Enter in your weekly Call To Actions (CTA!) from our Resident Precinct Chair, Joey Cade!

Find Your Way to Participate

I don’t have an essay this week.

My days and nights have been consumed by grassroots organizing work with my fam of fellow organizers. We’re building new teams and neighborhood lists - getting the infrastructure in place that we need to increase turnout in 2026.

It’s the kind of work that’s invisible. There aren’t dramatic headlines about spreadsheets, volunteer lists, or figuring out who will do what.

But this is how democracy is built.

One conversation.

One volunteer.

One neighborhood.

One relationship at a time.

I’ve been saying for months that community is the antidote to authoritarianism, and now I’m spending my time helping build exactly that.

Our FEDDs Organizing Club launched this week, and I couldn’t be more excited about what’s ahead. Seeing people step up to organize their own neighborhoods reminds me that there are still so many good people who care about this crumbling democracy, like we do at Get Pod Local.

If you missed our first meetup, don’t worry. We meet again next Tuesday, and there’s still plenty of room for new organizers. Whether you’ve volunteered for years or you’re just looking for a way to help, we’d love to have you join us.

If organizing meetings aren’t your thing, that’s okay too.

There are dozens of ways to contribute to this movement.

One of the simplest — and most effective — is making calls to your elected officials.

It’s worth repeating since most don’t believe that calls carry the most weight:

Congressional offices are legally bound to keep track of constituent calls and report up ticks in sentiments to the congressperson. They notice when hundreds of people contact them about the same issue. Letters, emails, and faxes1, are not followed the same way and are mostly handled outside of the office.

The 5 Calls app makes it incredibly easy.
Pick one issue.
Make one call. It usually takes less than five minutes.

Remember: The opposite of despair isn’t optimism.

It’s participation.

So wherever you find yourself this week, don’t worry about doing everything.

Just do one thing.

👉🏻Make a plan to join an organizing meeting.

• Here’s mine

• Here’s Dallas Dems running our area coordinated campaign, which is how the party helps lift up ALL the candidates up & down the ballot

• Here’s Gina for Texas

👉🏻Make a phone call with 5Calls.

👉🏻Invite a friend into the work.

👉🏻Check on a neighbor.

👉🏻Volunteer for an hour.

👉🏻Check that your voter registration is Active and all correct. www.vote411.org2

Every one of those actions strengthens the community we need to protect democracy.

The work ahead is enormous.

But so is our capacity.

In solidarity,

Joey ✌🏻

This newsletter is free, but if you’d like, please buy us some coffee. xoxo

Buy Us Coffee! ☕️

Organizer’s Corner is a Newsletter brought to you by our very own, Joey Cade. Lots of folks have ideas of what can help / what you should do — and while no one has all the answers, we (specifically Joey) do have some. Okay, a lot. Joey is not just a co-host of Get Pod Local …she’s also the Precinct Chair for Dallas’ Precinct 1052.

Your Moment Of Zen

What We’re Watching This Week

👇🏽We’re Also On Youtube!

We also post these on our Youtube Channel!

Watch Us On Youtube!

Recent Other GPL Newsletters (in case you missed them)

The Latest GPL Podcast Episode Is Up!

Watch it anywhere you listen / watch this podcast.

Election 2026

CV101

Here’s this week’s lecture.

CV101 Homework

Please check your voter’s registration every month until the election this November. 👇🏽👇🏽👇🏽👇🏽👇🏽👇🏽

Vote.org

CV101 Open Book Quiz

Reminder for everyone: Please check your voter’s registration every month until the election this November. 👇🏽👇🏽👇🏽👇🏽👇🏽👇🏽

Vote.org

Wanna help Texas flip blue?

Donate to the TEXAS Democratic Party. The DNC will not send us enough money to really get to work.👇🏽

Texas Democratic Party

Good News!

Our News Briefs are now everywhere you get your podcasts! So you can take me on your commute, in the gym, or when I like to listen to podcast, while you’re washing dishes.

Subscribe and leave a review for us!

Listen on Spotify

Listen on Apple

Watch on Youtube

Other GPL Goodies

Get Pod Local: The Podcast (Season 2!) with Joey and Jalon

Joey and Jalon sit down with Politicians, Community Leaders, and movers and shakers making a difference. And almost every episode, the Dallas Mayor catches a stray. He deserves it. It’s fine. New episodes every Thursday!

GPL Presents: New Newsletter with Jalon Nichols

Every week, Jalon catches you up on what is going on out here, who is doing it, how does that impact your everyday life, and what everyone is saying about. We are based in Texas, so we have a lot of Texas news, but we cover the whole wide world. There is a LOT of stuff going on everyday, and no one can keep up with it all, but we attempt to….for you. (Clap for us).

GPL Presents: Organizers Corner w/ Joey Cade

Every Sunday night, Joey Cade, our Resident Precinct Chair, lays out our Call To Actions for the week. Because knowing what’s going on is one thing. But doing something about it is another. Let’s do both!

GPL Presents: Water Cooler with Jalon and Joey

Every morning, Jalon D’na and Joey Cade check in and talk about something we read or saw on slack. Videos drop on some Thursdays!

GPL Presents: Daily Briefs with Jalon Nichols

Everyday, Jalon reads you the headlines of the day — just to keep you in the know. Think NPR at the top of each hour, with a lot of shade some jokes.

Subscribe now

Enter in your weekly Call To Actions (CTA!) from our Resident Precinct Chair, Joey Cade!

Time To Get To Work, Y’all!

Most Americans aren’t thinking about the election yet, but the Midterms have already taken over my life.

In a good way.

It’s easy to feel exhausted these days. But I’m finding energy from my organizing family.

And I’m going to keep singing this song:
Community is the antidote to authoritarianism.

Not just because it makes us feel better—though it absolutely does.

Because it works.

Authoritarianism depends on isolation, fear, and hopelessness.

Democracy depends on relationships, trust, and participation.

Like I said last week, The opposite of despair isn’t optimism, it’s participation.

We don’t have to solve every problem. We just have to do our part.

That’s why The FEDDs are launching our Organizing Club in Dallas.

This isn’t a political meeting.

It’s a working group for people who want to organize their own neighborhoods, strengthen their communities, and help increase voter turnout before the 2026 midterms.

Whether you’ve organized for years or you’ve never volunteered before, you belong here.

Our first meetup is Tuesday, July 28, and I’d love to see you there. Just fill out the interest form to join the email list. There’s no commitment—just a way for us to send you the details for upcoming working sessions.

Because no one is coming to save us. We protect us.

This week’s actions:

• Join the FEDDs Organizing Club.

Sign up for the email list, invite a friend, and help us build the grassroots infrastructure that will flip Texas. Every organizer who brings another organizer expands our capacity.

• Make a few quick phone calls.

Use the 5 Calls app to contact Senators and urge them to oppose Todd Blanche’s confirmation as Attorney General. There’s an easy script, it takes just a few minutes, and congressional offices really DO count calls. Call your Senators to make sure they know you want them to block the man who is still hiding the Epstein Files. But we must all call to pressure the 3 Republican Senators primed to vote against him. John Cornyn of Texas, Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, and Susan Collins of Maine are the 3 keys to toppling Blanche from being our next AG. Cornyn and Cassidy both lost their Senate seats because of Mango Mussolini so they aren’t looking to protect him, and Collins is in the fight of her life in Maine and knows how unpopular voting for Blanche would be. The vote in the Senate is scheduled for July 30th. Let’s flood them with calls until then.

The work ahead is enormous.

But so is our capacity.

Let’s keep building.

With resolve and solidarity,

Joey

This newsletter is free, but if you’d like, please buy us some coffee. xoxo

Buy Us Coffee! ☕️

Organizer’s Corner is a Newsletter brought to you by our very own, Joey Cade. Lots of folks have ideas of what can help / what you should do — and while no one has all the answers, we (specifically Joey) do have some. Okay, a lot. Joey is not just a co-host of Get Pod Local …she’s also the Precinct Chair for Dallas’ Precinct 1052.

Your Moment Of Zen

Power to the PEOPLE.

What We’re Reading This Week

What We’re Watching This Week

👇🏽We’re Also On Youtube!

We also post these on our Youtube Channel!

Watch Us On Youtube!

Recent Other GPL Newsletters (in case you missed them)

The Latest GPL Podcast Episode Is Up!

Watch it anywhere you listen / watch this podcast.

Election 2026

Reminder for EVERYONE: Please check your voter’s registration every month until the election this November. 👇🏽👇🏽👇🏽👇🏽👇🏽👇🏽

Vote.org

Wanna help Texas flip blue?

Donate to the TEXAS Democratic Party. The DNC will not send us enough money to really get to work.👇🏽

Texas Democratic Party

Good News!

Our News Briefs are now everywhere you get your podcasts! So you can take me on your commute, in the gym, or when I like to listen to podcast, while you’re washing dishes.

