| Portland
Organizing to Win Economic Rights (POWER) is a grassroots anti-poverty organization led by poor & low-income people in southern Maine. United with all those who align with this mission, together we're building a local movement to win economic rights for all, end economic oppression, and abolish poverty. When we unite to claim our rights, TOGETHER WE HAVE POWER! |
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Proud
Member of the Poor
People's Economic Human Rights Campaign since 2001
POWER's Mission
Portland Organizing to Win Economic Rights is a grassroots
anti-poverty action group led by poor & low-income people. United with all those who align with this mission, together we're building a local movement to win economic rights for all, end economic oppression, & abolish poverty. When we unite to claim our rights, together we have POWER!
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*Updates*Updates*Updates*
POWER is taking an organizing break!
After yet another incredible year of amazing organizing work, POWER will be taking an organizing break to allow our hard-working, dedicated volunteers to enjoy some very much-needed time off. There will be no regularly scheduled monthly POWER meetings until April 2009, and/or until further notice. Thanks to everyone for all of your hard work & support! Questions? Contact POWER.
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Tell your senators to increase fuel assistance NOW!
Help Maine families stay warm this winter! Call your senators & tell them to co-sponsor S. 3186 -- The Warm in Winter & Cool in Summer Act. This bill provides an additional $2.53 billion for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) in fiscal year 2008, nearly double the current amount. The bill is sponsored by Sen. Bernie Sanders & co-sponsored by 49 other senators. Please act now & tell your senators to support this vital assistance for low-income families! Call the congressional switchboard : 1-877-210-5351 (toll free), or click here for Maine senators' contact information.
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Healthcare Truth Commission a HUGE success!!
June 10, 2008 at Community Public Access, 516 Congress St, Portland, ME
more about this event | more about healthcare justice | healthcare survey
"Of all the forms of inequality, injustice in healthcare is the most shocking & inhumane."
--Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
The stories we shared and witnessed at this Healthcare Truth Commission were nothing short of incredible....Thanks to those brave individuals who dared enough to stand up and speak their truth, those of us who dared enough to listen learned exactly why this injustice must end.....By the end of the evening there was not a heart among us left untouched, nor a soul left unstirred. READ MORE...
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Check out some of our latest video projects:
POWER's Healthcare Crisis Video
Larger screen | Watch movie on YouTube | Visit POWER's YouTube channel | ( TOP )
Produced by POWER's Video Committee; features the song Healthcare Justice!, written &
performed by Colette Washington (www.GuaranteedHealthcare.org)
Other recently created POWER video pieces:
--Public Forum on Healthcare Justice!
--Demonstration for Healthcare Justice!
--National Housing Action Workshop -- US Social Forum!
--World Health Day Demonstration!
--Economic Human Rights Truth Commission!
POWER is taking an organizing break!
After yet another incredible year of amazing organizing work, POWER will be taking an organizing break to allow our hard-working, dedicated volunteers to enjoy some very much-needed time off. There will be no regularly scheduled monthly POWER meetings until April 2009, and/or until further notice. Thanks to everyone for all of your hard work & support! Questions? Contact POWER.
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******
Tell your senators to increase fuel assistance NOW!
Help Maine families stay warm this winter! Call your senators & tell them to co-sponsor S. 3186 -- The Warm in Winter & Cool in Summer Act. This bill provides an additional $2.53 billion for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) in fiscal year 2008, nearly double the current amount. The bill is sponsored by Sen. Bernie Sanders & co-sponsored by 49 other senators. Please act now & tell your senators to support this vital assistance for low-income families! Call the congressional switchboard : 1-877-210-5351 (toll free), or click here for Maine senators' contact information.
To apply for LIHEAP, call Peoples Regional Opportunity Program (PROP): 207-553-5800.
For general info about fuel assistance, see the Campaign for Home Energy Assistance.
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Healthcare Truth Commission a HUGE success!!
June 10, 2008 at Community Public Access, 516 Congress St, Portland, ME
more about this event | more about healthcare justice | healthcare survey
"Of all the forms of inequality, injustice in healthcare is the most shocking & inhumane."
--Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
The stories we shared and witnessed at this Healthcare Truth Commission were nothing short of incredible....Thanks to those brave individuals who dared enough to stand up and speak their truth, those of us who dared enough to listen learned exactly why this injustice must end.....By the end of the evening there was not a heart among us left untouched, nor a soul left unstirred. READ MORE...
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******
Check out some of our latest video projects:
POWER's Healthcare Crisis Video
Larger screen | Watch movie on YouTube | Visit POWER's YouTube channel | ( TOP )
Produced by POWER's Video Committee; features the song Healthcare Justice!, written &
performed by Colette Washington (www.GuaranteedHealthcare.org)
Other recently created POWER video pieces:
--Public Forum on Healthcare Justice!
--Demonstration for Healthcare Justice!
--National Housing Action Workshop -- US Social Forum!
--World Health Day Demonstration!
--Economic Human Rights Truth Commission!
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What
is POWER?
Based in Southern Maine, POWER is a grassroots anti-poverty community organization that is led by poor and low-income people. Together with all those who support our mission, we are building a local movement to win economic rights for all, end economic oppression, and abolish poverty. While POWER has a leadership base of poor and low-income people, our membership is open to people from all walks of life who care about ending poverty & includes people from all walks of life, income levels, economic classes, geographical locations, etc.
As part of our mission of abolishing poverty, POWER members advocate for the basic means of survival that we ALL need and deserve, including food, healthcare, housing, education, living wage jobs, and education. Each of these is an example of what are called economic human rights, which are outlined in what is called the Universal Declaration of Human Rights -- the international standard for human rights. We demand safe & affordable housing! Quality health care! Jobs at living wages with decent benefits & workers' rights! Access to all levels of education! Safe & affordable childcare! Adequate social benefits for all those unable to work! Fairness & dignified treatment by social service agencies! An end to unjust child removal! An end to the criminalization of poor people!
As part of our ongoing work to end poverty, POWER has organized countless events & activities throughout the community & beyond. Some examples of these activities include: documenting economic rights violations; hosting local Truth Commissions (such as our Healthcare Truth Commisison) to expose some of the many economic rights violations happening right here in our community; creating our own videos on issues of poverty & economic justice - many of which have aired on our local public access television stations; holding demonstrations, rallies, & marches to protest & call attention to various injustices in our community, including around issues of housing, healthcare, wages & working conditions, government benefits, and child welfare; hosting presentations, educationals, & trainings around economic human rights, myths & facts about poverty, & other key issues; and holding community public forums for social & political education & action, including several Poor People's Candidate Forums & single-issue forums (such as our Public Forum on Healthcare Justice). Together we protest, document, & educate that poverty violates our human rights!
Based in Southern Maine, POWER is a grassroots anti-poverty community organization that is led by poor and low-income people. Together with all those who support our mission, we are building a local movement to win economic rights for all, end economic oppression, and abolish poverty. While POWER has a leadership base of poor and low-income people, our membership is open to people from all walks of life who care about ending poverty & includes people from all walks of life, income levels, economic classes, geographical locations, etc.
As part of our mission of abolishing poverty, POWER members advocate for the basic means of survival that we ALL need and deserve, including food, healthcare, housing, education, living wage jobs, and education. Each of these is an example of what are called economic human rights, which are outlined in what is called the Universal Declaration of Human Rights -- the international standard for human rights. We demand safe & affordable housing! Quality health care! Jobs at living wages with decent benefits & workers' rights! Access to all levels of education! Safe & affordable childcare! Adequate social benefits for all those unable to work! Fairness & dignified treatment by social service agencies! An end to unjust child removal! An end to the criminalization of poor people!
