2024 Personal Statement Workshops

2024-08-21

Saf Scores Victory In California Non-Resident Carry Case

21
Aug

BELLEVUE, WA – The Second Amendment Foundation (SAF) and its partners, in a challenge of California’s ban on non-resident concealed carry, won a victory when a federal judge granted a preliminary injunction in the case.

U.S. District Court Judge Sherilyn Peace Garnett, a 2022 Joe Biden appointee, granted in part and denied in part the plaintiffs’ motion for preliminary injunction. The state has 21 days to file a response, and within 30 days plaintiffs must “meet and confer” with the state and Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department “to submit a proposed order entering the preliminary injunction consistent with the specific findings” made by the court order.

SAF is joined by the California Rifle & Pistol Association, Gun Owners of America, Gun Owners Foundation, Gun Owners of California and seven private citizens. The LA County Sheriff’s Office is the main defendant, along with Attorney General Rob Bonta and the La Verne Police Department.

In her decision, Judge Garnett observed, “the State bears the burden of showing whether California’s residency requirements for a CCW license is ‘consistent with the Nation’s historical tradition of firearm regulation.” A few pages later, she notes, “the State has not carried its burden at this stage to show that the limitation of CCW licenses to California residents is part of a historical tradition of this Nation.”

“Americans do not leave their Second Amendment right to bear arms at the California border,” said SAF founder and Executive Vice President Alan M. Gottlieb. “California is behind the curve in recognizing that the Second Amendment was incorporated to the states via the 14^th Amendment since SAF’s Supreme Court victory in the 2010 McDonald ruling.”

“The writing is clearly on the wall,” added SAF Executive Director Adam Kraut, “when Judge Garnett noted the Court already found that we are likely to succeed on the merits of our argument that California’s residency requirement for CCW applications is unconstitutional. We are confident our challenge will continue to prevail.”

2024-08-13

Second Annual God’s Love Open (GLO)

https://www.glwd.org/blog/second-annual-gods-love-open/

8.13.24
/ Community

By Fayne Ansley, Communications Associate - Writer

On Monday, August 12, God’s Love We Deliver – NYC’s only provider of medically tailored meals for individuals living with illness – hosted the 2^nd annual God’s Love Open at the Westchester Country Club in Rye, New York. The all-day event featured exciting golf and tennis competitions, raising critical funds for New Yorkers living with illness.

After the contests ended, guests mingled at a gracious reception, enjoying curated bites inspired by the world-renowned Gramercy Tavern. Beverage sponsors were Morgan Stanley, Tito’s Handmade Vodka, Freitag Cocktails, and The New York Cocktail Co., who generously provided festive libations along the courses, courts, and at the clubhouse.

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Image 1 of 15 Chairman and CEO of Capri Holdings Ltd. John Idol, Pro Golfer Beau Hossler, New York Giants Superbowl Champion Victor Cruz, God's Love President & CEO David Ludwigson, and Good Day New York co-anchor Curt Menefee

Image 2 of 15 Chef Lauren Radel, Board member James Palazza, Chief Philanthropy Officer Stephen Covello, Culinary Council member Chef Amanda Freitag, GLO Ambassador Victoria Britto, and actor Christopher Jackson

Image 3 of 15 Good Day New York Sports Anchor Tina Cervasio, Victor Cruz, and David Ludwigson

Image 4 of 15 Our tennis players

Image 5 of 15 Tennis sponsors Jens Audenaert and Amol Shah with friends

Image 6 of 15 Janet Pommersheim, Dena Lombardo, and Patricia Ashdown

Image 7 of 15 genLOVE Council Chair Jonathan Lau on the tennis court

Image 8 of 15 Danielle Palma, Liz Martin, Curtis Hogan, and Megan Hogan

Image 9 of 15 Victor Cruz at the tee-off

Image 10 of 15 Our auctioneer, CK Swett

Image 11 of 15 Actor Richard Kind, Mia Kroeger, Alice Vilma, Judy Choi, and Katherine Smith

Image 12 of 15 David Ludwigson and Cullinary Council member, Chef Michael Anthony

Image 13 of 15 Curt Menefee speaks during our banquet

Image 14 of 15 Jonathan Lau and John Idol

Image 15 of 15 Chef Lauren Radel and Chef Amanda Freitag with their sponsored cocktails

The reception was cohosted by Chairman and CEO of Capri Holdings Limited, John Idol, Board member Michael Anthony of Gramercy Tavern, Board member Roberta Graves, and GOOD DAY NY Anchor Curt Menefee. Our tennis tournament was sponsored by Dena and Sam Lombardo and Jens Audenaert and Amol Shah. During the reception, God’s Love President & CEO David Ludwigson spoke about the critical work God’s Love does every day delivering medically tailored meals to our vulnerable New York neighbors, to those too sick to shop or cook for themselves. He thanked participants for being a vital part of supporting God’s Love’s mission.