Subscribe and leave a review for us!

Listen on Spotify

Listen on Apple

Watch on Youtube

Other GPL Goodies

Get Pod Local: The Podcast (Season 2!) with Joey and Jalon

Joey and Jalon sit down with Politicians, Community Leaders, and movers and shakers making a difference. And almost every episode, the Dallas Mayor catches a stray. He deserves it. It’s fine. New episodes every Thursday!

GPL Presents: New Newsletter with Jalon Nichols

Every week, Jalon catches you up on what is going on out here, who is doing it, how does that impact your everyday life, and what everyone is saying about. We are based in Texas, so we have a lot of Texas news, but we cover the whole wide world. There is a LOT of stuff going on everyday, and no one can keep up with it all, but we attempt to….for you. (Clap for us).

GPL Presents: Organizers Corner w/ Joey Cade

Every Sunday night, Joey Cade, our Resident Precinct Chair, lays out our Call To Actions for the week. Because knowing what’s going on is one thing. But doing something about it is another. Let’s do both!

GPL Presents: Water Cooler with Jalon and Joey

Every morning, Jalon D’na and Joey Cade check in and talk about something we read or saw on slack. Videos drop on some Thursdays!

GPL Presents: Daily Briefs with Jalon Nichols

Everyday, Jalon reads you the headlines of the day — just to keep you in the know. Think NPR at the top of each hour, with a lot of shade some jokes.

Subscribe now

Enter in your weekly Call To Actions (CTA!) from our Resident Precinct Chair, Joey Cade!

It’s Time To Rise Up

It’s been another heartbreaking week.

Disturbing coverage - many times by citizens on social media, since our local newsrooms have been gutted (as we discussed in last week’s podcast) - of more ICE murders in our streets. And sooooo much open corruption. Another week of families devastated. Another week of watching institutions that are supposed to protect people instead create more fear, more division, and more pain.

Watch: What we know about fatal ICE shooting in Maine

Read: The Shooter in Maine Was a New ICE Recruit (gift article)

I know many of you are carrying that weight. I am too.

There are moments lately when it feels like our country is unraveling in real time. Living through the fall of an empire isn’t for the weak of spirit, that’s for sure.

The temptation during authoritarianism is to believe that we’re powerless—that the machinery is simply too big, too cruel, too overwhelming to stop.

That’s what authoritarian governments want us to believe.

Because hopeless people don’t organize.

Isolated people don’t build movements.

Exhausted people don’t vote.

But history tells a different story.

Every successful movement for justice has been built by ordinary people deciding they would no longer sit on the sidelines. Not because they knew they’d win. Because they knew they had a responsibility to try.

We cannot control every terrible headline.

• We can control whether we show up for one another.

• We can organize our neighborhoods.

• We can help more Texans vote.

• We can build the kind of communities that refuse to surrender to fear.

• That’s where our power lives.\

I’ve said it before, and I’ll keep saying it:
Community is THE antidote to authoritarianism.

Not just because it feels good.

Because it works.

Authoritarian movements depend on isolation and fear. Democratic movements depend on relationships of trust. Every conversation with a neighbor. Every new volunteer we welcome to the table. Every block walked. Every voter with a plan. Every person who feels less alone because someone invited them in.

That’s how democracy survives.

The opposite of despair isn’t optimism. It’s participation.

Which brings me to something exciting in Dallas

The FEDDs are launching a new Organizing Club. Those of us who’ve been FEDDs organizers a long time need to work our precincts and expand our circles to get out the vote. And everyone new to organizing is welcome to join to learn how to do it too. It's fun! We want to share how we increased turnout in our area. Because increasing turnout through relational, grassroots organizing in our own communities is how we flip Texas

This isn’t another meeting. It’s not an educational program about politics.

It’s a working group.

A place where ordinary people learn how to organize their own neighborhoods and existing relationships. Where we build relationships that increase turnout. Where we share skills, solve problems together, and become more effective at protecting our communities.

Whether you’ve never volunteered before or you’ve been organizing for years, there is a place for you here.

We’ll meet regularly between now and the midterms to do the actual work of building power—together.

Because no one is coming to save us.

We protect us.

If you’ve been wondering, “What can I actually do?” This is it.

If you’ve been feeling helpless, come organize.

If you’ve been feeling angry, turn that anger into action.

If you’ve been waiting for the right moment—the right moment is now.

This Week’s Actions

• Call Congress.

  • Ben Sheehan’s piece makes it super easy to make calls demanding action on the ICE murders.

  • Or use our favorite tool 5Calls.org to make calls on a different topic each day.

• Join The FEDDs’ Organizing Club. Sign up for updates and help build the grassroots infrastructure we need to flip Texas. You don’t have to attend every meeting. You don’t have to know everything. You just have to get started.

  • Bring a friend with you. Every organizer who recruits another organizer doubles our capacity. That’s how movements grow. That’s how democracy grows.

I’m not going to lie… The work ahead is enormous.

But so is our capacity.

Every generation is handed a test.

This is ours.

Let’s meet it together.

With resolve, solidarity, and hope,

Joey

This newsletter is free, but if you’d like, please buy us some coffee. xoxo

Buy Us Coffee! ☕️

Organizer’s Corner is a Newsletter brought to you by our very own, Joey Cade. Lots of folks have ideas of what can help / what you should do — and while no one has all the answers, we (specifically Joey) do have some. Okay, a lot. Joey is not just a co-host of Get Pod Local …she’s also the Precinct Chair for Dallas’ Precinct 1052. 1

Your Moment Of Zen

What We’re Reading This Week

Days after fatal ICE shooting, Texas GOP leaders remain silent about calls for independent probes

Survival of the Funniest: As The Daily Show Turns 30, Its Creators and Stars Give VF the Inside View

How Strong Is the Democratic State AGs’ Lawsuit Aiming to Block Paramount’s Warner Bros. Takeover?

How One Woman Conquered The Odyssey

What We’re Watching This Week

Election 2026

Gina Hinojosa

I’m putting “Money in Your Pocket”

Last week, I traveled across Houston, San Antonio, and Laredo and I heard the same thing that I’ve been hearing all across the state: Texans are concerned about rising costs…

Read more

18 days ago · 315 likes · 2 comments · Gina Hinojosa

Reminder for everyone: Please check your voter’s registration every month until the election this November. 👇🏽👇🏽👇🏽👇🏽👇🏽👇🏽

Vote.org

Wanna help Texas flip blue?

Donate to the TEXAS Democratic Party. The DNC will not send us enough money to really get to work.👇🏽

Texas Democratic Party

👇🏽We’re Also On Youtube!

We also post our podcasts on our Youtube Channel!

Watch Us On Youtube!

Recent Other GPL Newsletters (in case you missed them)

The Latest GPL Podcast Episode Is Up!

Watch it anywhere you listen / watch this podcast.

Good News!

Our News Briefs are now everywhere you get your podcasts! So you can take me on your commute, in the gym, or when I like to listen to podcast, while you’re washing dishes.

Subscribe and leave a review for us!

Listen on Spotify

Listen on Apple

Watch on Youtube

Other GPL Goodies

Get Pod Local: The Podcast (Season 2!) with Joey and Jalon

Joey and Jalon sit down with Politicians, Community Leaders, and movers and shakers making a difference. And almost every episode, the Dallas Mayor catches a stray. He deserves it. It’s fine. New episodes every Thursday!

GPL Presents: New Newsletter with Jalon Nichols

Every week, Jalon catches you up on what is going on out here, who is doing it, how does that impact your everyday life, and what everyone is saying about. We are based in Texas, so we have a lot of Texas news, but we cover the whole wide world. There is a LOT of stuff going on everyday, and no one can keep up with it all, but we attempt to….for you. (Clap for us).

GPL Presents: Organizers Corner w/ Joey Cade

Every Wednesday, Joey Cade, our Resident Precinct Chair, lays out our Call To Actions for the week. Because knowing what’s going on is one thing. But doing something about it is another. Let’s do both!

GPL Presents: Water Cooler with Jalon and Joey

Every morning, Jalon D’na and Joey Cade check in and talk about something we read or saw on slack. Videos drop on some Thursdays!

GPL Presents: Daily Briefs with Jalon Nichols

Everyday, Jalon reads you the headlines of the day — just to keep you in the know. Think NPR at the top of each hour, with a lot of shade some jokes.

Subscribe now

Welcome to Organizer’s Corner — a (free) newsletter from your friends at Get Pod Local! Because we can help you stay inform — but then what?

Enter in your weekly Call To Actions (CTA!) from our Resident Precinct Chair, Joey Cade!

Let’s Go Back (To Work)

I’m skipping all the drama in the news to get right to business:

It’s time to start talking about the midterm election!

Time to lace up our sneakers and start talking with friends and family about voting plans. If it feels early, GOOD. Let’s start organizing early. Just asking someone to vote right before the election doesn’t work. Voters need to understand what’s in it for them and we need to allow time for authentic, multiple-touchpoint, conversations.

