Rosa Parks

Rosa Parks: Her life and legacy on civil rights activism

Thursday, December 11, from 11 a.m. to Noon Central 

Online only

Since her refusal to give up her seat on a bus in Montgomery, Alabama on December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks became a central leader in the struggle for freedom and equality in the United States and a catalyst to the Civil Rights Movement. Seventy years later, the legacy of Rosa Parks still inspires movements for social change and collective action. 

On December 11, join the Race, Prosperity, and Inclusion Initiative at Brookings in honoring and reflecting on the 70-year legacy of Rosa Parks. Experts in civil rights history, Black women’s collective action, and economic development will share their reflections on the impact of Rosa Parks from 1955 to the present day. Panelists will discuss the next wave of civil rights policies, legislative action, and civic engagement.  

Viewers can submit questions via email at events@brookings.edu.

Since her refusal to give up her seat on a bus in Montgomery, Alabama on December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks became a central leader in the struggle for freedom and equality in the United States and a catalyst to the Civil Rights Movement. Seventy years later, the legacy of Rosa Parks still inspires movements for social change and collective action. 

On December 11, join the Race, Prosperity, and Inclusion Initiative at Brookings in honoring and reflecting on the 70-year legacy of Rosa Parks. Experts in civil rights history, Black women’s collective action, and economic development will share their reflections on the impact of Rosa Parks from 1955 to the present day. Panelists will discuss the next wave of civil rights policies, legislative action, and civic engagement.  

Viewers can submit questions via email at events@brookings.edu.

REGISTER: https://connect.brookings.edu/register-to-watch-rosa-parks-civil-rights

 

Rally for ACA

Rally to Preserve the ACA!  Monday, December 15 from Noon-1:00pm in front of Derrick Van Orden's office, 210 7th St. S. We will rally to demand Derrick Van Orden vote to preserve the ACA subsidies! Sponsored by La Crosse County Dems.

And in the meantime, CALL CALL CALL.

House Democratic leaders have introduced a discharge petition designed to force consideration of legislation to extend expiring ACA tax credits for another three years.

The Democrats are hoping to entice a handful of moderate Republicans to endorse the petition, which will require 218 signatures to force a floor vote on the legislation over the objections of Republican leaders.

The battle over the enhanced ACA tax credits has consumed Capitol Hill throughout the history-making federal shutdown, as Democrats had demanded action on the tax credits as a condition of reopening the government.

Republicans, who have sought to repeal the ACA for years, rejected that demand, letting millions of Americans face skyrocketing health care premiums.

"We believe that the American people — given the Republican refusal to act and find a bipartisan path forward — should be given the same level of certainty that Republicans have continued to give the wealthy, the well-off and the well-connected,” said Hakeem Jeffries, referencing the massive tax breaks for billionaires granted in Trump’s Big Ugly Bill.

As part of the deal to end the Trump shutdown, Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) has guaranteed the Democrats a vote on the ACA tax credits in December. But Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) has declined to make a similar commitment.

The House discharge petition is designed to go around Johnson and force the bill to the floor — if it can get a majority of House lawmakers to sign on.

While the ACA has been a partisan issue for years, some Republicans are already clamoring for an extension of the tax credits, urging GOP leaders to address the issue before the premium hikes go into effect on Jan. 1 — ahead of the midterm elections.  

Click “Start Writing” today to send a letter to your member of Congress to sign this discharge petition.

Note: Did you already send a letter? If so, then please dial the Capitol switchboard now at (202) 224-3121 to follow up with a call.

Data Centers & Water

From League of Women Voters:

DATA CENTER GOLD RUSH - Diving into Water Demands

Tuesday, December 9 at 6 p.m.

ONLINE 

Most of the recent articles and webinars on data centers focus on their energy use, but there is another significant concern: Water use. The reality is, in this modern gold rush, there are more proposed hyperscale data centers than our water resources can support. These proposed projects don’t fit into our permitting and regulatory systems. CURE is a leader on the rapidly emerging issues around data center development. 

As a leader on the rapidly emerging issues around data center development in the upper Midwest and nationally, CURE will share lessons learned about how a lack of transparency harms communities across the country. The reality is, in this modern gold rush, there are winners and losers, and currently there are more proposed hyperscale data centers than our infrastructure and resources can support. These proposed projects don’t fit into our permitting and regulatory systems. We will look at why this matters for our communities, with a focus specifically on water.

REGISTER HERE: https://tinyurl.com/WILWVDataCtrs

La Crosse School Board candidate info

Monday at 5 p.m. the School District of La Crosse will hold an info session for those who are interested in running for one of three seats in April.

The session will be held at the new admin space on the south side of Central (2405 Travis Street) which is accessible by MTU 2 & 4.

RSVP by emailing lsteiger@lacrossesd.org or calling 608-789-7659.

From the SDLC Board of Education website:

School Board Election

An election will be held in the School District of La Crosse on Tuesday, April 7, 2026, for the following offices to succeed the present incumbents listed.  The terms of office for school board members include three (3) year terms beginning on Monday, April 27, 2026.

Incumbents are Scott Neumeister, Trevor Sprauge and Deb Suchla.

A February Primary will be required if there are more than 6 candidates with ballot access.

Election Resources

Wisconsin Association of School Boards (WASB) Guide for Candidates

Wisconsin Elections Commission:

• • Election Administration Manual for Wisconsin School District Clerks (rev. Jan. 2021)
  • Election Administration Manual (general; including municipal elections)  (rev. Aug. 2024)
  • Elections Commission Forms
  • Ballot Access Checklist for School Board Candidates (2026 Election) (revised 05/2025) New! 
  • Wisconsin Elections Commission Website

Wisconsin Ethics Commission:

• • Campaign Finance Overview for Local Candidates (rev. Sept. 2023)
  • Ethics Commission Forms (select “Form” in “Document Type”)
  • Campaign Finance Registration Statement for Local Candidate Committees, Form CF-1L (revised 10/2024) 
  • Campaign Finance Checklist for School Board Candidates (2026 Election) New!
  • Individual Donor Contribution Limits Based on 2020 Census Data (see also the February 9, 2022 WASB Legal & Policy Newsletter)
  • Ethics Commission Guideline ETH-1304 related to lawful and unlawful anonymous contributions (issued October 2023)
  • Wisconsin Ethics Commission Website

Know Your Rights

KNOW YOUR RIGHTS WORKSHOP  (Rapid Response)

Tuesday, Dec. 2 at 5 p.m.

Onalaska High School

Learn best practices for rapid response and about Voces de la Frontera's state-wide Community Defense Network.

Register here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfamkiTAIBw3cG0NVSyMUU2ZhdWOb28VKfSP9JVHR6aQfS4LQ/viewform