AHEAD’s first-ever virtual meeting will be this Tuesday, July 14, 6:30-7:30 p.m. The meeting will focus on how to promote anti-racism locally. RSVP to the Facebook invite here or by emailing ahead.oh@gmail.com. Those who RSVP for the event will receive the Zoom link for the meeting on Tuesday.

Here’s the agenda:

• Learn about the proposed Allen County Human Relations Commission and how AHEAD members can promote it. Presentation from from Sharetta Smith (Chief of Staff, Mayor’s Office, Lima) and Carla Thompson (3^rd Ward City Councilor, Lima).
• Discuss other anti-racist actions we can engage in
• Catch up with each other (yes, social time!)

We hope to see you all Tuesday evening!

The community group Ada SAFE 2020 (SAFE stands for Schools Are For Everyone) will be hosting an Ask Me Anything (AMA) entitled “AMA: COVID Questions” during the month of July. Details about the AMA and Ada SAFE 2020 are included below.

Ada SAFE 2020 has convened a panel of local experts to answer questions from the public (Ada as well as the surrounding communities are welcome to submit questions) about the novel coronavirus, COVID-19, schools reopening, safety measures, etc. They will be collecting questions through Saturday, July 18. Tweet your questions to #AdaSAFE2020, or email them to AdaSAFE2020@gmail.com. Answers to as many questions as possible will be published through Ada SAFE 2020’s YouTube channel, and will be posted on Facebook and Twitter starting the last week of July. A playlist on the YouTube channel will allow members of the public to have access to all the questions and answers from the series.

Dr. Chris North, who is a member of the steering team for Ada SAFE 2020, sees the event as a unique opportunity. “So often we see things in the news that we don’t quite understand or hear things from others we aren’t really sure about,” she said. “This Ask Me Anything event gives everyone the opportunity to get clarification or ask those questions that people still have. I’m excited we are able to do this for the community.”

“We believe that as members of the community learn more together about how to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus, Ada and Hardin county will stand as shining examples in the state of Ohio and the nation as a community where we care for one another by taking all the necessary precautions to protect our most vulnerable community members,” said David MacDonald, co-convener of the organization. “We want everyone to know that there is hope in the midst of this pandemic, and that hope lies within each of us to have the ability and compassion to take simple steps to help our community stay SAFE in 2020.”

About Ada SAFE 2020: The purpose of Ada SAFE 2020 is to organize community members who wish to see our local schools adhere to medically and scientifically sound advice and guidelines when our schools open again in the fall, and to educate the public about the latest scientific research and guidance to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus and the disease which stems from the virus, COVID-19. Everyone is invited to join! Parents, students, school administrators, board members, and community members are all welcome. To contact Ada SAFE 2020, please email: AdaSAFE2020@gmail.com.

Additional information about Ada SAFE 2020 and the AMA: COVID Questions event:

• Ada SAFE 2020 Facebook group
• Ada SAFE 2020 press release about the AMA
• Ada Icon story about the AMA

Allen County Human Rights Commission:
new AHEAD initiative, launched July 2020.

A new AHEAD webpage with detailed information about this initiative can be found under the Take Action menu: Allen County Human Relations Commission.

A Human Relations Commission will promote respect and equal opportunity for all within Lima and Allen County. It’s an essential part of making Allen County a thriving community.

Here’s the short explanation: The City of Lima has proposed a multi-jurisdictional Human Relations Commission (HRC) to promote mutual respect and understanding and to safeguard equal opportunity for all within Lima and Allen County. The HRC will investigate and hear complaints regarding discrimination, make recommendations on how to resolve such complaints, and initiate activities in keeping with its mission. The work of the HRC will be focused around fact finding, staff training, information sharing, community education, mediation, cultural literacy, hate crime response, and conflict management. (More details farther down on this page.)

Getting the Human Relations Commission established will require support from elected officials across Allen County, especially the Allen County Commissioners.

You can help. Please contact your local elected officials, especially the Allen County Commissioners, and ask them to support a Human Relations Commission in Allen County.

