what they can to move #M4A forward. We are nonpartisan, but some local parties have joined in the fight! We are proud to say that this type of coming together hasn’t happened in recent memory, if ever.”

Let’s show them what Democratic Ecosocialism looks like folx, or let’s just rise above the all of the political jargon and trigger words to do the right thing for our communities and ourselves.

[This announcement is taken directly from the global federation of Greens.]

“The COP 26 UN Climate Change Conference will take place from 31 October to 12 November 2021 in Glasgow, UK. The Global Greens will be sending up to ten delegates* to observe negotiations, represent the Global Greens and report back to our network of member organisations. Global Greens delegates will be considered Non-Governmental Observers for the purpose of the Conference.

If you are interested in being a Global Greens Delegate then we invite you review the below guidelines and then submit your application. The deadline for submissions is the 31st July 2021.

The application process for Global Greens delegates to COP26 has been designed to ensure that:

• The diversity of our member organisations is equitably represented, with at least two delegates selected from each of the four Global Greens Federations. 
• A minimum of 50% of delegates will identify as women or non-binary; 
• There is a balance between delegates who already have international negotiation experience, as well as those with demonstrated commitment to climate campaigning within their communities.

Responses to the five qualifying questions will be each graded out of five by the Review Panel, which will be composed of individuals from the Global Greens Coordination and the COP26 Working Group. The panel will grade responses without reference to the demographic details to minimise the impact of unconscious bias on the process.

After the Review Panel selects its preferred candidates, we may contact your regional Federation for further information, such as your history of involvement in Federation activities.

Unfortunately, the Global Greens can only provide minimal  support for the travel and accommodation costs for delegates attending COP26. For outstanding candidates who will be unable to fund their own travel, the Global Greens will endeavour to raise funds to support their trip. However, people applying to be a delegate should do so expecting to fund their own travel, accommodation, and other costs.

Further, the language of the Conference is English and the Global Greens is not able to pay for interpreters, so applicants should be comfortable working in English in a conference environment.”

More from the Global Greens…

• Green Party of the United States to Hold Annual National Meeting Online, July 15-18 2021
• Schedule of Events for Media Available Now

The Green Party’s 2021 Annual National Meeting (ANM) will occur online to respect public health recommendations regarding non-necessary travel and large gatherings as the United States during the COVID-19 pandemic.

• What: Green Party of the United States 2021 Annual National Meeting
• When: Thursday, July 15 to Sunday, July 18, 2021
• Where: Online, with portions broadcast live to GP.org and social media platforms
• Theme: “Dismantling Oppression, Building Solidarity: A Green Party For Everyone”
• 2021 Green Annual National Meeting Page
• Media Credentialing Application

The gathering will occur over Zoom and other communications platforms from July 15 to July 18. The Green Party has designed the 2021 ANM with an exceptional focus on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion training for party organizers. A team of dedicated trainers has been retained, including the consulting organization Frailty Myths. Public portions of the ANM program, including Keynote Speaker Kali Akuno, will be streamed live at https://www.gp.org/live.

The Green Party will broadcast portions of the workshops and guest speakers for free on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Twitch for the public.

Additional media opportunities will include a press conference with national Green Party leaders hosted on a dedicated Zoom videoconference.

Online workshops and panels will be offered to convention registrants throughout the meeting. Please register on the media credentialing page if you are interested in covering program events and news conferences.

Please note: sessions requiring sensitivity and confidentiality necessary for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion work will not be open for press coverage.

Schedule of Press Events

Media Must Be Credentialed in Advance to Receive Zoom Information

Time Zone: U.S. Eastern Time

Details for all events are subject to change. A final advisory with updates and speaker details will be published the week of the convention.

Thursday, July 15, 9:00am  

Press Conference welcoming media to the Green Party’s 2021 Annual National Meeting, featuring party officials and convention organizers.

Thursday, July 15, 9:00pm (estimated)

Panel Discussion following a screening of Surviving Pulse: Life after a Mass Shooting, with the producer and participants from the film.

Saturday, July 17, 8:00pm

Keynote Speaker: Kali Akuno, co-founder and co-director of Cooperation Jackson and co-editor of Jackson Rising: The Struggle for Economic Democracy and Black Self-Determination in Jackson, Mississippi

Additional Information:

• 2021 Annual National Meeting Schedule Overview (In Formation)
• 2020 Annual National Meeting and Presidential Nominating Convention Archive
• Green New Deal

Green Party of the United States

www.gp.org

202-804-2758

Newsroom | Twitter: @GreenPartyUS

Green Party Platform

Green New Deal

Green candidate database and campaign information

Ballot Access

Facebook page

YouTube

Green Pages: The official publication of record of the Green Party of the United States

Green Papers

The Green Party of Washington supports the efforts being coordinated by representatives of the Lummi Nation and others to return Sk’aliCh’elh-tenaut to her home waters of the Salish Sea.