“We are thrilled to host our 2^nd annual God’s Love Open (GLO) with the great support of so many friends: Roberta Graves, Chef Mike Anthony, John Idol, Jim Halpin, James Palazza, Dena & Sam Lombardo, and all of our guests and sponsors, including Goldman Sachs and Delta,” says David Ludwigson. “We will deliver our 40 millionth meal this year, and with meal numbers up 30% from last year, you and your support are more critical to our work than ever before. An event like GLO raises both awareness and funds for us, all in the fun of a round of golf or a tennis match.”

Beau Hossler teeing off.

“Each year, my commitment to God’s Love grows stronger,” says Chef Mike Anthony “I truly believe in the work they do and the impact they make in our community. It is an honor to be part of the team, especially on a celebratory day like today.”

In an auction led by actor CK Swett, guests bid on fantastic prizes and sponsored program items for God’s Love clients.

The evening ended with an awards ceremony, emceed by Curt Menefee. The event raised vital funds for God’s Love that will allow the organization to continue to reach all those who need them. Last year alone, God’s Love cooked and home-delivered a record 4.3 million medically tailored meals to almost 16,000 clients living with illness. This year, we expect to deliver nearly 5 million meals. Thank you to all who came out and joined us on this special day!

L: Freitag Cocktails, beverage sponsor

M: New York Cocktail Company, beverage sponsor

R: Tito's Handmade Vodka, beverage sponsor

Check out our favorite moments from GLO 2024! Video by Peter Pavlakis

See All GLO 2024 Photos

A Heartfelt Thank You to Bloomberg for Decades of Support

God's Love We Deliver joins Bloomberg for their BOBlympics trivia event alongside fellow NYC nonprofits.

Learn More

8.6.24 / Community

Kors Cares: Celebrating Michael Kors Month at God’s Love

Michael Kors team members volunteers all month at God's Love We Deliver for their dedicated volunteer month.

Learn More

2024-05-10

Shamwari Lending Association: Empowering Entrepreneurs and Changing Lives

It’s hard to believe today, but Zimbabwe was once known as the breadbasket of Africa. Boasting one of the most fertile lands on the African continent, it was a huge exporter of wheat, tobacco, and corn to the rest of the continent and beyond. Sadly, political and social upheaval over the last forty years have left this once proud and thriving nation struggling to survive.

“Today, the socioeconomic context is defined by high poverty rates (estimated at over 60 percent), high inflation, high unemployment rates and excessive debt. Most Zimbabweans rely on the informal economy to circumvent the restraints of overregulation. Informal cross-border trade has long been a key source of income for many residents…There are some 1 million Zimbabweans living in South Africa today, accounting for over 80 percent of the country’s diaspora.” Geopolitical Intelligence Services, November 2023.

It’s easy to understand why Zimbabweans would leave their beautiful homeland to look for opportunities elsewhere. It’s also easy to understand why those who stay rely on the “informal economy” to survive. Both of these choices, while necessary for basic survival, only make the economic situation worse and the outlook for any type of recovery all the more difficult to achieve. It’s a vicious cycle. But there is hope. There is always hope.

For the intrepid entrepreneurs in Zimbabwe and those who dare dream of starting their own business in such a challenging environment, hope has arrived by way of the Shamwari Lending Association (SLA). Established after the first Business as Mission conference in Victoria Falls in 2022, the SLA is the vision of MATTER friend and partner, Dan Fagan, President and CEO of Tradition Capital Bank in Edina, Minnesota. Upon meeting the participants and listening to their stories, Dan felt compelled to help these struggling, but resolute, businesspeople achieve their dreams.

Tradition Capital Bank’s COO, Jessica Porter and President & CEO, Dan Fagan, speaking at Africa Stories Live! in April 2024.

