- Fiscal year - March 1 - February 28th to 29th
- Starting @March 1, 2023 for dues
- Need to create a running database of dues payments
- Need to make sure all board members have access to needed pages in Notion
- 2 people as members to Notion
- Make sure we have necessary spaces setup in Notion (Accounting)
- Look into getting cashapp setup $usfreedmenproject ?
- Lookup cashapp rules for non-profit org
Orientation Planning. (Tony’s Notes from Chris’s Workshop)
Who is WhoIntroductions (Devine)- What we currently have going on and what we want to do in near future (Devine)
- Freedmen Task Force Bill
- Call to Action
- Events
- Reparations Sunday
- Juneteenth Family Reunion
- Urgent to Plan!!
- Reparations Information Sessions
- Community Listening Sessions
- Flyering & Canvasing
- Why we use Freedmen (as opposed to ADOS, FBA) importance of the name (Tim)
- Go over guidelines and bylaws (Tony)
- Highlight main areas, let them know we will send once we finish cleaning up
- How they can become a member
- Voting and how we operate as a group
- Go over professionalism offline & online - (Rev. Phyllis)
- How we conduct ourselves in public
- How we conduct ourselves online regarding org business
- How do we handle pushback? (Xenophobia etc.)
- Let ppl talk up their skills (Devine)
- Adding ppl based on those skills
- What are some of our needs
- Get volunteer to update website
- Organizing Team
- Social Media?
- who fits in where
- Athenia - Advocacy
- Devlon - Advocacy (but can do both)
- Jacaranda - Advocacy
- Quintay - Organizing
- Tyrone - Advocacy
- Michelle - Organizing
- Ray - left early
Administrative Planning
- Clean up of Guidelines and Bylaws
- Devine Spoke w Chris and Planning to have his help cleaning up scheduled soon
- Make sure we deal with Treasurer and possibility of outsourcing or automating if we don’t have current Treasurer
- Define Teams
- Motion - to officially break into 2 teams as defined below. Annette and Rev. Coachmen retain current advocacy positions. Need a lead for organizing team. These will be the teams volunteers can join.
- Volunteers can also participate in defined admin roles based on needs and skills
- Tim as organizing lead
- Vote: Tony, Devine, Rev. Coachman, Tim - Unanimous
- Advocacy - (Annette and Rev Coachman leading) All things involving politics. Political strategy, bill writing, speaking with legislators, research
OutreachOrganizing - Organizing and Mobilizing (These can be split later)- Define Events we need to do
- Reparations Sunday
- Juneteenth Family Reunion
- Reparations Information Sessions
- Community Listening Sessions
- Flyering & Canvasing
- Board Members
- Admin - Controlled by Board with specific roles for volunteers as needed
- ie: email, note taking, calendar
- Who is leading each area?
- Go Back Over out Current roles
Additional Notes
- Tim
- We have possible interest in South Carolina for us to do an event
- Can possibly do Saturday event at Church (during or instead of Food Pantry)
- Annette
- Having a monthly event Scheduled (Like Town Hall)
- Get volunteer to update website
- What does our resources and energy look like spreading to other areas?
- Devine
- Reparations Sunday - Italian Baptist Church in Williamsburg @March 28, 2023 7:00 PM (EDT)
- Figuring out how to take payments
- Cashapp is frowned upon
- ActBlue, Zelle, Stripe
- Tony
- Find consultant for 501c3 setup
- Rules
- Taxes
- Accounting
- Rev. Coachman
- Website update
- Names of board members
1) Discussed using Mail Chimp for a Newsletter. Loredo suggested and says he would be responsible for news letter. Annette will pull together people for mailing list and work with Loredo on newsletter
2) Chris was going to work on Bylaws but has to postpone to another time.
3) Juneteenth - Rev Coachman- can do at a church if play gospel music only.
Attendees: devine, Annette, Phyllis, Tim, Prime
1) Review previous weeks notes
a) Juneteenth- location isn’t confirmed. Maybe we should find other event and either partner with or pass out our material at someone else meeting.
2) Review New business
- USFP/NAASD/CJEC Strategy Meeting
- Albany Advocacy Day - Devine - NAACP went to Albany to get Lucas to support Brisport bill. Meet with Lucas and Ljoy/NAACP and debated bill. Ljoy (Black American) didn’t realize the unconstitutionality of Brisport bill and non profits. Ljoy liked idea of FM Bureau but suggested it should be housed in Medgar Evers school. Need to understand if this is normal to do. She would consider supporting the American Freedmen bill.
- UN Event- Devine will be attending UN Event on Wednesday, May 31, 2023. anyone else can attend
- Financial - Board member dues -Phyllis. Dues are $15/month, $180 yearly. Through CashApp
- Letter for Prison Magazine - due May 27th.
- Notion Payment - Devine to speak to Tony
- Pending Projects. - review next meeting
Devine suggest changing name of American Bill so its more explanatory
Senator Kevin Parker - Doesn’t support reparations, “Pie in the sky”, Says Caribbeans will not support reparations unless Caribbeans get a piece of pie.
h. Need meeting scheduled with California team and Lucas
1) Attendees: Devine, Timothy, Prime, Annette, Michelle
2) Review last meeting notes
Juneteenth Event- Changed to visiting different established events and canvasing. Will set up committee mtg to discuss details.