And, write letters to your local newspaper telling others to support the Human Relations Commission.

Please visit the AHEAD webpage Allen County Human Relations Commission for the following information:

• Contact info for the Allen County Commissioners and other elected officials
• Contact info for local papers
• Information on the Human Relations Commission that you can use in your call or letter.

While our primary focus right now is on helping our families, workplaces, and communities navigate the COVID-19 pandemic, here are some ways that we can keep supporting our political goals, even in these times.

• Support candidates. Impressive individuals are running for Ohio Supreme Court, US House of Representatives, and other positions — not to mention US President! All value your support on their campaigns. More information here: Support Local Candidates
• Participate in the AHEAD Facebook group, for up-to-the-minute discussion and events: AHEAD’s Facebook group
• Protect Ohio elections. We want to make sure voting in November is safe, easy, and fair. Send a letter to encourage the Ohio state legislature to support the Common Cause/ League of Women Voters proposal for the November election. Details here: Protect Voters and Democracy in Ohio’s 2020 Elections
• Encourage others to vote. Vote Forward provides contact information for Democrat-leaning voters; we write to encourage them to vote. Get involved at votefwd.org.
• Create content for AHEAD website! You can help us provide information about local candidates, national updates, and how to get involved. Message ahead.oh@gmail.com to find out more!
• Support your County Democrat Parties. The Hardin County Democrats and Allen County Democrats welcome your involvement. Details at Allen County Democrats and Hardin County Democrats.

Stay safe, and keep in touch!

Join us this Wednesday, February 19, from 6 – 8 p.m. for our February AHEAD meeting! We will meet to plan our efforts for the upcoming election year. We’ll have a potluck (but please come with or without food) and present/discuss initiatives to focus on from now until the November election. We will continue to modify our plan throughout the year as needed, but this planning session will help us lay the groundwork for a successful campaign season.

Bring your ideas, your energy, and your friends!

The meeting location is the Dicke College of Business at Ohio Northern University. It’s on Main Street in Ada, opposite Subway and between Ballard (to the north) and College Avenue (to the south). Parking is behind the building, off Gilbert St. Here it is on Google maps, and here’s the meeting invite.

If you are unable to attend but have an agenda item, you are welcome to share your thoughts to ahead.oh@gmail.com or the Facebook group.

Join AHEAD for three important candidate forums all taking place over the next week. Candidate forums will help us get to know the candidates and identify our choices for Ohio’s March 17 primary.

Details below for the three events:

• (TONIGHT!) Monday, February 10, 5:30 – 7:00 p.m.: Lima Chamber of Commerce will host a reception for its Republican and Democratic candidates running in 2020. Details here; please RSVP. 
• Saturday, February 15, 7:00 – 8:30 p.m.: AHEAD will host a debate in Bluffton for the three Democrats running for Jim Jordan’s U.S. House seat (District 4). Lisa Robeson will moderate. Come and bring your friends! The debate is co-sponsored with Lima African American Chamber of Commerce and Millennial Action Pact. Details here.
• Sunday, February 16, 6:00 – 8:00 p.m.: AHEAD will host a forum in Findlay for the three Democrats running for Bob Latta’s U.S. House seat (District 5). The debate is co-sponsored with Hancock County Democrats and the Hardin County Democrats. Details here.

We hope to see you there!

Reminder: The next AHEAD meeting will be Wednesday, February 19, from 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. in the Dicke College of Business at Ohio Northern University. We will be discussing our game plan for the upcoming crucial months and how AHEAD can focus its efforts most effectively for 2020.

Come to the AHEAD Impeachment Rally in Lima on Tuesday, December 17, at 5 p.m. The rally will be held at the Lima Town Square, near the gazebo. This event will be the night before the House votes on impeachment. The rally will call on lawmakers to defend the Constitution: President Trump’s actions mean that lawmakers must uphold their oath of office and support impeachment and removal.