It’s reasonable for Americans to feel exhausted and disinterested in voting right now.

The US (and Texas) governments are certainly not serving The People well these days…Tearing down the good work of an existing government is always the first step of authoritarians.

They say the government is bloated and needs reform. Then, the dear leader removes experts in leadership and public servants (which has already happened here) and replaces them with corrupt cronies so the organization suffers and is not able to properly serve the public. The public eventually loses confidence and stops expecting the government to serve them. This allows authoritarians and oligarchs to expand their corrupt schemes and set the government up to solely serve to further enrich themselves, their families, and friends. Sound familiar??

On top of the maga authoritarian movement pushing people to disengage, decades of weak leadership from the left has also given us the feeling that none of it matters. Again, it’s understandable. Some Democrats have talked about the need for healthcare for all for decades, but very little has improved from the citizen’s perspective. And studies show that while corporate profits are at historic highs, wages in the US have remained flat since the 1970s. The vast majority of Americans struggle just to pay bills and put food on the table every month.

This is not sustainable.

The reasons why little has passed to improve the lives of The People since the early 1970s is complex, and disappointing, and not the point of this piece.

NOW is the moment of opportunity we’ve found ourselves at.

Let’s organize together to fight back against authoritarianism and finally make America the county we’ve always promised of but have yet to deliver.

To take back our government in the midterm election this fall, we must present strong reasons to vote FOR something, not just against Mango Mussolini.

Having just attended the convention, I can tell you that the Democrats are committed to:

• Making your life more affordable

• Quality education and healthcare FOR ALL

• Funding infrastructure, protecting public land & water resources, and stopping data centers

• Judicial & elected official reforms, incl campaign finance and term limits

• And taking ACTION to eliminate systemic disparities to create true, equal opportunity for ALL

For more details on the Democratic platform, read my last newsletter.

There’s also talk in liberal circles these days about the exciting opportunity before us to really re-envision America.

Check out Sherrilyn Ifill and Rachel Maddow’s discussion (watch the entire program if you have time). Sherrilyn makes the point that America was initially founded in the 1700s, then we attempted a more-perfect founding following the Civil War. And it is clear that America is ready for a new and complete founding. A rewritten Constitution. A new compact between her people and the government.

And in the past 6 months, we’ve seen how government CAN deliver for the people. In NYC, under Mayor Mamdani’s authentically caring leadership, citizens are happy to see government delivering for them. Because of their first 6 months of success, the people of New York elected more candidates like Mamdani to lead in Congress and the NY state legislature.

This can happen here in Texas, and everywhere in America that voters decide to show up and vote for THEIR interests.

We look forward to a bold new founding of America. An America that will serve The People. All people. Including the tired, poor, huddled masses yearning to breathe free, who arrive with dreams of being American. Together, we can realize the America we’ve all dreamed of.

We have an opportunity to elect bold leaders in Texas this year. Leaders who are ready to serve to take us to a brighter future.

Join me in making sure all eligible voters hear why they should care to vote this fall.

1. Check that your voter registration is Active - www.vote411.org

   1. We live under authoritarians sending our voter data to Mango Mussolini, so we have to be vigilant and check regularly

2. Ask your people if they are registered to vote - https://lwvtexas.org/register-vote

   1. Oct 5th is officially the last day to register, but due to issues with mail delivery, the recommendation is to post new registration cards by Sept 15

   2. In Texas, there is NO online registration; you must fill out the form, print it, sign it, and mail it - making it hard to register is classic voter suppression

3. Commit now to vote this fall

   1. Early voting is October 19 - 30 so put it on your calendar

      1. Early voting is ESSENTIAL this year; shenanigans are expected and early voting is the best way to ensure your vote is counted **

4. Join an organizing group

   1. I recommend you start with your local county Democratic party but there are a million ways and orgs doing cool stuff to get out the vote (GOTV) this year

   2. DM me if you want to get more involved in flipping Texas and can’t find your way in; happy to help anyone

LFG, America. We’ve got this. It’s up to US to take this country back, and we do that by increasing voter turnout everywhere.

With hope and solidarity,

Joey

ps: Nolan Wells is the same age as my eldest son. I can’t fathom that loss and send love to his family and community. Their sweet boy deserved to grow up and live a full life.

This newsletter is free, but if you’d like, please buy us some coffee. xoxo

Buy Us Coffee! ☕️

Organizer’s Corner is a Newsletter brought to you by our very own, Joey Cade. Lots of folks have ideas of what can help / what you should do — and while no one has all the answers, we (specifically Joey) do have some. Okay, a lot. Joey is not just a co-host of Get Pod Local …she’s also the Precinct Chair for Dallas’ Precinct 1052.

Your Moment Of Zen

What We’re Watching This Week

👇🏽We’re Also On Youtube!

We also post these on our Youtube Channel!

Watch Us On Youtube!

Recent Other GPL Newsletter (in case you missed them)

The Latest GPL Podcast Episode Is Up!

Watch it anywhere you listen / watch this podcast.

Good News!

Our News Briefs are now everywhere you get your podcasts! So you can take me on your commute, in the gym, or when I like to listen to podcast, while you’re washing dishes.

Subscribe and leave a review for us!

Listen on Spotify

Listen on Apple

Watch on Youtube

Other GPL Goodies

Get Pod Local: The Podcast (Season 2!) with Joey and Jalon

Joey and Jalon sit down with Politicians, Community Leaders, and movers and shakers making a difference. And almost every episode, the Dallas Mayor catches a stray. He deserves it. It’s fine. New episodes every Thursday!

GPL Presents: New Newsletter with Jalon Nichols

Every week, Jalon catches you up on what is going on out here, who is doing it, how does that impact your everyday life, and what everyone is saying about. We are based in Texas, so we have a lot of Texas news, but we cover the whole wide world. There is a LOT of stuff going on everyday, and no one can keep up with it all, but we attempt to….for you. (Clap for us).

GPL Presents: Organizers Corner w/ Joey Cade

Every Sunday night, Joey Cade, our Resident Precinct Chair, lays out our Call To Actions for the week. Because knowing what’s going on is one thing. But doing something about it is another. Let’s do both!

GPL Presents: Water Cooler with Jalon and Joey

Every morning, Jalon D’na and Joey Cade check in and talk about something we read or saw on slack. Videos drop on some Thursdays!

GPL Presents: Daily Briefs with Jalon Nichols

Everyday, Jalon reads you the headlines of the day — just to keep you in the know. Think NPR at the top of each hour, with a lot of shade some jokes.

Subscribe now

Enter in your weekly Call To Actions (CTA!) from our Resident Precinct Chair, Joey Cade!

Begin Again

I’ve just returned from the Texas Democratic Convention and wow, was it big. We unified and got inspired together. We’re fired up and ready to go!

Culturally, we Texas Dems consider the party’s Con to be the official start of the midterm election season. So it’s time to start organizing in earnest, wherever we live. But, before I shift all focus to getting out the vote, I’d like to cover the convention itself. It was joyful, historic, and unifying, and deserves some flowers.

Congratulations to all our newly elected Texas Democratic Party Officers & Officials:

• Chair: Kendall Scudder

• Vice Chair: Shay Wyrick-Cathey

• Vice Chair for Finance: Daniel Ayala

• Secretary: Myra Mills Tschirhart

• Treasurer: Michael Apodaca

• State Democratic Executive Committee Results

  • Congrats to our SDEC members (friend of the pod) Jermaca Brown & Corey Carrasco

• Texas Environmental Democrats Officers Results

• Hispanic Caucus Representatives to the SDEC Results

• Black Caucus Representatives to the SDEC Results 1

You can also check out the adopted Platform, Rules, & Resolutions.

CIVICS TIP

Read your party Platform. The platform lays out our positions on all the issues and how we’ll take action, once elected. This is the meat & potatoes of a political convention. Countless hours were spent by committee members, who met nightly on their own time, for weeks, to finalize all sections of the 68pg doc, and adopt additions from delegates. This work is taken very seriously and we at GPL appreciate the efforts of those who served on the Platform Committee, chaired by our friend Judge Adam Swartz (known for officiating the best courthouse weddings in Dallas & going viral for it).

The Texas Democratic platform is always one of the most progressive in the nation. So if you aren’t sure if Democrats are aligned with how you want your government to serve the people, please read the Platform. I bet it speaks to your concerns. And candidates running as a Democrat are bound to our platform, which we hold them accountable to once in office.

The 2026 TDP Platform is focused on affordability, above all. But it also reaches out to rural Texans, blue-color laborers, small business owners and military veterans. We focus on infrastructure, moratoriums on data centers & crypto mining, AI regulation, and a stock trading ban for the executive branch, SCOTUS, & Congress.

