The Greene County Democrat

Tag: SOS Steering Committee

  • SOS holds statewide rally in Birmingham;
    Increasing voter turnout for November 8th election and elevating Medicaid Expansion issue

    Ms. Yolanda Flowers, Democratic candidate for Governor addresses SOS meeting

    By: John Zippert,
    Co-Publisher

    The Save Ourselves Movement for Justice and Democracy (SOS) together with other organizations held a statewide rally to increase voter turnout in the upcoming November 8th General Election and raise the importance of the issue of Medicaid Expansion and others as reasons to vote in this election.
    SOS was joined by the Alabama Women’s Roundtable headed by Jefferson County Commissioner, Sheila Tyson; Faith and Works, an organization of church leaders promoting voting, Alabama New South Coalition, Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Democracy Project, and other groups supported this statewide convening.
    Yolanda Flowers, Democratic candidate for Governor, stopped by the meeting and made some short remarks on the importance of voting. She also referenced her platform of educational reform, criminal justice reforms and approving Medicaid Expansion as part of her agenda to improve health care for Alabamians.
    Attorney Faya Rose Toure, SOS Steering Committee member, opened the meeting with a plea for unity and solidarity among organizations in Alabama working on counteracting voter suppression and preserving democracy. She also communicated a warning that the powers against democracy have used violence in the January 6th attack on Congress and threaten to use violence again to defeat democracy.
    Faya Rose also warned that the opponents of democracy have prepared a legal case, Moore vs. Harper, which will be heard by the conservative leaning Supreme Court in the Fall term. “This case asserts the independent state legislative theory, which would give the state legislatures the final authority in deciding voting matters, including certification of electors for the Electoral College, which determines who will be elected President. This would give Republican Legislatures the power to override the choice of voters in statewide elections, based on any rationale they choose,” said Toure.
    “Democracy is in danger in this country and the Supreme Court’s decision in Moore vs Harper will be a key to the future of democracy in our nation. So, we need to pay close attention to this case when it comes before the Supreme Court,” said Toure
    Ushe Bean with Faith and Works spoke about her efforts to re-engage Black churches in social justice work and encouraging voting, based on teachings in the Bible. She asked interested clergy and churches to contact her organization through their website at faith and church.com.
    John Zippert and Mayor Johnny Ford, Co-chairs of the SOS Health Committee, stressed the importance of elevating the issue of Medicaid Expansion, as an issue in the upcoming November election. “Medicaid Expansion, which would provide health insurance to over 250,000 working poor Alabamians, would improve the health care of all Alabamians. This decision has been on Governor Ivey’s desk for seven years and she has not acted,” said Ford.
    John Zippert reminded the group that Ivey’s reservations that the funds are not available for Medicaid Expansion was not true. “The funds are available to the State of Alabama in the American Rescue Plan to Expand Medicaid. Alabama can get an increased reimbursement for its current Medicaid recipients which would pay for Medicaid Expansion for three years. After three years, the 30,000 new jobs and revenues created in the health system by Medicaid Expansion would support the state’s matching contribution going forward. There is no reason not to pursue this policy which would help people and save lives,” said Zippert.
    Several representatives of the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity were present who spoke to their Voting and Democracy Project, which seeks to involve the 324,000 Black voters, who did not vote in the 2018 Gubernatorial Election, and register the 300,000 Black eligible voters in Alabama who are not registered. October 24, 2022 is the last day to register before the November 8th election, which is now about 50 days away.
    The people present agreed to work on a “20 for 20 program” to register 20,000 people each on September 20 and October 20 before the November 8 election.
    At the end of the meeting, SOS held a press conference to highlight the issue of Medicaid Expansion in the upcoming election. You can contact SOS on our website, Facebook page or by calling 334/262-0932.

  • Calls for AG Steve Marshall to resign SOS leaders protest Alabama Attorney General’s joining Texas lawsuit to challenge legally cast Black votes

    A group of leaders of the SaveOurselves Movement for Justice and Democracy protested Tuesday, December 15, in front of Attorney General Steve Marshall’s office at 501 Washington Street in Montgomery.
    The protest was to denounce and question Marshall’s decision to join with 17 other Republican Attorney Generals from around the nation, in a Texas lawsuit to question absentee voting in four states – Georgia, Michigan, Arizona and Pennsylvania – and throw out the legally cast votes, many by Black and Brown people in those states.
    The United States Supreme Court, wisely rejected and declined to hear the Texas lawsuit, which was part of a continuing campaign by President Trump and his backers to disenfranchise legitimate votes and take away the election victory of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris on November 3, 2020.
    The protestors carried signs that said: AG Marshall you must resign;
    Marshall you abused your powers, you acted lawlessly; Prosecute yourself – AG Marshall; You betrayed the voters of Alabama.
    Faya Rose Toure, SOS leader and attorney from Selma said, “We are demanding that Attorney General Marshall resign. He used Alabama funds backing a frivolous law to challenge the legitimate votes of Blackfolks in four other states. He joined a lawsuit to challenge legal actions in other states, who voted for Biden, even though we did the same things in Alabama, where Trump won.”
    John Zippert, SOS Steering Committee member from Greene County said, “Who authorized Attorney General Marshall to spend time and money on lawsuits to fight things that many Alabama citizens support. Not only did he join this recent lawsuit against other states voting rights but he joined the lawsuit to rule the Affordable Care Act unconstitutional, which will deny healthcare coverage to millions of people in Alabama and around the nation.
    Zippert also read portions of a letter sent by Bernard Simelton, President of the Alabama State Conference of the NAACP to Attorney General Marshall. The letter says, “We are outraged that you chose to involve the state of Alabama in a baseless and frivolous lawsuit aimed at overturning an American Election. If the citizens of this state and nation do not have the right to vote in an American Election, we call upon you to explain to us why.”
    The letter concludes saying, “It is very disturbing to see you take such a bold step to support a lawsuit that is racist on its face. The unmitigated gall to invalidate millions of votes cast by African Americans and people of color is insulting at best and criminal at worst – we are grateful that the Supreme Court twice rejected you and 106 Congresspersons, and hope we can get back to the business of addressing real voter suppression in the state of Alabama instead of chasing down unsubstantiated claims in other states.”
    This letter was signed by SOS, Alabama Coalition for Immigrant Justice, Alabama Arise, Greater Birmingham Ministries, in addition to the NAACP.