Meeting minutes for December 2016

Meeting minutes for Wednesday, 21 December 2016

In attendance: Barbara, Bob, Brendan, Ovette, Jeff, Gina, Struan, Marsha

Welcome and Introductions

Announcements

• 2016 Write for Rights: 109 cards, 11 petitions
• Dues: Please give $35 annual chapter dues to Tilo

Actions

• Petitions to government officials on behalf of Write for Rights cases (11)
• Cards to activists highlighted in 2016 Write for Rights

New Business

• Movie night at Tilo's house
• Possible films to watch
• 13th (about the 13th amendment) (trailer here)
• The House I Live In (about the war on drugs) (trailer here; full film on YouTube for $1.99)
• Bitter Lake (about how Saudi Arabia exported Wahhibism) (fill film here)
• Date set for Wednesday, 15 February (instead of our usual chapter meeting)

Outreach/Membership Campaign

• Struan discussed successful outreach campaigns (e.g., book sales, donation boxes at local businesses) at other AI chapters he's been involved with; most were city/urban areas with lots of foot traffic and already high awareness of AI
• Struan suggested contacting local journalists and media
• Brainstorming for ideas of how to connect with potential supporters and members in Chester County
• Marsha
• will draw up list of local events (where we could have a book sale, sell t-shirts, etc.)
• will send AIUSA a letter for them to distribute to local AIUSA members (since AIUSA won't give us their contact info)
• Can Tilo work with Unitarian Congregation of West Chester to arrange a talk and book signing by Eric Fair (author of Consequence, a memoir about being an interrogator Abu Ghraib)?
• Jeff: Noam Chomsky says this is a good time for the left—let's ask him to talk to our group! 
• will ask local journalist contact (at The Inquirer) about this
• will contact Kathleen Lucas
• Social media for our group
• Barb: currently updates FB page for regional AI groups (including Philly), our group's Twitter; will create a FB page just for our chapter
• Marsha: currently managers our group's Google+ page
• Ovette: interested in setting up and maintaining an Instagram page for our group
• Marsha: will find out which journalist groups helped her brother-in-law when he was imprisoned by the Nigerian government

Some Good News

Marsha brought a printout of "33 Reasons to Be Positive about 2016," which AI recently posted. 

Upcoming Events

• Next meeting: Wednesday, 18 January, 7:30 p..m, Wegmans in Malvern, PA
• Movie night (in lieu of February meeting): Wednesday, 15 February, 7:30 p.m., Tilo's house in West Chester, PA