Read: San Marcos becomes the first Texas city to ban data centers, testing its local control

We will ensure a quality education AND healthcare (incl mental health & substance abuse care) FOR ALL. We’ll lower the cost of utilities, like internet & phone, plus focus on environmental concerns and protecting our natural resources (water!), lands, and living beings. We’d abolish the electoral college, bring back access to abortion care, and enact sweeping consumer protection policies, like breaking up monopolies.

We’d abolish ICE and for profit prisons, but legalize cannabis2. There are a ton of judicial reforms (incl for SCOTUS), and reforms for elected officials, such as campaign finance reform and term limits. We want true separation of church & state and an end to Citizens United & Operation Lone Star, but we acknowledge more must be done to protect our southern border.

We support a free and whole Palestine, no bombs to Israel, and no campaign funding from AIPAC. There are heaps of reforms to take back our economy, which after 30yrs of GOP corruption is set up solely to consolidate wealth for rich donors, while most Texans struggle. And I was heartened by the thoroughness of the Equality & Social Justice section.

We oppose and will work to eliminate systemic disparities by taking ACTION. We’ll pass the ERA, enact paid parental leave, and so much more. We recognize the need for REPARATIONS for communities who have - and still are - being oppressed systemically, like Black and Indigenous Texans. And this is just the tip f the iceberg…

• If you don’t read the entire 2026 TDP Platform, refer to pages:

• 45-50 for the Equality & Social Justice section

• 60-62 for global conflict positions

Now That I’ve Covered The Serious Part…

…let’s get to the JOY & UNITY, which was the real star of the show. I commend Texas Democratic Party leadership and the Convention Committee, who served the thousands of attendees from across the state so well. It was well run, organized, and fun. There were big & small receptions, issues-based caucus meetings, Congressional district meetings, trainings, a big concert with Bobby Pulido, Tejano star & candidate for Congress in the RGV, and open sessions with all of us in the arena. If you missed it, the TDP has many videos on their channel, and the full, uninterrupted sessions are on their Live tab.

In the arena, we heard from dozens of inspiring candidates, party leadership, and national special guests. We elected our party leaders and had the best time dancing to the DJ, all through the hall - conga-style.

Other than the dance party, our favorite moments were:

• Congratulations to friend of the pod and founding FEDDs organizer Kendall Scudder for being re-elected as the state party chairman; we appreciate Kendall’s hard work and service to all Texans; and, we’re grateful to see Texas Dems unified in support of his focus on statewide grassroots organizing; watch Kendall’s rousing convention opener

• Rising Dem party star from Tennessee, Rep Justin J Pearson, who is defiantly running for Congress in a seat that’s been gerrymandered red was definitely one of the highlights of the Con; I was lucky to sit right behind him and meet his lovely family

Read: Dolores Huerta tells Texas Democrats to organize and “save democracy” in surprise convention appearance

• One of my lifelong idols, 96-years wise Dolores Huerta was the surprise guest for an interview; when the interview wrapped she was asked if she had more to add and she got up with the mic and rallied the entire arena to chant about WE have the power - PEOPLE POWER

• Rep Gina Hinojosa for Governor has settled on the clear campaign message we’ve been calling for: Save Texas schools. Put money in your pocket. Vote Gina. at GPL, we’re all in to elect her to lead Texas into the future

• Congressman Al Green nearly blew the roof off the building, rallying us with his cane, then had us singing God Bless America, then I got to meet him IRL and he was the sweetest of humans and gave me a kiss on the cheek

  

• Friend of the pod Dallas County Party Chairman Kardal Coleman appeared with the Chairs from Galveston and Houston to pump up organizers

• Rep Jolanda Jones brought up the subject delegates were ignoring - the work to be done to repair trust with & re-engage Black voters in TX - and that we are ready to do it together

• One of our fave NTX legislators - and only Dem to run for TX Speaker of the House in 30 years - Rep Ana Maria Ramos spoke of her gratitude for all Texas citizens investing in her and that we need to invest in all our people, not just billionaires

• TDP Vice Chair Shay Wyrick Cathey made Dallas proud when she revved up the crowd

• One of our fave electeds in Dallas County DeSoto’s Mayor Pro Tem Crystal Chism showed UP

• Congressman Joaquin Castro got us teary-eyed over the harm we are doing to immigrants, their families, and even babies

• Odus Evbagharu, candidate for TX House blew our socks off

• Clayton Tucker, our candidate for TX Agriculture Commissioner

• TX Senator Sarah Eckhardt is a great candidate to win the seat for TX Comptroller against Don Huffines - who is famous for being crazy maga and the new owner of Jefferey Epstein’s New Mexico ranch….3

• Another friend of the pod Rep Mihaela Plesa represented so well

• We’re going to talk about the importance of the Supreme Court and SBOE races this year - great opportunities to flip state leadership seats

  • Here’s a State Board of Education (SBOE) candidate everyone loved, Thomas Ray Garcia for SBOE D2

  • And we’ve got great statewide judicial candidates, including TX Supreme Court (SCOTX) Chief Justice nominee Maggie Ellis

• As we at GPL expected, Sen Cory Booker had protesters

• We were confused when Hawk Dunlap, a Republican candidate for Railroad Commission who lost in the GOP primary, came on stage... Turns out he was there to endorse our Democratic candidate for Railroad Commissioner: Jon Rosenthal. It was very effective!

• Some of my house mates on the trip, and fellow FEDDs organizers, made the Corpus Caller Times!

• Because we were in South Texas, some Selena love sprinkled in; everyone got a photo with the Selena Monument (Texans will love Selena until the end of time!!) and this perfect meme dropped.

It was a great trip and it feels particularly good to arrive home with a party unified to do the hard work ahead.

Call To Action

Due to DOGE cuts, our Texas Refugee Center closed and all support work is now done by a network of volunteers. If you are able to help a refugee family of 5 as they arrive to their new home (after years of processing), here’s the family’s list : https://a.co/05n2KOHa The top priority is beds, bedding, basic kitchen items, and cleaning items. If you can’t help at this time, please share with friends that may be able to help this family feel welcomed as they build a home here. Thanks for caring, y’all.

With joy & unity,

Joey

This newsletter is free, but if you’d like, please buy us some coffee. xoxo

Buy Us Coffee! ☕️

Organizer’s Corner is a Newsletter brought to you by our very own, Joey Cade. Lots of folks have ideas of what can help / what you should do — and while no one has all the answers, we (specifically Joey) do have some. Okay, a lot. Joey is not just a co-host of Get Pod Local …she’s also the Precinct Chair for Dallas’ Precinct 1052.

Your Moment Of Zen

As Texans who live in Dallas, where the Texas State Fair is held, we cannot comprehend the…emptiness at a “State” Fair. Truly. This confounds us.

Anywho, hope these 10 people had fun at the Great American State Fair. lol

What We’re Watching This Week

👇🏽We’re Also On Youtube!

We also post all of our podcasts on our Youtube Channel!

Watch Us On Youtube!

Recent Other GPL Newsletters (in case you missed them)

Good News!

Our News Briefs are now everywhere you get your podcasts!

So you can take me on your commute, in the gym, or when I like to listen to podcast, while you’re washing dishes.

Subscribe and leave a review for us!

Listen on Spotify

Listen on Apple

Watch on Youtube

Other GPL Goodies

Get Pod Local: The Podcast (Season 2!) with Joey and Jalon

Joey and Jalon sit down with Politicians, Community Leaders, and movers and shakers making a difference. And almost every episode, the Dallas Mayor catches a stray. He deserves it. It’s fine. New episodes every Thursday!

GPL Presents: New Newsletter with Jalon Nichols

Every week, Jalon catches you up on what is going on out here, who is doing it, how does that impact your everyday life, and what everyone is saying about. We are based in Texas, so we have a lot of Texas news, but we cover the whole wide world. There is a LOT of stuff going on everyday, and no one can keep up with it all, but we attempt to….for you. (Clap for us).

GPL Presents: Organizers Corner w/ Joey Cade

Every Sunday night, Joey Cade, our Resident Precinct Chair, lays out our Call To Actions for the week. Because knowing what’s going on is one thing. But doing something about it is another. Let’s do both!

GPL Presents: Water Cooler with Jalon and Joey

Every morning, Jalon D’na and Joey Cade check in and talk about something we read or saw on slack. Videos drop on some Thursdays!

GPL Presents: Daily Briefs with Jalon Nichols

Everyday, Jalon reads you the headlines of the day — just to keep you in the know. Think NPR at the top of each hour, with a lot of shade some jokes.

Subscribe now

2

Welcome to Organizer’s Corner — a (free) newsletter from your friends at Get Pod Local! Because we can help you stay inform — but then what?

Enter in your weekly Call To Actions (CTA!) from our Resident Precinct Chair, Joey Cade!

I’m glad to be back, y’all.

I’ve been on hiatus to find my joy again.