Who is Sk’aliCh’elh-tenaut?

Sk’aliCh’elh-tenaut is the Lhaq’temish (Lummi) Nation name for last remaining Southern Resident Orca to be held in captivity. She is also known as “Tokitae” or by her Seaquarium slave name “Lolita”.

In August of 1970, over 50 young orcas were violently stolen from the Salish Sea and sold to aquariums.

Large pods of orcas were once rounded up in the waters of Washington State and their young ones kidnapped. Several died during capture and transport. In 1971 whaling was outlawed in the US. Only one of our resident L pod orcas remains alive in captivity. Her name is Sk’aliCh’elh-tenaut.

The Captive.

For over 50 years, Sk’aliCh’elh-tenaut has been held at the Miami Seaquarium, in the world’s smallest orca tank. There, in the state of Florida she is subjected to cruel and unnatural conditions, including relentless sun and heat, extreme social isolation, and exposure to dangerous hurricanes. She has not seen another orca in captivity since the 1980’s, as she is the sole survivor of the 45 orcas captured from the Southern Salish Sea in 1970.

Sk’aliCh’elh-tenaut has been sentenced to a life of unjust captivity and deprivation. We as Greens, call for a compassionate release. The Green Party wants her extradited from the state of Florida and brought back to her home waters. The Lummi Nation feels it is their sacred obligation to bring Sk’aliCh’elh-tenaut home. Orcas pods have distinct cultures and dialects. Tokitae still calls out in her native L pod language. Her mother is still alive. Bring her back home to her family.

Green Solidarity.

We, the Green Party of Washington State, in representing ourselves, our memberships, and our constituencies, support the effort to bring Sk’aliCh’elh-tenaut [Southern Resident Orca] home. We call upon the Governors of Washington, Oregon, and California, and the Premier of British Columbia, the lands of which border the Salish Sea home of the Southern Resident Orcas, to sign a joint Proclamation that acknowledges the unique and iconic orca population here and the significant spiritual and cultural value for the people of the region, with protected legal rights to freedom from captivity.

Therefore, The Green Party of Washington State joins the Lummi Nation and others urging the Governors and Premier of our Southern Resident Orca territories to:

• Support and endorse the efforts being coordinated by representatives of the Lummi Nation to return Sk’aliCh’elh-tenaut to her Salish Sea home.

• Call upon Miami Seaquarium, Festival Fun Parks (DBA Palace Entertainment), Parques Reunidos and EQT to agree to negotiate the terms and conditions for Sk’aliCh’elh-tenaut’s release from Miami Seaquarium and safe return to her natal waters; and

• Work with representatives of the Lummi Nation and other relevant entities to secure any state permits that might be required for the return and rehabilitation of Sk’aliCh’elh-tenaut and her reunion with her human and Orca family.

From Lead GPSEA organizer Andre:

Hello Washingtonian Greens! For anyone who doesn’t know me, I’m Andre and I’m a volunteer with the Green Party of Seattle as well as the lead organizer of the Seattle March for Medicare for All, which is happening in cities across the country July 24th!

I’m really excited that the Green Parties of Washington and Seattle have partnered with the march and are already organizing with the Seattle planning team. We are all hoping to get everyone involved with the march as both participants and as leaders so here are a few ways you can get started:

1. Mark your calendar and RSVP for the Seattle March for Medicare for All on July 24th!
2. Join the “ByThePeople” Slack workspace to connect with other march organizers. You will be placed into a channel called #m4m4a-all-organizers. Once you are in, join #m4m4a-seattle to connect with the Seattle team (invite link)
3. Join the Seattle team for our weekly planning meetings to, Fridays at 6pm (invite link)
4. Join the all organizers weekly meetings on Sundays at 9am to help promote all marches across the country (invite link)

These meetings will be held weekly between now and July 24th. Everyone is welcome in the Slack and at any of the meetings so feel free to invite anyone who would like to get involved! I hope to see you there!

Health Care Is a Human Right Steering Committee is presenting a teach-in on Medicare for All and State-based Universal Healthcare on June 15, 2021:

Please join us to hear Stephanie Kang, Health Policy Director for Rep. Pramila Jayapal, explain the Medicare for All proposal and health care gains we could win in the next big Congressional package. We will also get a report on the new Washington State Universal Health Care Commission and other health care gains made in the 2021 legislative session.