“When we got there and met these people, this idea came to me. We’re bankers and we like to be entrepreneurial and so we said to MATTER, ‘You guys have all these relationships here. What if we gave you some loan funds and then you lend to these people. You know them all, we trust you. Take the money, go make it happen.’ And that’s how it all started. Pretty simple.”

Also on the trip was Tradition’s COO, Jessica Porter, who was inspired by the people she met at the conference. “A lot of the individuals we met had moved away but had come back because they cared so much about the country of Zimbabwe and the people there. I was so impressed with their drive and their grit. They are innovative, creative, and determined to make things work.”

Since its opening in 2023, the Shamwari Lending Association has given out 11 loans and created 36 jobs. For its members, the SLA is nothing short of a miracle.

“It’s been so amazing for me. Coming from a place where you have a dream, an idea, but not having the capital to get started, it was very difficult. And so it’s completely transformed my life,” said SLA member Simba Musiyiwa.

Shamwari Lending Association member, Simba with his wife, Irina, at Simba’s Bakery in downtown Victoria Falls.

A professionally trained chef of 15 years, Simba was forced to leave Zimbabwe in order to find work. After building a successful career abroad that included being head chef at the renowned Four Seasons Hotel in both Dubai and Tanzania, Simba came back home with a dream to open his own bakery in Victoria Falls.

With help from the SLA and Simba’s own hard work, his dream has come true. With his first loan, he was able to purchase the equipment he needed, hire a few employees and find the perfect location in downtown Victoria Falls. His second loan allowed him to hire more employees and expand to a second location. With nine employees now working for him, Simba is dreaming an even bigger dream.

“The bigger plan is to train up a new generation of chefs. I was fortunate enough to work for some fantastic companies while I was abroad, so coming back it’s been in my heart to train a lot of up-and-coming chefs who will stay here in Zimbabwe.”

Shamwari Lending Association member, Loretta Musungwa with son, Noah, at her thriving business, Loretta’s Coffee.

Simba represents the heart of the members of the SLA, individuals who want to start their own businesses not just for themselves, but also as a means to help others and build the future of Zimbabwe. Providing capital and creating an environment where people like Simba can flourish is how Zimbabwe will grow strong. Over time, it may even become the breadbasket of Africa again – with Simba’s bakery leading the way!

Watch highlights from Africa Stories Live! and hear from Dan, Jessica and Simba as they each share how the Shamwari Lending Association has changed their lives.

2024-08-21

Fed. Court Denies Rehearing In Case Against Minn. Young Adult Carry Ban

21
Aug

BELLEVUE, WA – The Eighth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has denied a petition for a rehearing in a Second Amendment Foundation (SAF) case which found Minnesota’s ban on carry permits for young adults ages 18-20 is unconstitutional.

The case is known as Worth v. Harrington, and it was filed in June 2021. Joining SAF in this case are the

Minnesota Gun Owners Caucus, Firearms Policy Coalition and three private citizens, Austin Dye, Axel

Anderson and Kristin Worth, for whom the case is known. They are represented by attorneys Blair W. Nelson of Bemidji, Minn., and David H. Thompson, Peter A. Patterson and William V. Bergstrom at Cooper & Kirk in Washington, D.C.

In its order, the Eighth Circuit also denied a request for an en banc panel hearing. U.S. District Court Judge Katherine Menendez, a 2021 Joe Biden appointee, ruled in March 2023 that Minnesota’s permitting age restriction is unconstitutional. The case was appealed to the Eighth Circuit, which upheld Judge Menendez decision.

“Clearly, Judge Menendez made the right call in the first place,” said SAF Executive Director Adam Kraut. “As we contended all along, the right of the people mentioned in the Second Amendment was not limited to those over a certain age. Certainly young adults fall within the definition of ‘the people’ ever since they’ve been allowed to vote, and generations before that when they were considered part of the militia, and have been accepted into the military.”

“We expected to prevail at trial and again at the appeals court level,” said SAF founder and Executive Vice President Alan M. Gottlieb. “We are gratified by the Eight Circuit’s decision, and now we will see whether Minnesota submits a petition for certiorari to the Supreme Court. For the time being, we have notched another victory in our ongoing effort to win firearms freedom one lawsuit at a time.”