As part of our ongoing work to end poverty, POWER has organized countless events & activities throughout the community & beyond. Some examples of these activities include: documenting economic rights violations; hosting local Truth Commissions (such as our Healthcare Truth Commisison) to expose some of the many economic rights violations happening right here in our community; creating our own videos on issues of poverty & economic justice - many of which have aired on our local public access television stations; holding demonstrations, rallies, & marches to protest & call attention to various injustices in our community, including around issues of housing, healthcare, wages & working conditions, government benefits, and child welfare; hosting presentations, educationals, & trainings around economic human rights, myths & facts about poverty, & other key issues; and holding community public forums for social & political education & action, including several Poor People's Candidate Forums & single-issue forums (such as our Public Forum on Healthcare Justice). Together we protest, document, & educate that poverty violates our human rights!
Sign up for Email Updates
Stay informed by signing up to receive POWER's email updates! Simply enter your name and email in the spaces below, and then hit the subscribe button to the right. Or visit our email list page & sign up.
Stay informed by signing up to receive POWER's email updates! Simply enter your name and email in the spaces below, and then hit the subscribe button to the right. Or visit our email list page & sign up.
Note: to receive POWER updates by
mail, write
to us at Po Box 4281 Portland, Maine 04101
with a note stating that you would like to join POWER's mailing list.
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Monthly POWER Meetings
*****IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT*****
POWER is taking an organizing break!!!
No regular monthly meetings from now through April 2009,
and/or until further notice.
Monthly
POWER Meetings are regularly scheduled for the THIRD MONDAY of every
month, from 6:30-8:00 PM,
at 644 Congress Street
in Portland, Maine (home of the new Meg
Perry Center
for Peace, Justice, & Community). Meetings start PROMPTLY at
6:30pm
-- please make every effort to arrive at least 5
minutes early so that we can begin and end our meetings ON TIME.
More about Monthly Meetings | Meeting Framework | Agenda | Questions? Contact us!
*****IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT*****
POWER is taking an organizing break!!!
No regular monthly meetings from now through April 2009,
and/or until further notice.
More about Monthly Meetings | Meeting Framework | Agenda | Questions? Contact us!
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Become
a POWER Member
POWER is open to people from ALL WALKS OF LIFE who care about ending poverty and want to do something about it! Anyone who supports POWER's mission & Principles of Membership are welcome and encouraged to join. To join POWER or renew your membership, simply fill out an annual membership card & send it in together with this year's suggested member dues.
More about joining POWER or renewing your membership | Questions? Contact us!
POWER is open to people from ALL WALKS OF LIFE who care about ending poverty and want to do something about it! Anyone who supports POWER's mission & Principles of Membership are welcome and encouraged to join. To join POWER or renew your membership, simply fill out an annual membership card & send it in together with this year's suggested member dues.
More about joining POWER or renewing your membership | Questions? Contact us!
Join us as
we
work together to build
a local movement to end poverty:
BECOME A POWER MEMBER TODAY!
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Speak out & tell your story
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Speak out & tell your story
Have
you experienced
conditions of poverty? Have your economic human
rights been violated? As
part of our efforts to build a movement to end poverty, we're
documenting and collecting stories of economic human rights violations
wherever they occur. Your
story is important and we want to hear it!
Tell your story with
our Economic
Rights SURVEY!
Questions? Contact us - many of us have gone through a lot of the same stuff - we'll gladly talk things over and help you document your story.
Have you experienced problems getting & affording the healthcare you need?
Take POWER's new on-line HEALTH CARE SURVEY & tell your story!
See some examples of other people speaking out & telling their stories:
Watch footage from POWER's 1st Truth Commission on Google Video!
Questions? Contact us - many of us have gone through a lot of the same stuff - we'll gladly talk things over and help you document your story.
Have you experienced problems getting & affording the healthcare you need?
Take POWER's new on-line HEALTH CARE SURVEY & tell your story!
See some examples of other people speaking out & telling their stories:
Watch footage from POWER's 1st Truth Commission on Google Video!
