#738: Your Plans for Wednesday

January 13th, 2017

The stage is set.

I mean, it’s not a stage so much as a microphone at the back of an artsy-funky dive bar in Bucktown.

And the performers are readying.

I mean, they’re not professional performers with headshots and acting credits and feelings on “the theatre, darling” so much as men and women from the community who have stories to share.

And we’re going to take on the president-elect of the United States of America in the last few hours we get to say “-elect.”

Yes, this is post promoting an upcoming fundraiser I’m helping organize. Check out the event’s Facebook page for more info or just show up at Gallery Cabaret on Jan. 18 for “40 Hours to Trump.”

According to the comments on the DNAinfo story about the fundraiser, the event is “leftist fakery,” “fear mongering,” “mass hysteria” and proof that “Liberals are so easy to fleece out of their money.”

I don’t think that, of course. I think we’re going to tell people why we care about the groups we do, why we’re scared for these groups based on the political positions taken by President-elect Donald Trump and his incoming administration, then ask the crowd if they want to throw in a few bucks to help get these groups through the next four years.

The admission’s free, the beer ain’t, but the stories will make you crack your wallet open to help some good groups.

Our speakers will be raising money for:

  • Planned Parenthood
  • The Center on Halsted
  • Catholic Charities’ services for undocumented immigrants
  • A low-income school district’s unofficial aid programs for undocumented students
  • Protest observer programs
  • And Southside Together Organizing for Power’s mental health programs

It should be fun, but that’s not why Rachel Hyman and I are doing this.

We’re doing this because we wanted to do something. Not say something or feel something, type something or scream to the world “What the hell are you doing?” like the American electoral system is a toddler who decided doggie needed a haircut.

We want to help out groups that provide women’s health services, a queer community, a more robust, freer America or even just a fourth-grader in need getting a good breakfast so she can concentrate better in class.

So join us if you want to do that, call it “leftist fakery” if you prefer. But the American voters had their say and they picked… well they actually picked Hillary Clinton by more than 2.8 million votes but some slave-owners in wigs decided back in the era they thought viruses were caused by witches that our presidential races should be no more than advisory referenda in case the poor folks made the wrong choice.

So no matter who we the people picked, we’ve got our new president sneaking up next Friday.

Let’s get together on Wednesday and help a few folks and a few good groups survive that.

Read more about the event here

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