About    Our Work      Chapters     Committees      Get Involved
Wednesday, January 10, 2013
Thank you for Supporting SOCM in 2012

40th  

Last month, three generous donors agreed to collectively match all gifts raised during the week of December 17th (up to $5,000) if we were able to meet the challenge.  We are happy to report - WE DID IT!  Thanks to everyone who pitched in to help us reach our goal!   

 

We are still receiving gifts in honor of SOCM's 40th Anniversary. 40 years is a long time to be doing what we do. If you appreciate what SOCM has accomplished in the last 40 years and want to see the organization continue for another 40 years, please give today. 

 

You can donate online (we fixed the online glitches), call the office (865-249-7488) to use your credit card over the phone, or send a check to 2507 Mineral Springs Ave., Suite D, Knoxville, TN 37917. Please indicate you are giving in honor of SOCM's 40th.

 

Together, we have the power to create just, sustainable communities throughout Tennessee.

Could the Media be Contributing to Racial Tension in Your Community?
Join the "Race in the Media" Conference Call Tonight at 7/6 Central

If you are interested in learning how to identify and combat the growing trend of racial bias in media, please join our "Race in the Media" conference call tonight, Jan. 10th at 7/6 p.m. CT. 

SOCM members are conducting a "Race in the Media" project which will include a workshop on how to identify bias, who to take your concerns to, and how to start a constructive dialogue in your community. When reading your local paper or listening to your local news, see if you can spot instances of bias and bring those to the call.

Contact Brad Wright at [email protected] or 615-355-9356 for call-in information.
  Regional Cumberland Mountains Meeting Scheduled for Saturday, Jan. 12th in Crossville

 

There is big news for members who live in the Cumberland Mountains region! In November, the Board approved a staff recommendation to revitalize SOCM activity in the region. It was proposed that the Campbell/Anderson Chapter be expanded and reformed as the Cumberland Mountains Chapter. If you live in the Cumberland Mountains region, please join us on Saturday, Jan. 12th from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. CT for a meeting to gauge interest in this possible chapter. It's important that we hear from you!

 

We will meet at the Art Circle Public Library in Crossville. The library is located at 3 East Street in downtown Crossville.

 

If there is interest in a chapter, members would petition the Board to form a chapter, leadership would be elected, and membership would set a meeting schedule (most likely bi-monthly) where members could receive trainings to strengthen their efforts and build community with fellow members throughout the Cumberland Plateau. 

 

For more information, contact Organizer Parker Laubach at [email protected] or 865-249-7488. 

SOCM Members Celebrate Martin Luther King, Jr. Day

  

Knoxville MLK 2012 On Monday, January 21st, SOCM members across the state will be celebrating the life and work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., in a variety of ways.
 
Knoxville
In Knoxville, SOCM members will once again participate in the annual MLK Memorial Parade in downtown Knoxville. Please meet at the Tabernacle Baptist Church at 2137 Martin Luther King Jr., Blvd. at 8:30 a.m. and look for the SOCM banner. The parade will begin at 10 a.m. Please contact Knoxville Organizer Katie Greer at [email protected] or 865-249-7488 for more information. You can also go to www.mlkknoxville.org for a list of events happening throughout the day.
 
Columbia
SOCM members in Maury County will be participating in the Martin Luther King, Jr., Day March and Celebration. Members will meet at 8:45 a.m. at The Courthouse on the Square in Columbia for the rally and march. There will be a documentary, breakfast, and other activities to follow at Friendship Missionary Baptist Church. For more information, contact Middle Tennessee Organizer Brad Wright at [email protected] or 615-355-9356.
 
If you are celebrating MLK Day in your area, we would love to hear from you! Email Communications Director Casey Self at [email protected] with event details and pictures, if you have them.
  40 Years of SOCM History to be on Display in SOCM's 
40th Anniversary Commemorative Journal

 

To celebrate our 40th Anniversary, we are producing a 40th Anniversary Commemorative Journal full of SOCM stories, pictures, big wins, and memories. Only SOCM members can tell SOCM's story so we need to hear from you!

 

Please send in your favorite story to Communications Director Casey Self at [email protected] to be featured in the Journal. We want to know what your favorite memory is, why you became involved in SOCM, what SOCM means to you, etc. In about 300 words or less, talk about whatever you want.