The constant barrage of bad news, attacks on our democracy, and the daily grind of fighting authoritarianism takes a toll. I know I’m not the only one feeling it.

And I’m happy to report that I did locate my joy and I’m feeling hopeful for the months ahead between now and the Midterm election.

I spent a glorious week in New York City. By pure luck, my teens and I got to be there during what felt like the happiest week imaginable.

The Knicks WON and we celebrated all night long with the entire city.

Pride celebrations filled the streets.

Puerto Rican Day festivities brought entire neighborhoods together.

The World Cup had fans from around the globe pouring into the city.

And the excitement surrounding Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s leadership was palpable. The city is humming, efficient, and joyful.

It filled my cup to be reminded what competent government and strong communities can feel like. Millions of people moving through a city that works. Public spaces full of life. Neighbors celebrating together. A sense that government exists to improve people’s lives rather than make them harder.

It was inspiring to experience the possibility of a more hopeful future.

And it reminded me why we do community organizing work.

Not because we enjoy fighting.

Because we believe a better future is possible.

Now I’m recharged and ready to get back to grassroots organizing in my neighborhood, across Dallas County, and throughout Texas.

And my timing couldn’t be better because this week I’m headed to Corpus Christi for the Texas Democratic Party Convention.

The convention runs June 25–27 and is the exciting biannual gathering of Democrats from all across our state. Delegates, activists, candidates, organizers, elected officials, and volunteers will come together to debate ideas, elect party leaders, agree to our party’s platform (our issues-based priorities), build relationships, and prepare for the work of the Midterms together.

I’ll be attending as a delegate and I’m also honored to be running for Recording Secretary of the Texas Environmental Democrats Caucus (TED) as part of a full leadership slate focused on growing the caucus and strengthening environmental advocacy across Texas.

I’ve published my full endorsement list for convention races, including leadership positions within the Texas Democratic Party, State Democratic Executive Committee races, and Caucus races.

• Check out my Endorsement List here. It will remain in flux as voting unfolds. https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vSfrkadDaYFPNtvEIIaPWvVOrEEKcDdYkEyOv7Dvg26sF25rzpqZabjHYIlR_m-Dunad-mSkqgvIg3k/pubhtml

While I hope you will refer to my full endorsement list, I have a few races I’d like to call out that are important to me, which are Kendall Scudder for Texas Dem Party Chairman, Bonnie Mathias for Party Secretary, and the Texas Environmental Dems Caucus races.

Chairman Kendall Scudder has been doing heroic work in his first year of leadership. He’s dug the party out of $600k in debt and is running the most ambitious coordinated campaign in Texas history. We have a $30 million campaign (and that’s not considering candidate spend, just the party ops). The last TDP statewide coordinated campaign budget was $2 mil....

I’m lucky to have organized with Kendall for a decade here in East Dallas as he was one of the founding members of my organizing club the Funky East Dallas Democrats. While I’m old enough to be his mom, I‘ve learned so much from Kendall about politics & grassroots organizing.

He is the fighter we need leading our party through the battles ahead to take back our government. He is an unstoppable force for good who works harder than anyone I know. He has proven himself to be antiracist, feminist, pro-worker, and the strongest voice we’ve had representing the Texas Democratic Party in decades. He’s all over TV and is giving my precinct residents hope. Please join me in supporting Kendall for Texas Dem Party Chairman.

There are a lot of great people running for the TX Dem Party Secretary, but the choice is easy for me. The Secretary seat has historically been the seat tied to Labor, because ensuring that working families are always represented in leadership is important Texas Dems. Bonnie Mathias has been a organizer and Labor leader in our state for decades. I trust her and hope you will join me in voting for her.

• Check out the weekly radio show Bonnie has co-hosted for 2 decades called “Workers Beat”. It’s a really great program but on top she’s a leader in the AFL-CIO, is a respected organizer in Dallas County, and a mentor to me. I’m proud to endorse Bonnie for TDP Secretary!

For the Texas Environmental Democrats Caucus, I have served on the caucus before and am pleased to be collaborating with a group of badasses looking to fill the seats as a slate, so we build an active, effective caucus to fight data centers, protect Texas water, lead the green revolution, and so much more. Please join me in voting for:

• Daniel Ayala, President

• Katy Schmader, Vice President

• Elaine Campbell, Corresponding Secretary

• Joey Cade, Recording Secretary

• Carrington Sneed, Treasurer

On top of the convention excitement, I’m excited that at Get Pod Local we’ve launched a new weekly podcast. Our first episode dropped Monday, and I’m incredibly proud of it.

We cover politics, organizing, current events, missed stories not being covered enough, and the work happening in communities across Texas. Our inaugural guest was Jermaca Brown, who is running for State Democratic Executive Committee member in Congressional District 33 and is part of my endorsement slate.

If you haven’t listened yet, I’d love for you to check it out:

WATCH on Youtube!
LISTEN on Spotify!
LISTEN on Apple!

Even if you aren’t attending convention, you can still be part of the action.

The convention’s open sessions will stream live on YouTube.

Friday’s General Session runs from 4:30 PM to 9:00 PM and features an incredible lineup, including Senator Cory Booker, Tennessee Representative Justin J. Pearson, and our statewide Democratic nominees, including James Talarico, Gina Hinojosa, Vikki Goodwin, and the rest of our phenomenal slate of candidates on all our statewide ballots.

Saturday’s General Session runs from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM and includes debate, voting, party business, and remarks from Senator Bernie Sanders.

Texas Democrats heading to our convention marks the start of the election season.

It is time to start paying attention.

Not in a doom-scrolling, anxiety-inducing way.

In a hopeful way.

A joyful way.

An intentional way.

Remember, authoritarian movements want us isolated, exhausted, cynical, and disconnected from one another.

Our response has to be the opposite.

We build community.

We make friends.

We organize.

We laugh.

We celebrate.

We do meaningful work together.

As we always focus on at Get Pod Local, JOY is not a distraction from the movement.

Joy is fuel for the movement.

And it is through that shared work, shared joy, and shared community that we will build the Texas we deserve.

Let’s get to work.

With hope and determination,

Joey

This newsletter is free, but if you’d like, please buy us some coffee. xoxo

Buy Us Coffee! ☕️

Organizer’s Corner is a Newsletter brought to you by our very own, Joey Cade. Lots of folks have ideas of what can help / what you should do — and while no one has all the answers, we (specifically Joey) do have some. Okay, a lot. Joey is not just a co-host of Get Pod Local …she’s also the Precinct Chair for Dallas’ Precinct 1052.

Your Moment Of Zen

What We’re Watching This Week

👇🏽We’re Also On Youtube!

We also post these on our Youtube Channel!

Watch Us On Youtube!

Recent Other GPL Newsletters (in case you missed them)

Good News!

Our News Briefs are now everywhere you get your podcasts! So you can take me on your commute, in the gym, or when I like to listen to podcast, while you’re washing dishes.

Subscribe and leave a review for us!

Listen on Spotify

Listen on Apple

Watch on Youtube

Other GPL Goodies

Get Pod Local: The Podcast (Season 2!) with Joey and Jalon

Joey and Jalon sit down with Politicians, Community Leaders, and movers and shakers making a difference. And almost every episode, the Dallas Mayor catches a stray. He deserves it. It’s fine. New episodes every Thursday!

GPL Presents: New Newsletter with Jalon Nichols

Every week, Jalon catches you up on what is going on out here, who is doing it, how does that impact your everyday life, and what everyone is saying about. We are based in Texas, so we have a lot of Texas news, but we cover the whole wide world. There is a LOT of stuff going on everyday, and no one can keep up with it all, but we attempt to….for you. (Clap for us).

GPL Presents: Organizers Corner w/ Joey Cade

Every Sunday night, Joey Cade, our Resident Precinct Chair, lays out our Call To Actions for the week. Because knowing what’s going on is one thing. But doing something about it is another. Let’s do both!

GPL Presents: Water Cooler with Jalon and Joey

Every morning, Jalon D’na and Joey Cade check in and talk about something we read or saw on slack. Videos drop on some Thursdays!

GPL Presents: Daily Briefs with Jalon Nichols

Everyday, Jalon reads you the headlines of the day — just to keep you in the know. Think NPR at the top of each hour, with a lot of shade some jokes.

Subscribe now

Enter in your weekly Call To Actions (CTA!) from our Resident Precinct Chair, Joey Cade!

I guess the world feels like it’s spinning off its axis is just the norm now and we have to get used to feeling like we are living on the brink of disaster.

We’re all going to age a decade during this 47th presidential term….

But while the Mango Mussolini and his crew are busy trying to start a trade war that hurts our wallets and a foreign conflict that hurts our souls, they are counting on one thing: that we get distracted. They want us scrolling, panicking, and paralyzed. They want us to think the only thing we can do is scream into the void.

But look at what happened in Hungary just last week.