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Make a Contribution to
POWER
POWER is an all-volunteer organization with an extremely tiny shoe-string budget and ABSOLUTELY NO PAID STAFF whatsoever. POWER exists thanks to the tireless efforts of dedicated fellow POWER members who volunteer countless unpaid hours doing the countless tasks required to keep an organization afloat. Simply put, we're about as grass roots as an organization can be, and coming up with the resources we need is a constant challenge. If you support POWER's mission of building a local low-income led movement to win economic rights, end economic oppression, & abolishing poverty, we encourage you to your support by making a contribution in any amount that fits your budget.
Your support allows us to keep building this movement to end poverty - make a contribution today!
POWER is an all-volunteer organization with an extremely tiny shoe-string budget and ABSOLUTELY NO PAID STAFF whatsoever. POWER exists thanks to the tireless efforts of dedicated fellow POWER members who volunteer countless unpaid hours doing the countless tasks required to keep an organization afloat. Simply put, we're about as grass roots as an organization can be, and coming up with the resources we need is a constant challenge. If you support POWER's mission of building a local low-income led movement to win economic rights, end economic oppression, & abolishing poverty, we encourage you to your support by making a contribution in any amount that fits your budget.
Your support allows us to keep building this movement to end poverty - make a contribution today!
The Poor People's Economic Human Rights Campaign
Portland Organizing to Win Economic Rights (POWER) is a proud organizational member of the Poor People's Economic Human Rights Campaign (PPEHRC). This is a national campaign made up of 100 organizations (and counting!) from states all across the country. Together we are working to build a new movement to abolish poverty. As its mission states, this campaign is committed to "uniting the poor across color lines as the leadership base for a broad movement to abolish poverty. We work to accomplish this through advancing economic human rights as named in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights- such as the rights to food, housing, health, education, communication, & living wage jobs."
For more information: www.economichumanrights.org,
info(at)economichumanrights.org
The
University of the Poor
The University of the Poor is the educational arm of
the Poor People's
Economic Human
Rights Campaign and is concerned with the unity and development of the
leaders of a growing movement to end poverty. Since its inception, the
University of the Poor has shared education tools with grassroots
anti-poverty groups across the nation, has helped link media
professionals, performing artists, social workers, members of the
religious community and labor organizers with the movement to end
poverty, and has facilitated the exchange of knowledge between poor
people and their allies across the globe.
For
more information:
www.universityofthepoor.org
info(at)universityofthepoor.org
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Contact your elected officials
Below we've listed the contact information for Maine's elected representatives.
For more information, please visit our voting information page.
State Representatives:
State Senators:
U.S. Senators
Contact your elected officials
Below we've listed the contact information for Maine's elected representatives.
For more information, please visit our voting information page.
State Representatives:
To leave a phone
message for your
State Representative call:
1-800-423-2900 (TOLL-FREE!)
1-800-423-2900 (TOLL-FREE!)
State Senators:
To leave a phone
message for your
State Senator call:
1-800-423-6900 (TOLL-FREE!)
1-800-423-6900 (TOLL-FREE!)
U.S. Senators
- SENATOR
OLYMPIA SNOWE:
Call: 1-800-432-1599 (toll free) | email Sen. Snowe
Write:154 Russell Senate Office Building, Washington, DC 20510
- SENATOR
SUSAN COLLINS:
Call: 202-224-2523 | email Sen. Collins
Write: 413 Dirksen Senate Office Building, Washington, DC 20510
- REPRESENTATIVE
TOM ALLEN:
Call: 1-877-210-5351 (toll free); or 202-225-6116 | email Rep. Allen
Write: 1127 Longworth House Office Building, Washington, DC 20515
- REPRESENTATIVE
MIKE MICHAUD:
Call: 1-877-210-5351 (toll free); or 202-225-6306 | email Rep. Michaud
Write: 1724 Longworth House Office Building, Washington, D.C. 20515
"There
are
millions of poor people in this country who have very little,
or even
nothing, to lose. If
they can be helped to take action together,
they will do so with a
freedom and a power that
will be a new
and unsettling force in our complacent national
life."
-- Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., 1967
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| Portland
Organizing to Win Economic Rights = POWER! Contact POWER Winning our economic human rights; Putting poverty on trial; Building a Maine that truly is the way life should be - for ALL of us!!! |