All About Advocacy

Summer winds down;
we ramp up!

Giant donates backpacks to CEP! The GIANT Company is donating 200 backpacks to our CEP center in August to support children gearing up for back to school to help them be prepared and ready to learn. In addition to the backpack donation, they will provide $1,000 in gift cards so that families can purchase a variety of healthy snacks, school supplies, and hygiene products to fill the bags. To accompany that donation, they will provide dietician handouts that can be included in each bag. 

Democracy Forums 

On September 8, 2024, Dr. Steve Gimbel, William Bittinger Professor of Philosophy at Gettysburg College, presents a talk entitled “Logical Fallacies and Political Discourse”. In addition to his numerous scholarly publications, Dr. Gimbel has also published op-eds and interviews in national media, including USA Today, The 74, and Salon.

On September 22, 2024, J. Marcelo BaqueroAlvarez, retired US Navy Senior Chief Intelligence Officer, speaks on “Authoritarianism and Propaganda.” In 2013 he founded BeeZee Vision, LLC™, in 2019 he started Half Life Crisis™, and the Info in Context™ project in 2024. He has authored two nonfiction historical analysis books on propaganda and authoritarian leaders.

On September 29, 2024, Dr. Katie Marchetti, Associate Professor of Political Science at Dickinson University, gives a presentation on lobbying and think tanks as mechanisms of influence in Washington. She will provide relevant information on efforts from groups such as the Heritage Foundation and EMILYs List and how those relate to policy matters.  Professor Marchetti’s research and commentary have been published by The Washington Post, CNN, The Hill, and the London School of Economics, among other outlets.

October 6, 2024: PA State Representative Johanny Cepeda-Freytiz will speak on the power of the Black and Latino vote. She was elected to the State Legislature in 2022 and is currently seeking re-election. She is a strong advocate of voter rights, public education, protecting the environment, and gun safety.

Witnessing Whiteness – Witnessing Whiteness offers a comprehensive and empathetic exploration of what white people experience when learning about race, why it is so confusing, how whiteness works in their lives, and how to act against racism. The author combines authentic storytelling, nuanced analysis, and compelling voices from a collection of cross-race guides to lead readers through a self-reflective process that creates clarity about today’s challenging and often contradicting messages about how to be antiracist.  Call (717) 334-9171 x115, email gro.grubsyttegacwy@yelliln, or register at the YWCA front desk. Meets virtually on 2nd and 4th Mondays, 6-8 pm, Sept 9, 2024 – Mar 24, 2025, Facilitated by Rosie Bolen and Nancy Lilley using a 14-part curriculum provided by the author Free books for the first 20 participants provided by the Interfaith Center for Peace and Justice

Finally, remember that you can recycle glass food/beverage containers on the first Saturday of every month, from 9 to 12, at the Emergency Services Center on Greenamyer Lane, off Granite Station Road.