The people there didn’t wait for a hero to save them. They didn’t wait for permission. They used the ballot box, organized their neighborhoods, and took their country back.

If they can do it, we can do it.

And we don’t have to wait for a miracle.
We have two elections to register our opinions in now.

Again, Dallas Dems have a helpful page explaining the 2 elections.

🗳️ Election #1: The Local Shield

Early voting for local elections is NOW until the 28th.

This isn’t just “local stuff.” This is the frontline of fighting fascism.

In Dallas County, we are voting on DISD Propositions. They aren’t just tax measures; they’re the difference between our kids learning critical thinking, or not. They are the difference between our schools having the supplies they need, or not. And they are focused on creating a more equitable school district for our kids.

If you live in University Park, Addison, or Highland Park, you’re also voting on whether to stay in the DART system. This is critical. If they vote to leave, it will cripple public transit for the entire metroplex. We need to fight for DART.

And friends in Mesquite, DeSoto, and Duncanville have City Council races on your ballot. These are the people who decide how our public resources are used in our communities, and how our police are held accountable.

• In Dallas County, early voting runs until the 28th - Do not wait for Election Day (May 2)!

  • Early Voting: April 20–28

    • April 22–24: 8 AM – 5 PM

    • Saturday, April 25: 7 AM – 7 PM

    • Sunday, April 26: 12 PM – 6 PM

    • April 27–28: 7 AM – 7 PM

  • Election Day: May 2 (7 AM – 7 PM)

• Check your ballot & put your voting plan in place

  • Enter your address to pull your personal ballot before you go vote

  • Find your voting center

    • Because this is a county-run election, you can vote countywide, at any voting location, both during early voting and on election day (unlike the party-run primary election, which allows for shenanigans from the local GOP

  • If you get to vote to save DART in your city, our friends at Dallas Area Transit Alliance made this handy voters guide to tell you who to vote for in each seat that will fight to protect your city’s access to DART

  • Or, the League of Women Voter’s 411 guide is always a great place for thorough, nonpartisan details

  • And, put your plan on your calendar to ensure you get it done

GPL’s Local Election Endorsements

• We are voting FOR all four Dallas ISD propositions (A, B, C, & D)

  • Proposition A: School construction, renovations, safety

  • Proposition B: Technology upgrades

  • Proposition C: Debt restructuring to free up classroom resources

  • Proposition D: Facility improvements, including pool

• DALLAS ISD

  • District 2: Sarah Weinberg

    • No Democrat in the D2 race so while we don’t promote her, Sarah is the least bad choice

    • If you live in D2 please consider running next time; I can’t remember the last time we had a good Democrat in D2, which is in central Dallas…

  • District 6: Dr. Joyce Foreman (good Dem)

• RICHARDSON (RISD)

  • District 3: Nazlee Burney !!

    • Nazlee’s race is one tons of friends are volunteering with as we speak

    • She’s an exciting candidate - and both competitors are maga, so please vote for Nazlee if you live in Dist 3, which is just north of 635 & 75 (check the map on her website)

  • At-Large District 6: No good choice; both are maga…

• CARROLLTON-FARMERS BRANCH ISD

  • Trustee, At Large: Dave Jimenez (good Dem)

• CITY OF FARMERS BRANCH

  • Mayor: Jaime Rivas; No Democrat in this race; Rivas is the least bad choice

  • Council District 2: Both women running are GOP; no good choice

    • Tina Bennett-Burton is just a little less maga, so the better of 2 evils

• CITY OF IRVING

  • Mayor: Al Zapanta; not a favored choice but is a Dem; the other 2 are maga

  • Council, District 6: Fahad Ahmed (good Dem)

• IRVING ISD

  • Place 1: You can’t go wrong

    • Kelly Snapp; if I could vote in this race, I’d vote for Kelly, a young teacher & IISD parent

    • Tom Robles, longtime Dem, incumbent

  • Place 2: Mary Lewallen

    • I think Stroup may win, but if I could vote I would gladly vote for Mary Lewallen

      • Both are Dem, but Mary, or “Mrs Le” as students call her, is a teacher & IISD parent

      • Heather Stroup is a parent & biz owner; I’m always going for the person with more direct connection to the students, and that’s a teacher (vote for Lewallen)

• MESQUITE ISD

  • Trustee, Place 3: Cassandra Morris (good Dem; other candidate is maga)

  • Trustee, Place 4: Pamela Jai Mitchell (good Dem; other candidate is maga)

  • Trustee, Place 5: Carrie Bruce (good Dem; other candidate is maga)

Read: Helping My Community Learn Why Local Elections Matter

🗳️ Election #2: The Statewide Runoff

While we are voting locally, the Texas Democratic Primary Runoff is quickly approaching, in just a few weeks!

This vote is the final gatekeeper to us hopefully flipping some big seats in the Midterm election this fall. If we don’t pick the right champions here, we don’t stand a chance with all the trouble coming down the pipe from the maga GOP.

Yes, it is bananas to have 2 separate elections in one month; we agree. The confusion is the point. We have the GOP-run Secretary of State to thank for it.

Read: Dallas County GOP chair Allen West steps down amid voting controversy

TX Democratic Primary Runoff Election

• Early Voting: May 18–22

• Election Day: May 26

Get Pod Local’s primary runoff endorsements:

• Attorney General: Senator Nathan Johnson. We need an AG who will defend our rights, not attack them like our current lunatic AG does.

• Congressional District 33: Congresswoman Julie Johnson is tough as nails against the malignant incompetence of Republicans in DC. We need her in the fight. Her challenger served as our Congressperson before and was unreachable (for the entire 6 years he was in the seat) and more often than not was a rubber stamp for the last Mango Mussolini administration. No thank you.

• More endorsements coming soon!

• The Rule: You can vote in the Democratic Runoff if you did not vote in the Republican Primary. If you voted R in March, you are locked out. If you didn’t, or if you just registered, you are in. Make sure your registration is “Active.”

It is easy to feel small when the news is screaming about wars and economic crashes, but remember: Authoritarianism only dies when we show up.

Hungary proved it. We are proving it.

The chaos is real. The economic fear is strong. But so is our power.

We are the fire that takes back America. That starts by all of us voting in every election.

Here’s Your Call To Action — You Super Heroes

• Vote Early. Go to the polls between April 20–28 for your local races.

• Mark your calendar. May 18 is the start of early voting for the Runoff.

• Talk to someone. Most friends aren’t aware of the 2 elections this month. Be the one who tells them. Both elections, like all elections, are important - and impact YOUR life & community.

• Volunteer. Whether it’s phone banking for the runoff or helping a neighbor get to the polls for the local school board vote, your time is the currency of change.

• Rest. Seriously. If you’re fried, take a nap. You can’t pour from an empty cup.

We don’t save the world by staring at our phones. We save it by showing up for the people we care about.

We are not helpless. We are a community. And a community that votes together, wins together.

So, vote early. Talk to a friend. Keep the pressure on.

Hugs, high fives, and solidarity,

Joey

This newsletter is free, but if you’d like, please buy us some coffee. xoxo

Buy Us Coffee! ☕️

Organizer’s Corner is a Newsletter brought to you by our very own, Joey Cade. Lots of folks have ideas of what can help / what you should do — and while no one has all the answers, we (specifically Joey) do have some. Okay, a lot. Joey is not just a co-host of Get Pod Local …she’s also the Precinct Chair for Dallas’ Precinct 1052.

Your Moment Of Zen

What We’re Watching This Week

👇🏽We’re Also On Youtube!

We also post these on our Youtube Channel!

Watch Us On Youtube!

Recent Other GPL Newsletters (in case you missed them)

Other GPL Goodies

Get Pod Local The Podcast: Season 2 with Jalon and Joey

Joey and Jalon sit down with Politicians, Community Leaders, and movers and shakers making a difference. And almost every episode, the Dallas Mayor catches a stray. He deserves it. It’s fine. Episodes drop every Tuesday! Coming Soon!

GPL Presents: New Newsletter with Jalon Nichols

Every Friday, Jalon catches you up on what is going on out here, who is doing it, how does that impact your everyday life, and what everyone is saying about. We are based in Texas, so we have a lot of Texas news, but we cover the whole wide world. There is a LOT of stuff going on everyday, and no one can keep up with it all, but we attempt to….for you. (Clap for us).

GPL Presents: Organizers Corner w/ Joey Cade

Every Sunday night, Joey Cade, our Resident Precinct Chair, lays out our Call To Actions for the week. Because knowing what’s going on is one thing. But doing something about it is another. Let’s do both!

GPL Presents: Water Cooler with Jalon and Joey

Every morning, Jalon D’na and Joey Cade check in and talk about something we read or saw on slack. Videos drop some Thursday! (We are very busy…but we try our best!)

GPL Presents: Daily Briefs with Jalon Nichols

Everyday, Jalon reads you the headlines of the day — just to keep you in the know. Think NPR at the top of each hour, with a lot of shade some jokes and levity.