Register here in advance for this meeting. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

How We Can Advance Universal Health Care in Congress & in WA State

Despite President Biden’s administration making clear it does not support Medicare for All at this time, real possibilities are emerging to advance universal, equitable, and affordable health care, both federally and in Washington state.

The potential of the next budget reconciliation bill in Congress. There will be at least one budget reconciliation package put forward this summer. A top priority of Speaker Pelosi, Congressional progressives, and the advocacy community is to include Medicare negotiation of drug prices which will generate huge savings. Progressives are also advocating to use the savings to expand Medicare to provide hearing, vision, dental benefits, and an out-of-pocket cap, and lower the Medicare eligibility age to 60. These improvements will build Medicare’s popularity and the demand for Medicare for All.

Washington’s New Universal Health Care Commission is a big deal.  Governor Inslee signed SB 5399 and WA state will have a permanent, funded UHC Commission by July 25th. The UHC Commission is tasked with figuring out the preliminary nuts and bolts of a universal health care system for WA. It has a trigger to apply for the relevant financial waivers within 60 days of their becoming available.

Thanks to the leadership of Sen. Emily Randall and her House and Senate colleagues and the strength of grassroots advocates. Washingtonians could benefit from universal health care coverage sooner than  Congress will be able to pass a national Medicare for All plan. But this will require the enactment of key provisions of Rep. Ro Khanna’s federal State Based Universal Health Care Act of 2021.

— Quote from  “Washington Quietly Passed One of the Strongest Universal Health Care Laws in the Country,” The Stranger.

Greens say any just resolution to the Israel-Palestine death-spiral will almost certainly include:

• Israel ending its occupation and colonization of all Palestinian lands and dismantling the illegal West Bank Barrier that began construction in the 2000s
• Recognizing the fundamental rights of Palestinian citizens of Israel to full equality
• Respecting, protecting and promoting the rights of Palestinian refugees to return to their homes and properties as stipulated in UN resolution 194
• One secular, democratic state for Palestinians and Israelis on the land between the Mediterranean Sea and the River Jordan as the national home of both peoples, with Jerusalem as its capital

When someone like President Biden proposes a “two-state solution”, it’s a con. It’s lip-service to distract you from the military arms and political protection they provide Israel to allow it to operate with impunity. What kind of “two-state solution” could be brokered under those circumstances?

We are the only political party in the US who can call out this brutal assault on the Palestinian people by the state of Israel. Palestinians are trapped in an apartheid-like system and should have a right to exist. Because we do not take corporate money and are not invested in war Greens can say this. Pro Palestine does not equal Anti-Semetic.

As a U.S. political party, it’s not for us to impose anything on everyday Palestinians and Israelis. We have a responsibility to respect the right of both peoples to self-determination.

But we have an even more urgent responsibility to immediately halt the stream of U.S. weapons to the state of Israel and stop using our veto in the UN Security Council to provide Israel a pass to wage death and destruction with zero accountability to the international community.

This is all in our platform. It’s no secret: we’ve stood by these positions for years. Our party and candidates have made a real and lasting peace in the Middle East a priority because it’s the right thing and because we are not corrupted by the corporate cash of Wall Street and war profiteers.

We don’t belong to the arms dealers and their lobbyists. We belong to you. That means we rely on you for the funds and resources needed to keep running competitive candidates to win local office and the issues that matter.

Lessons learned from Pulitzer Prize winning journalist [Huffington Post, The Intercept], Ryan Grim’s book, We’ve Got People.

“The states who implemented marriage equality early played a crucial role in creating pressure on the federal system. This is our history & legacy as progressive activists. That’s why I study it.” says Tina Shannon, podcast host and Rustbelt Progressive.

Chapter 7: Triple Rainbow of We’ve Got People describes how coordinated efforts from activists came together to push recalcitrant neolib Dems in the right direction for LGBTQ+ community marriage rights.

This is an informative listen about how activists move society forward. It examples how political actions coming from different arenas with the same goal can suddenly gel to change the political landscape. We see you Medicare for All.

Signature gathering has begun on Initiative to the Legislature #1362. There will be petition bins in various locations around the state. Get yours. Find out more from our allies at Whole Washington and Red Berets Medicare For All.

The Medicare for All March will be in July and will occur in multiple cities across the country. In Washington we ultimately want Medicare for All, but are also working for State Single Payer to help turn the tide nationally.

More info on the march soon. We expect Greens to show for this. It’s in our Platform. There is a virtual Livestream event in the works for our out of area, homebound, and disabled comrades that will coincide with the physical march in July.