 

If you are interested in purchasing an ad in the Journal, contact [email protected] or fill out this order form. It is a great opportunity to give to SOCM while advertising with a large and diverse audience.

 

The Journal is schedule to come out on May 18th and a digital copy will be available on SOCM's website.

Tennessee Senators Alexander and Corker Block Presidential Nomination of Dr. Marilyn Brown to TVA Board

  

Dr. Marilyn Brown
Source: www.gatech.edu
Last week, the Senate did not confirm President Obama's nomination of Dr. Marilyn Brown for a second term on the TVA Board. Tennessee Senators Lamar Alexander and Bob Corker requested that President Obama send another nominee "with credentials better suited to the TVA Board."
 
Brown is a Nobel Laureate for her role with the intergovernmental panel on climate change, a professor of public policy at Georgia Tech, a distinguished visiting scientist at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and a co-founder of the Southeastern Energy Efficiency Alliance.
 
Dr. Brown was the Board's leading expert on energy efficiency and energy technology. The failure to reappoint her sends the message that TVA does not actually wish to be a leader in energy efficiency. The path to energy efficiency policies is guided by the make-up of the TVA Board. 
 
If you are disappointed in Senators Alexander's and Corker's decision to block Dr. Brown, please let them know! You can reach Senator Alexander's office at 202-224-4944 and Senator Corker's office at 202-224-3344.
In This Issue
Thanks for your Support
Race in the Media
Regional Cumberland Mountains Meeting
Celebrate MLK Day
Tell us your Story
TVA Board of Directors
  Join SOCM!
  Your community needs you. Click on the link above to pay membership dues or click below to donate to SOCM and designate your donation as membership dues.
Mailing List

 

Conference Call - Race in the Media
Thursday, Jan. 10
6 - 7:30 p.m. CT
Contact Brad Wright for more information
 
Regional Cumberland Mountains Meeting
Saturday, Jan. 12
2:30 - 4:30 p.m. 
Art Circle Public Library, Crossville

 

Maury County Chapter Meeting
Monday, Jan. 14
6:30 - 8 p.m.
Columbia State Community College, Columbia

 

Rutherford County Group Meeting
Tuesday, Jan. 15
6:30 - 8 p.m.
Patterson Park Community Center, Murfreesboro

 

Jackson Chapter Meeting

Thursday, Jan. 17

6:30 - 8 p.m.

Westwood Activity Center, Jackson

 

SOCM Board Meeting

Saturday, Jan. 26

9:15 a.m. - 3:15 p.m. CT

Lebanon

 
Knoxville-area Chapter Meeting
Monday, Jan. 28
6 - 7:30 p.m.
Location TBD
 
Green Collar Jobs Committee Meeting
Saturday, Feb. 9
Time TBD
Cookeville
 
  
Other Events of Interest 
 
Legislative Breakfast
Saturday, Jan. 12
10 - 11:30 a.m.
Knoxville News Sentinel Bldg., Knoxville
Meet Knoxville Senators Randy McNally and Becky Duncan Massey. The breakfast is hosted by the League of Women Voters of Knoxville/Knox County.

Lobby Training
Thursday, Jan. 17
6:30 - 8 p.m.
Cansler YMCA, Knoxville
Lobbyist Stewart Clifton will conduct a free lobby training hosted by the League of Women Voters of Knoxville/Knox County.
 
Martin Luther King, Jr., Memorial Parade
Monday, Jan. 21
8:30 a.m. - 12 p.m.
Knoxville
 
Martin Luther King, Jr., Day March and Celebration
Monday, Jan. 21
9 - 11 a.m.
Columbia
 
"The media's the most powerful entity on earth. They have the power to make the innocent guilty and to make the guilty innocent, and that's power. Because they control the minds of the masses."
-Malcolm X
SOCM is taking applications for two Organizer in Training positions. Click here for the job description. 

We also have internships available. Email [email protected] for more information on an internship with SOCM.
For up-to-the-minute SOCM news, join us on:

  Facebook            Twitter
FBTwitter Icon




Youtube


See SOCM Photos on Flickr! Ciick Here!
 
Flickr
Member of Community Shares                                                                     Privacy Policy         Site Map
Community Shares

Copyright � Statewide Organizing for Community eMpowerment (SOCM)
All Rights Reserved