Good News!

Our News Briefs are now everywhere you get your podcasts! So you can take me on your commute, in the gym, or when I like to listen to podcast, while you’re washing dishes.

Subscribe and leave a review for us!

Listen on Spotify

Listen on Apple

Watch on Youtube

Subscribe now

Enter in your weekly Call To Actions (CTA!) from our Resident Precinct Chair, Joey Cade!

The news cycle is mind-boggling/defeating/unbelievable. Again. It’s so wild out there that it’s easy to forget we’re in the midst of what is now the very longest-running government shutdown in American history.

It’s the same old playbook: distract us with chaos, panic us into silence, and profit while the world burns.

Read: Newly created Polymarket accounts bet big on US-Iran ceasefire in hours before Trump’s announcement

It’s exhausting. It’s discombobulating. And it’s designed to make us feel like we have no power.

But here’s the truth they don’t want you to remember: Authoritarianism gets stopped when people use the tools of democracy to take their power back.

And while Mango Mussolini and his crew are busy playing with matches on the global stage, Hungary is proof that we can win.

In Hungary, after years of persistence and resistance, the people have defeated Viktor Orbán. They used the same tools we will need to defeat our authoritarian leaders: the tools of democracy — voting, organizing, showing up.

With sustained voting, community organizing, and showing up together against authoritarianism, they took their country back. The people of Hungary made themselves free again.

This is a big deal. It’s a reminder that authoritarianism is not unstoppable. It can be defeated. By regular people. With ballots, perseverance, and unity.

If they can do it, so can we. 1

What can we do to defeat OUR bad guys?

First, we’ve got elections to focus on this month.

Yes, there are more elections… Elections happen all the time. We just usually ignore them cuz who’s got time and we used to have reasonable Presidents, like beloved Barry. But, during authoritarianism it really matters if we’re paying attention or not. They want us disengaged.

• GPL TIP: Subscribe to Get Pod Local so you’ll get all our daily news briefs in your inbox. Jalon keeps us informed on all that’s going on so you don’t have to be online or watch “news” every day. She’s our very own news goddess. And GPL will make sure you never miss an election again!2

Dallas Dems have a helpful page explaining the 2 elections.

🗳️ Election #1: The Local Shield

All across Texas, we have Local Municipal Elections beginning in less than a week!

Local elections are about who holds power in our community. Who decides if our kids learn critical thinking or propaganda. Who manages our parks, our safety, and our local budgets. When we cede to apathy, we hand the keys to people who want to dismantle public education and defund our communities. Vote as a bulwark against the bad ideas of maga.

In Dallas, we have DISD School Board Races and Propositions. But no matter where you live in Texas, our local elections are for City Councils, School Boards, and all sorts of important local races that impact your life, and the people you care about.

• Check your ballot.

• Plan to Vote Early. Voting starts April 20. Put it on your calendar.

  • Early vote April 20-28

  • Election Day May 2nd

• In Dallas, you have school board races if you live in District 2 or 6; and we ALL vote for the DISD Propositions.

  • We at GPL have endorsed voting FOR all 4 Props.

    • Info on the 4 propositions A, B, C, & D / in video format

• Then, talk to your neighbors and friends. Ask them if they know what’s on their ballot. Most don’t. Be the person who tells them another election is coming.

🗳️ Election #2: The Statewide Primary Runoffs

Then, the Texas Democratic Primary Runoff is the final gatekeeper. These are the races that went to a runoff after our historically high turnout in the Dem Primary election on March 3rd. If we pick the right champions, we could flip seats in November.

• Congressional District 33: I am proudly endorsing Congresswoman Julie Johnson. We need a representative who is tough as nails against the malignant incompetence of Republicans in DC and there’s no one tougher. Period.

• Lieutenant Governor: This is actually THE most powerful job in Texas and the runoff is between Rep. Vikki Goodwin (who brings legislative experience and a fierce heart) and Marcos Vélez (a union organizer who knows what it means to fight for the working class). Both are incredible. Both are needed. We have to pick the one who can actually beat the incumbent and hold the line. We’re still deliberating this race; there’s no bad choice.

• Attorney General: We’re endorsing local friend Senator Nathan Johnson. We need an AG who will defend our rights, not attack them - and Senator Johnson is the proven fighter we need.

These statewide races affect ALL Texans, so let’s all have our say. Whoever wins these runoff elections will then be running against the Republican candidate in their race during fall’s Midterm Elections.

Mark your calendar NOW for the Dem Primary Runoff Election:

• Early vote May 18-22

• Election Day May 26

  ---

  Who is eligible to vote in the Democratic Primary Runoff?

  You can vote in the Democratic Primary Runoff as long as you didn’t vote in the Republican Primary Election. If you voted R in the 2026 Primary, you’re locked out of the Dem Runoff. But any other case, including those who just registered on April 1st before the cutoff, is eligible to vote in the Democratic Primary Runoff Election. You don’t have to have voted in the first round of the Primary. Just make sure your registration is “Active” and get your vote on.

It’s easy to feel small when the world feels like it’s ending every day. *le sigh*

But remember: Community is the antidote to what ails us.

We don’t save the global economy or stop a war by staring at our phones. We solve it by showing up for the person next to us.

• Join us. Our next FEDDs monthly meeting is Tuesday, May 5th. Come hang out and get plugged in. No pressure — just show up and make friends.

• Volunteer. Whether it’s phone banking for your favorite runoff candidate or helping a neighbor register to vote, your time is the currency of change. A couple hot issues in Dallas are:

  • Campaign to keep DART, Dallas’ public transit system, running across our metroplex. In our local elections starting April 20th, those who live in University Park, Addison, or Highland Park are voting on whether to remain in the DART system or not. If they vote to leave (which is expected unless we fight for it….), it will severely damage and possibly completely ruin DART’s effectiveness for the people of Dallas.

    • If you live in University Park, Addison, or Highland Park, take a minute to take action here.

  • Or join citizens working to save our City Hall building that scammers looking to make billionaires richer.

• Rest. Seriously. If you’re fried, take a nap. You can’t pour from an empty cup. But don’t disappear. Come back when you’re ready.

The chaos is real. The economic fear is strong. But so is our power.

Hungary proved it. We’re proving it.

We show up. We vote. We build the world we want to live in.

We are not helpless. We are a community. And a community that votes together, wins together.

Hugs, high fives, and solidarity,

Joey

P.S. If you’re confused about the runoff rules or need help finding your polling location, DM me. We’ve got you.

P.P.S. Remember: The only thing scarier than the news is doing nothing.

This newsletter is free, but if you’d like, please buy us some coffee. xoxo

Buy Us Coffee! ☕️

Organizer’s Corner is a Newsletter brought to you by our very own, Joey Cade. Lots of folks have ideas of what can help / what you should do — and while no one has all the answers, we (specifically Joey) do have some. Okay, a lot. Joey is not just a co-host of Get Pod Local …she’s also the Precinct Chair for Dallas’ Precinct 1052.

Your Moment Of Zen

What We’re Watching This Week

🏒3

👇🏽We’re Also On Youtube!

Come for the Podcasts and Water Coolers.
Stay for the good vibes.
Subscribe to our Youtube Channel!

Watch Us On Youtube!

Recent Other GPL Newsletters (in case you missed them)

Other GPL Goodies

Get Pod Local The Podcast: Season 2 with Jalon and Joey

Joey and Jalon sit down with Politicians, Community Leaders, and movers and shakers making a difference. And almost every episode, the Dallas Mayor catches a stray. He deserves it. It’s fine. Episodes drop every Tuesday! Coming Soon!

GPL Presents: New Newsletter with Jalon Nichols

Every Friday, Jalon catches you up on what is going on out here, who is doing it, how does that impact your everyday life, and what everyone is saying about. We are based in Texas, so we have a lot of Texas news, but we cover the whole wide world. There is a LOT of stuff going on everyday, and no one can keep up with it all, but we attempt to….for you. (Clap for us).

GPL Presents: Organizers Corner w/ Joey Cade

Every Sunday night, Joey Cade, our Resident Precinct Chair, lays out our Call To Actions for the week. Because knowing what’s going on is one thing. But doing something about it is another. Let’s do both!

GPL Presents: Water Cooler with Jalon and Joey

Every morning, Jalon D’na and Joey Cade check in and talk about something we read or saw on slack. Videos drop some Thursday! (We are very busy…but we try our best!)

GPL Presents: Daily Briefs with Jalon Nichols

Everyday, Jalon reads you the headlines of the day — just to keep you in the know. Think NPR at the top of each hour, with a lot of shade some jokes and levity.

Good News!

Our News Briefs are now everywhere you get your podcasts! So you can take me on your commute, in the gym, or when I like to listen to podcast, while you’re washing dishes.

Subscribe and leave a review for us!

