Author: Alyson Chadwick

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Can you join us on World Genocide Day?

World Genocide Day

Thursday, December 9, 2021, is World Genocide Day. Friday, December 10, 2021, is World Human rights Day. On Thursday, we plan to march from the US Mission to the UN to the Harry Winston New York City headquarters where we will give them our petitions demanding they stop funding the Myanmar military. On World Human Rights Day, that same brutal military is planning a gem fair in Myanmar. They are running out of money. Our pressure is working we need to keep it up. Can you join us?

We will meet up at the US Mission to the UN and march to Harry Winston.

What: Protest Harry Winston/Swatch for selling #GenocideGems
Where: 799 United Nations Plz, New York, NY 10017
When: Thursday, December 9, 2021, at 10:00 am

Click here to view our event page for the rally. If you would like to attend, please let me know so I can keep you up to date on any changes to the event. You can also share it with your friends and family. If you know people who are not in NYC but would like to take part, please email me.

Sign -our petition to luxury jeweler Harry Winston before we deliver it to their headquarters.

Myanmar produces more than 90% of the world’s rubies and jade, and these stones command the highest prices on the international market. The military dominates the gemstone industry in Myanmar. Its extensive commercial interests in gemstone extraction and trade mean that the military profits when high-end jewelry retailers – like Harry Winston (owned by Swatch) – buy Burmese gems for their collections.

Sign – and share – our petition to luxury jeweler Harry Winston demanding that it stop buying gems from Myanmar.

You can also:

  • Make an appointment at a Harry Winston store and let them know how you feel about their sale of #GenocideGems.
  • Post on their social media channels! Copy this message and adapt it as you wish. Add it as a comment on posts showcasing jewelry or watches on the Facebook and Instagram pages of Harry Winston and Swatch. You can use this message (adapt as you see fit).

I refuse to buy your jewelry and watches while Harry Winston (owned by Swatch) buys #GenocideGems from Myanmar that profit the Burmese military and its atrocities against the peoples of Myanmar. Read the truth about Harry Winston here: https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/tell-harry-winston-stop-selling-burmese-genocide-gems

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Help us pass the #BurmaBill

#BurmaBill
The Burma Act of 2021 is here!  

Congressman Gregory Meeks formally – and finally! – will introduce the Burma Act of 2021 (aka the #BurmaBill) in the House of Representatives. Even if you’ve sent a message before, click here today to urge your Members of Congress to co-sponsor the Burma Act of 2021.

The introduction of this bill is a tribute to your hard work. Over the past few months, we have ramped up our email, phone calls, and Zoom meetings with our Members of Congress. Now, let’s ensure that our Members of Congress sign up as original co-sponsors the Burma Act of 2021. Lead sponsored by Senator Ben Cardin and Rep. Gregory Meeks, the new #Burmabills will, not only sanction and hold accountable the Myanmar military but also provide support to Burmese civil society and much-needed humanitarian assistance directly to the Myanmar people. Click here today to urge your U.S. senators and representative co-sponsor the Burma Act of 2021.

Please follow up your message in these four easy – yet powerful – ways.

Follow up #1: email your U.S. representative
Find the name of your U.S. representative’s legislative director by simply searching under the name of your representative and the term “legislative director.” When you have the name, the staffer’s email will be simply [first name].[last name]@mail.house.gov (Don’t leave out the period between the first and last name.)

You may wish to use a succinct and direct subject line such as: “Please co-sponsor the Burma Act of 2021”

Start your message with a mention of where you live in the state. Feel free to include a sentence or two on why you care about Myanmar and provide your address to show you live in the district. Please use or adapt the following text in your email. Please blind copy (bcc) us on your email at [email protected] ask that my representative co-sponsor and support the Burma Act of 2021 introduced by Rep. Gregory Meeks.

To sign on as an original co-sponsor, please contact Anubhav Gupta in Rep. Meeks’s office at [email protected] by 10am on Tuesday, September 28th.The US. Congress must show leadership in forcing the Burmese army to stand down from its coup d’etat and release all civilian government and civil society figures from detention. Please write back and tell me what actions my representative will take in response to the Myanmar military’s coup d’etat. Thank you. If you receive a reply, forward it to us at [email protected]

Follow up #2: call your representative’s office. Search online for your U.S. representative’s Washington, DC, phone number or call through the Congressional Switchboard at (202) 224-3121

When you reach the office, ask to be connected directly to the staffer responsible for foreign policy either in person or on their voicemail. Simply tell the staffer – in person or on their voicemail – that you want your representative to co-sponsor the Burma Act of 2021.

Ask them to contact Anubhav Gupta in Rep. Meeks’s office at [email protected] to sign up as a co-sponsor. Leave your name, number, and city of residence to indicate that you live in the congressional district. Follow up with an email to the staffer and blind copy (bcc) us at [email protected] Email us at [email protected] and tell us how your calls went. And please tell us of any changes or additions to your representative’s staffers.

Follow up #3: Check out our training sessions. Our Manager of our Campaign for a New Manager, Mike Haack, leads training sessions for the best ways to communicate with Congress and other elected officials. They are held on Sundays at 6:00 pm US EDT and Tuesdays at 9:00 pm US EDT. Simply join the Zoom call using this short link: https://www.tinyurl.com/CallCongress4Burma. You can also email Mike with any questions at [email protected]

Follow up #4: Join our lobbying efforts. We can support you with setting up Zoom meetings with the top staff of your Members of Congress. Again, contact Mike Haack, from the Campaign for a New Myanmar, to take part of that at [email protected].

Just one meeting, email, or phone call from a constituent can make a difference. Your Members of Congress need to know that you want Congress to act. The people of Myanmar can’t wait any longer.

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Interfaith Iftar Against Business as Usual

iftar

This is our first Iftar event and we’d love you to join us.

Please join us for prayers and a panel discussion with Imam Catovic from GreenFaith, Alan Senauke from Engaged Buddhists, Jan Jan Maran from STAND and Simon Billenness from the International Campaign for the Rohingya.

This is an online event so you can join us from anywhere. Click here to join us.

If you would like to help us continue our work to help the Rohingya, please consider making a donation by going here. You can learn more about our emergency fund here.