4) New Business
Brooklyn NAACP Breakfast
Bklyn NAACP looking to partner with local orgs. Date/Time TBA
Lucas/USFP/California Team Meeting June 2, 2023 Time-TBD
5) Pending Projects
Attendees: Annette, Devine, Phyllis
Attendee: Annette, Tim, Devine, Phyllis
- Devine, Phyllis, Tim meet with Howard Price of NBC news on reparations bill. he will advise when the report will run
- Juneteenth Events - Sat Seneca Village, Harlem Parade and Festival, Sunday-Bronx and Brooklyn/Linden Park, Monday-Roy Wilkins Park- Prepare a agenda, Send out on twitter, Send to volunteers,
- Sasha King made suggestion about moving reparations strategy to Genocide. Says Friday had info and NAASD used to defeat pan African initiative. Devine will check with Friday
- Michelle said she was going to Buffalo History Commission. We need to give her some talking points.
- 60th Anniversary March on Washington Commemoration - look into dates, see if we can partner with other organizations to meet there or
Attendee - Annette, Devine, Phyllis, Prime, Michelle.
1) Articles in Media - need to send responses whenever we can. Need to respond to Fox News.
2)
1) Review City Council Bill and update rebuttal about issues with this being a “reparations”. send out to all sponsors of bill.
2) Sanders Reparations Mtg, July 18th
Sanders tried to make AA like a great loss for Freedmen. Says court is ideological.
Devine debunked this and pointed out problems with bill and that we had presented with legislator before.
Sanders said the immigrant legislators won’t sign onto it.
Sanders was thinking about tiered system. slavery to Emancipation, Emancipation-1965, 1965-present FM get all thirds, immigrants get last third.
Need to prepare for next meeting in Harlem during Harlem Week
3) Latoya Benjamin- was Sanders economic development director, wants to work with us and get us financial support. Tentative Meeting Friday July 28 3pm
4) N’COBRA, Phily. Want to meet with USFP. Devine will set up meeting. Bill introduced on Philly City Council but hasn’t gone anywhere.
5) Reach out to African/Caribbean groups to find out their stance on Reparations. Ask if they would make a statement.
5) Information Session - August 3rd 7-8:30pm
Agenda: Freedmen 101, Reparations History, Where Freedmen are today, What we are working on.
How to join org: Volunteer. member etc
6) March on Washington August 27/28, - decide is we are going.
7) African American Parade - September 17, check is we can get a float.
Goals for Next 6 Months
- Growing grass roots support
Reparations Informational Town hall for GAASA groups
Buffalo Reparations Informational 3rd or 4th weekend in Oct
Ms Humphries Group
Nikki Lucas Brooklyn
Youth Political Group - Devine
Phyllis - has name of Minister of Justice at Riverside Church
- Opportunities to Handout Flyers and Cards
Laurie Cumbo
Attendees: Devine, Phyllis, Annette
Agreed to send letter NAACP Derrick Johnson on comments on Blacks being “immigrants”
Agreed to Approach Letitia James on discrimination Claim - Done
Target media for Interviews -
Nikki Lucas Meeting November 4th, checking on place. Need to get a lawyer and person with opposite view,
Following-up on Support letter - Ivy School, Paster Stephan Green- St Luke AME, Kamilah Moore,
Latoya Benjamin Event- Sunday, November 12
Attendees: Annette, Phyllis, Devine
Meeting with Pastors - Headline: The Constitutionality of Reparations, Does the NY State Bill S1163/A7691 meet the Standard?
Attendees: Devine, Phyllis, Annette, Prime
Agenda Items:
Financial-Cost/month -
Also check if we are approved to receive city/state funding.
Lucas will put us into the budget for next year.
Upcoming events.
City Hall Rally - Agree to go, Target the Press,
ELC-Latoya- TBD,
Pastors -Not on 11/20, Hasn’t heard anything from Rev McCall. So event is postponed
Lucas In person event- Tentatively Scheduled for Thursday, November 30, Still trying to get venue locked down.
Devine to check on meeting space at Columbia U.
Letitia James on discrimination Claim - Received Letter. Unable to investigate case at this point
Community Outreach Updates - Street Corner Resources - go
Board Issues - 6-1 year plan
Agenda Items
Bylaws and Guidelines
Membership Guidelines
Finances Legislation Initiatives
Upcoming events MLK, Ideas for public facing events, etc
Affiliations/Coalitions
Minutes
Paypal account set up- Devine will add to website and chek on recurring payment feature.
Bylaws Guidelines - Need to have finalized by End of Fiscal Year, End/February
Legislative - Disaggregation Bill, Freedmen Office, Task Force - Need to review next steps with with Nikki Lucas.
Need to define the name we should use in the bill.
Suggest “Persons Enslaved in the US aka as African/American, Colored, Negro, Black, as whoes ancestors were given the Status of Freedmen at Emancipation Proclamation.”
MLK Day speck to member Lucas to set up event for MLK Day.
CJEC to have meeting about Freedmen Coalition - January 9th.