2024-05-15

Storytelling Lessons from the Civil Rights and Environmental Justice Movements – and How to Apply Them Today

The National African American History Museum in DC recently hosted a workshop on arts and culture during the Civil Rights era. This session, in collaboration with the oral history and archiving project SNCC Digital Gateway, used video and personal narratives from some of the original youth organizers of the Civil Rights Movement to speak to the process of protest.

The stories told were hard to hear. They were of beatings and of people unsure if they would spend their next day at home, in jail, or alive at all. They were stories of 18-year-olds, 19-year-olds, early 20-year-olds congregating between school and personal responsibilities to advocate for Black folks’ right to vote in the U.S. South. The workshop left some people crying. But it also left people inspired.

“In Warren County, the birthplace of the Environmental Justice Movement, the movement started with songs, with story, and with black and white photos.”

Storytelling Legacies of the Civil Rights and Environmental Justice Movements

The young people of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) and similar justice congregations used song, photojournalism, comic illustration, and more to further a cause that, without these strategic communications, might have remained hidden by an unjust system. Story was used to get the plight of Southern segregation and voter suppression out of the South and in front of the rest of the country. And now their oral histories sit preserved as a testament to what it means to be a Justice organizer, for the next generation to peruse.

If you look at the youth sit-in and voting rights movements of the 1960s, you’ll notice congruencies between their strategies for communication and that of later movements – in particular the Environmental Justice Movements of the 1970s and 1980s.

In Warren County, the birthplace of the Environmental Justice Movement, the movement started with songs, with story, and with black and white photos. For six weeks in 1982, men, women, and young children marched the road from Coley Springs Baptist Church to stop the placement of a toxic waste landfill in their predominantly Black community. This was not the first instance of environmental racism in the U.S., but it garnered national attention through photos highlighting the passion and the impenetrability of this county.

The young photographer, Jenny Labalme, was a student at Duke who made trips to Warren County just to capture the heart-wrenching scenes of children lying in the road in the fight for their rights. She has said that it was the songs — the chants so similar in tone and wording to the chants of the SNCC activists and Civil Rights movement 20 years prior — that stuck out first and most as she was documenting the protests. Her photos helped elevate the Warren County story to national prominence and are now enshrined in history, showcasing one of the most famous examples of civil disobedience in connection to environmental harm in the U.S.

The Birthplace of the Environmental Justice Movement

A commemorative march in September 2022 celebrated the birth of the movement in Warren County.

Dollie Burwell leads marchers during the commemorative celebration. Credit: EJ Oral History Project.

Courtesy of the Southern Documentary Project at the University of Mississippi. Learn more about their upcoming documentary, Our Movement Starts Here.

There is an interconnectedness of movements that is clear in these storytelling examples. Whether in the fight for Civil Rights, Voting Rights, or Environmental Justice, the photojournalism, narrative, and preservation of song within these movements highlight a common experience, a common strategy, and a common fight. These are experiences and principles that remain pervasive today in the continued fights for health, wealth, and livelihood in many of the predominantly Black, Indigenous, and historically exploited corners of this country. And so, just as the young people of the 60s, 70s, and 80s did, we have an obligation now to continue to use story to drive forward on progress. We’ve seen its potential, and we know it works. Story not only gives power to the documented community but also to the wider public because of its ability to change minds and hearts.

As you work to create change in your own community, storytelling can be a key part of your strategy. Here are some suggestions on how:

Tips for intentional storytelling

Ask the community what they need – This is fairly self-explanatory. Not every community is going to want a news article. Not every individual is going to want to be on camera. Intentional storytelling is a practice in identifying needs: What type of product will best serve the issue that the community is contending with at this moment? It’s also important to remember that not every community need is an immediate one; many environmental justice communities are just looking for someone to help them capture their histories before their elders pass away. Remember that your goal is not just to put the content out there but to be additive to the cause.
Think multi-media – In many cases, environmental justice storytelling work requires a multi-layered approach. Supplementing an article with a mini-documentary or a podcast or a social media post can take the impact to a new level. The goal is to reach as many different audiences as possible.
Don’t stop at the one obvious thing – It’s easy for a journalist or social media influencer to write the article or make the post and move on. But our modern inundation with information requires a varied and consistent approach to our strategic communications. We cannot stop with one piece, we cannot stop with one medium, and we cannot stop with traditional media. We cannot be parachute storytellers. That said, let us take inspiration from organizations like Southerly Magazine and Grist; putting out an article and following it up with a brochure or with an event, something tangible in a different way than a digital article.

