Phone Tree

A weekly, collective call to action, a call for clubs, community

FLORAL OBSERVER: Subscriptions are open for 2025! More on that next week!

How are you feeling?
Did you make a post election plan?
(Can we see it? Drop in the comments below)

Many people are asking “what can we do?” There are many things we can do.
So many that its overwhelming. I think of this work like exercising a muscle.
It’s not going to happen overnight, but it could start today.

This moment in time reminds me of an interview I heard with Robert Putnam, a political scientist studying social isolation and its effect on democracy.

You can listen to the interview here.

Just being part of any community is creating networks, webs, ways of thinking that put value into the world. Whether that is a recreational club, service group, regular meetup of any kind. You’re pulling others out of isolation, and you are being buoyed.
I got to thinking of ways that I’ve felt connected. Floral Observer is one community to me. People contribute, people read, people write in little snippets of their sightings, or post to the classifieds about their own zine.

There are 500+ people subscribed to this substack. All of us have some kind of interest in nature, in zine making or artist publishing. We are a community group.
How can we work out our community muscles together?

Enter: Phone Tree
This week’s action: Call your senators, ask them to support Bernie Sanders “Joint Resolution of dissaproval” to block future weapons shipments to Israel.

Here’s a phone script, edit it how you wish.
Here’s more information on this legislation.

You can call the main switchboard and ask to be directed to your senators or here’s where you can get their numbers directly. Its a good thing to get in the habit of doing.

Every week or so I’m going to post a suggested collective action. Usually a call, occasionally with email options, but calls have shown to be particularly effective.
I’m going to schedule to do my calls with my morning coffee. I hate calls. Everyone hates calls. Let’s do this! And, like a real phone tree, I’d ask each of you to deputize two other people who might make calls with you. Check in on each other. Use this as a springboard.

If you have something you’d like to nominate for a future phone tree you can drop it in this form.

Bonus action: Tithe to the church of mutual aid

Give $5 to a mutual aid action.
I’m tacking this idea on here as well. Having worked with mutual aid and non profits—the nonprofits have the better tote bags, but mutual aid goes directly to people.
My friend Kirby is part of organizing this landback effort for native farmers in Detroit. If we all gave just $5 they’d meet their goal.

Celebrate Indigenouse People’s month with landback for people in Palestine and here on Turtle Island.

Check back in below if you make these calls or tithe!
Maybe I’ll make us fun membership cards?

LUV & Solidarity,
RAH