Helen Rosenthal (at left).
By Carol Tannenhauser
Are you uncertain about the potential impacts of a Trump administration? Do you want to learn how to get engaged, but don’t know how? An array of local possibilities will be presented at a “Post-Election Community Forum,” organized by City Councilmember Helen Rosenthal, to be held on Thursday, December 8th, from 6-8 pm, at John Jay College, 524 West 59th street, between 10th and 11th avenues.
“Since Election Day, I’ve heard from so many Upper West Siders who have reached out to express their concerns and also their desire to get engaged,” said Rosenthal. “This Community Forum is one step among many for us to hear from one another and to start organizing.”
The Forum will present a panel of individuals and groups, speaking about what they view as likely issues, and how they are strategizing and organizing around them. Among the panelists will be Commissioner Nisha Agarwal of the Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs; Norman Siegel, noted civil rights attorney and past director of the New York Civil Liberties Union; and representatives from Planned Parenthood of New York City, 350NYC (an environmental group), the Anti-Defamation League, and groups representing religious freedom and LGBTQ issues. An extensive Q & A involving the audience will follow the presentations.
If you’re feeling powerless after the election, this is the meeting to prove you’re not, she says. “There will be lots going on over the next few months and several years– from petition signing and letter writing to marches, field organizing, strategizing, planning, legal challenges, and more,” said Rosenthal. “There will be many different ways to engage, both at the city and national level, and my office will help consolidate that information as much as possible.”
RSVP to the Forum is requested but not required.
If you can’t show up, Rosenthal has said she “will follow the Forum with an email outlining the information presented and how to get involved with different organizations and actions.”