“We cannot stop with one piece, we cannot stop with one medium, and we cannot stop with traditional media. We cannot be parachute storytellers.”

Environmental Justice Storytelling in Action Today

Think multi-media: Preserving oral history in Piney Woods Free Union, NC

As a great example of the “think multi-media” tip, over the last couple of years the Environmental Justice Oral History Project (EJOHP) has worked with the Rural Beacon Initiative to collect a series of oral histories in the historically Afro-Indigenous township of Piney Woods Free Union in North Carolina. This community is a rare example of Black land retention and economic sovereignty for Black folk in the U.S. South, producing organizers and activists who have gone on to participate in some of the most significant justice movements of the past decades. However, despite its rich agrarian history, its cultural history, and its placement as a likely Underground Railroad site, Piney Woods has remained hidden and disinvested.

The EJOHP developed the Piney Woods Free Union oral history collection to bring the community out of the shadows in an intentional and historically authentic manner. But the work didn’t stop there. The EJOHP also supported the production of an article published in Atmos Magazine and sponsored by Grist and the Center for Rural Enterprise. They also produced a mini-documentary, A Peek into Piney Woods, which breaks down the fundamental stories and legacies of Piney Woods Free Union from the perspective of a new generation of community organizers. The purpose here was to provide as many avenues for engagement of the Piney Woods story as possible, creating resources that the Rural Beacon Initiative could use to secure funding, tell their story, and garner credibility for their community investment work.

Piney Woods Free Union's Rich History

The EJOHP developed the Piney Woods Free Union oral history collection, a mini-documentary, and other media to bring the legacy of the town to a new generation of community organizers.

On November 5, 2022 and June 24, 2023, the Rural Beacon Initiative hosted the Free Union Harvest Festival, a twice-annual celebration of land, community, and crops. As a part of a larger documentation of Piney Woods Free Union and RBI’s Free Union Farms sustainability hub, this mini-documentary attempts to highlight the hidden history of Piney Woods Free Union in Jamesville, North Carolina as well as RBI’s work to revitalize the community and the Harvest festival as a launching point for the next phase of economic prosperity and cultural preservation in the community.

Don’t stop at the obvious thing: A multi-media fight against a toxic landfill in Roseboro, NC

A quick example of the value of going beyond the obvious, 2024 marked the 50th anniversary of the Sampson County landfill in Roseboro, North Carolina. This landfill, the largest in the state, has existed in the same predominantly Black, agrarian neighborhood of Snow Hill as a major source of pollution, debilitating odor, and harm for generations. The community has fought for decades to remediate the harms, and pollution that has been linked to respiratory illness, cancers, and death for this once prosperous community.

In January, the EJOHP and the Uproot Project supported an article, co-published by the Assembly NC and Grist, about the 50-year protest history surrounding this landfill. Co-publication and even co-sponsorship of the piece was a deliberate attempt to get this story in as many places as possible.

In addition to the article, the EJOHP developed a brochure distilling the article and key dates for community members without easy internet access. The work could have stopped with one piece; that’s as far as a lot of journalists would have gone. But asking the community what they needed and pushing toward multi-media solutions, the work has instead resulted in an educational document that has been distributed to over 100 people and submitted as evidence against the landfill in public health meetings – a true resource for community building and capacity building. The EJOHP plans to continue working with Snow Hill to provide mailers and other helpful media as they continue to push against the landfill. Even mentioning this story in this blog post is an attempt at driving forward the Snow Hill protest work, another less obvious strategy for change

Sampson County Landfill Brochure

Building the Future with Storytelling and Collective Action

It’s important to remember as environmental organizers that we do not walk this path alone. We instead take up these movement batons from the leaders and legends who have been fighting for environmental, social, and climate justice well before us. We have a lot to learn from the resources and narratives they’ve left behind for us. And we have an obligation to continue to document their stories before they are lost to the world forever— for our own learning as well as our continued power building.

And let’s end by reiterating the power of individuals and youth. The movements outlined above that are now shining examples of the hope and power of collective action, were carried out in every instance by young people and people who — in many cases — did not know what they were doing. They were building the plane as they were flying it. Just as they did, so long as we try our best, do the most, and document everything, we shall succeed. Maybe even our oral histories will serve as inspiration for future generations.

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