Here are some things to bring: friends, signs, and your thoughts to share. There will be an open microphone. Drums are also welcome for the music. And, it will get dark – flashlights and candles welcome as well. The rally line-up so far:

• Comments from Jeffrey Sites, candidate for US House District 4; Amber Basares, Lima citizen; Isaac Andreas, representing youth activists
• Chants and singing from Wendy Chappell-Dick

Impeachment rallies will happen nationally and are being coordinated by MoveOn’s Impeach and Remove division. Click here for details on our impeachment rally to be held in Lima.

The next AHEAD meeting will be Monday, December 9, 6-8 p.m. in Lima. The meeting will be held at 1531 Lakewood Ave, and there is plenty of street parking available.

• Facebook event page: AHEAD December Meeting

We’ll be celebrating election victories, sharing ideas, and making impeachment signs. As a special treat, this meeting is not a potluck because two members are providing food. (Thank you Cris and Mary!) Just bring yourself, friends, and some sign-making materials if you have them.

The signs that we are making will be for an impeachment rally to be held the night before the House votes on impeachment, which will likely happen in late December. Impeachment rallies will happen nationally and are being coordinated by MoveOn’s Impeach and Remove division. Click here for details on our impeachment rally to be held in Lima. If you’d like to help organize the rally, please contact ahead.oh@gmail.com or post in the Facebook group.

We hope to see you all on Monday!

League of Women Voters of the Lima Area

Did you know that by joining the League of Women Voters of the Lima Area you have a local non-partisan opportunity to get involved and help make a difference within our community?

• History: The League of Women Voters was founded by Carrie Chapman Catt in 1920 during the convention of the National American Woman Suffrage Association. The convention was held just six months before the 19th amendment to the U.S. Constitution was ratified, giving women the right to vote after a 72-year struggle.
• About: The League is proud to be nonpartisan, neither supporting nor opposing candidates or political parties at any level of government, but always working on vital issues of concern to members and the public. The League of Women Voters of the United States encourages informed and active participation in government, works to increase understanding of major public policy issues, and influences public policy through education and advocacy.

Per LWV-Lima Area member Holly Norton: “LWV is strictly non-partisan, meaning that we don’t endorse any candidates or take any positions other than the ones approved by national headquarters, but we would be glad to have members of other groups, even partisan ones, help with our upcoming centennial events.”

Upcoming LWV meetings and events: A celebration is being planned for the centennial anniversary of the 19th amendment and the League of Women Voters. The celebration will consist of three events: a kickoff in February 2020, an outdoor event downtown in the summer, and an event with a speaker in the fall. Members of various organizations, such as the Allen County Museum, Girl Scouts, and Alpha Kappa Alpha are involved with the LWV in the planning.

Recent LWV events: Beth Seibert, President of the League of Women Voters of the Lima Area, presented “The Struggle–From Right to Responsibility” at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Lima, November 3, 2019. Holly Norton, member of the UU Fellowship of Lima and Secretary for the LWV of the Lima Area, was the service leader and introduced Beth, who is known in our community for the long term role she has played as Coordinator of the Ottawa River Coalition. Beth spoke about the LWV’s mission to inform voters and encourage voting, particularly through the voter’s guide published and distributed before every election, and their commitment to non-partisan education on issues of interest to the community. She also discussed the LWV’s role in suffrage and the ratification of the 19th amendment granting women the right to vote. A reading of Susan B. Anthony’s speech on women’s right to vote and songs relating to suffrage were also included in the service.

To find out more about Lima’s LWV and centennial anniversary planning meetings, please visit: League of Women Voters of the Lima Area Facebook page

Come one, come all to our first AHEAD meeting and potluck of the fall! The meeting will be from 6 p.m. – 8 p.m., October 22, on the 3rd floor of Bluffton’s Town Hall. (154 N. Main St., Bluffton) If you don’t have a chance to make or buy food for the potluck, please come anyway!

AHEAD’s next general meeting will be a social gathering. Connect with fellow activists and friends and find out what everyone’s been working on and wants to get engaged in for 2020. Munching, chatting, and planning. Bring friends!

Link to Facebook event page: AHEAD meeting, October 22