Listen on Spotify

Listen on Apple

Watch on Youtube

Subscribe now

Welcome to Organizer’s Corner — a (free) newsletter from your friends at Get Pod Local! Because we can help you stay inform — but then what?

Enter in your weekly Call To Actions (CTA!) from our Resident Precinct Chair, Joey Cade!

I don’t have a big message this week. I’m tired.

The constant barrage of news, chaos, outrage — it’s exhausting. It feels like there’s no space to process one thing before the next thing hits. And at some point, your brain just… stops.

So this weekend, I rested. A lot.

Honestly? I bed rotted. Aside from a family lunch, I stayed in, did jigsaw puzzles, read a mystery novel, watched period dramas and sci-fi, and generally let myself check out. I needed space from the real world. I dropped some balls I didn’t intend to drop — because I needed to.

If that’s where you are too — I get it.

You’re not failing.

You’re responding to something that is objectively overwhelming.

Rest is not quitting.

Rest is what makes it possible to keep coming back to the work of democracy.

For me this week, I know Tuesday’s FEDDs meeting will invigorate me, as will the organizing meetings on my calendar. Being in collaboration with people who care, who are showing up, who are doing the work — that will help me re-engage.

I hope you have something like that too.

A meeting.
A group.
A friend.
A small action that reconnects you.
It doesn’t have to be big.

Right now, it just has to be something. Anything to keep you tethered to the work of caring for the people and our shared community.

Because this work was never meant to be carried alone, and it was never meant to be nonstop at full intensity.

We step in. We step back. And then we step in again.

So if you’re in a step-back moment right now, that’s okay.

Just don’t disappear for good.

Come back when you’re ready.

If you have a little capacity this week, here are a few gentle ways to plug back in, in NTX:

• Support at La Colectiva, who run a respite center that cares for families impacted by ICE

  • Meal support

  • Amazon wishlist

  • Donation link

• Show up to the FEDDs meeting this Tuesday — no pressure to do anything but be there

• Text a friend to check in — connection is organizing

Read: So you went to a No Kings protest. Now what?

We don’t need to do everything.
We just need to stay connected enough to keep coming back.

Hugs and high fives,

Joey

This newsletter is free, but if you’d like, please buy us some coffee. xoxo

Buy Us Coffee! ☕️

Organizer’s Corner is a Newsletter brought to you by our very own, Joey Cade. Lots of folks have ideas of what can help / what you should do — and while no one has all the answers, we (specifically Joey) do have some. Okay, a lot. Joey is not just a co-host of Get Pod Local …she’s also the Precinct Chair for Dallas’ Precinct 1052.

Your Moment Of Zen

What We’re Watching This Week

👇🏽We’re Also On Youtube!

We also post these on our Youtube Channel!

Watch Us On Youtube!

Recent Other GPL Newsletters (in case you missed them)

Other GPL Goodies

Get Pod Local The Podcast: Season 2 with Jalon and Joey

Joey and Jalon sit down with Politicians, Community Leaders, and movers and shakers making a difference. And almost every episode, the Dallas Mayor catches a stray. He deserves it. It’s fine. Episodes drop every Tuesday! Coming Soon!

GPL Presents: New Newsletter with Jalon Nichols

Every Friday, Jalon catches you up on what is going on out here, who is doing it, how does that impact your everyday life, and what everyone is saying about. We are based in Texas, so we have a lot of Texas news, but we cover the whole wide world. There is a LOT of stuff going on everyday, and no one can keep up with it all, but we attempt to….for you. (Clap for us).

GPL Presents: Organizers Corner w/ Joey Cade

Every Sunday night, Joey Cade, our Resident Precinct Chair, lays out our Call To Actions for the week. Because knowing what’s going on is one thing. But doing something about it is another. Let’s do both!

GPL Presents: Water Cooler with Jalon and Joey

Every morning, Jalon D’na and Joey Cade check in and talk about something we read or saw on slack. Videos drop some Thursday! (We are very busy…but we try our best!)

GPL Presents: Daily Briefs with Jalon Nichols

Everyday, Jalon reads you the headlines of the day — just to keep you in the know. Think NPR at the top of each hour, with a lot of shade some jokes and levity.

Good News!

Our News Briefs are now everywhere you get your podcasts! So you can take me on your commute, in the gym, or when I like to listen to podcast, while you’re washing dishes.

Subscribe and leave a review for us!

Listen on Spotify

Listen on Apple

Watch on Youtube

Subscribe now

Welcome to Organizer’s Corner — a (free) newsletter from your friends at Get Pod Local! Because we can help you stay inform — but then what?

Enter in your weekly Call To Actions (CTA!) from our Resident Precinct Chair, Joey Cade!

I had to step away for a couple weeks...

It’s just a lot. All the time.

So I rested. And I found some awe.

I took a road trip to New Mexico with my teens — space to breathe, to reset, to remember there’s still beauty in the middle of all of this.

And then I refocused on the work and my local organizing community.

I attended the first-ever Dallas all-county Democratic Convention — and y’all, it was impressive. Our local party is doing big, important work and building real infrastructure. And we got to hear from the candidates leading our ballot in Texas this fall. I left feeling energized. I’ve also jumped into a couple task force efforts and spent time on No Kings.

Read: The Third ‘No Kings’ Rally in Dallas Was Described as Mostly Peaceful

No Kings Day was inspiring, as well. I did exactly what we were asked to do: made new connections and expanded the reach of our community & shared organizing work. We’re now busy planning programs based on conversations had while peacefully marching together.

If you showed up to No Kings and you’re feeling good about it — you should. You earned that. Showing up matters.

Now, it’s time to roll up our sleeves.

If you’re not already plugged into an organization doing work in our communities, now is the time. Find your lane and get in it.

Because the message from No Kings wasn’t symbolic — it was real:

WE protect us.

No one is coming to save us.

We are the heroes we’ve been waiting for.

So what does that look like in practice?
Here are some ideas:

• Support local aid work, keeping neighbors safe. In Dallas, join the essential work of Vecinos Unidos or El Movimiento.

• Attend local club meetings. Each club is unique, with different areas of focus, so there’s something for everyone.

  • Join me for The FEDD’s next meeting on Tues, April 7th to hear how we stop voter disenfranchisement - like we had in the Primary election in Dallas - in the Midterm election

  • Search for events in your area on Mobilize

  • Get the Dallas Democrat’s newsletter to hear what’s going on or follow their calendar

  • Join your local Indivisible chapter’s efforts - here’s Dallas’s

• Become a precinct chair (PC). In Texas, it’s the most base, neighborhood-level organizing. We build political power in our community by engaging neighbors to be informed, active voters. Here’s info on being a PC in Dallas County.

• Make sure voting in every election - which citizens in authoritarian regimes must do - is a commitment you keep. Elections happen all the time, not just every 2-4 years. Local elections mean everything to our community, so it really matters when you vote in local elections.

• In Texas, you most likely have TWO elections coming up very soon. First, there’s the local “Joint Elections”, which are for our school districts, city councils, etc - all local level leadership that shapes how our cities work and how healthy the people are. Then, there’s the Democratic Primary Runoff Election to determine who our candidates will be in the Midterm Election this fall. Since we have statewide races that went to a runoff, we ALL have races to vote for in the runoff in Texas.

  • I’ll share detailed election info soon, but know we start voting on April 20th in the local Joint Elections and on May 18th for the Primary Runoff.

• Make plans to attend the statewide Democratic Convention this June in Corpus Christi, if you can. There will be buses to ride down with new friends and the votes we take will shape the TX Dem party, our structure, and our priorities for the next 2 years.

• Figure out how/if you can participate in the May 1st General Strike. Talk to others about it.

This is how we build power. This is how we build community. This is how we win this fall.

It’s up to us.

Rest when you need to. Unplug regularly to give yourself time to heal from the constant stress. But come back and get back to the community work.

Because what we’re building together — and what we choose to do next — matters more than anything.

It will shape what comes next - for all of us.

Let’s do the work. Together.

With hugs and dreams for better days ahead,

Joey

This newsletter is free, but if you’d like, please buy us some coffee. xoxo

Buy Us Coffee! ☕️

Organizer’s Corner is a Newsletter brought to you by our very own, Joey Cade. Lots of folks have ideas of what can help / what you should do — and while no one has all the answers, we (specifically Joey) do have some. Okay, a lot. Joey is not just a co-host of Get Pod Local …she’s also the Precinct Chair for Dallas’ Precinct 1052.

Your Moment Of Zen

Other GPL Goodies

Get Pod Local The Podcast: Season 2 with Jalon and Joey

Joey and Jalon sit down with Politicians, Community Leaders, and movers and shakers making a difference. And almost every episode, the Dallas Mayor catches a stray. He deserves it. It’s fine. Episodes drop every Tuesday! Coming Soon!

GPL Presents: New Newsletter with Jalon Nichols

Every Friday, Jalon catches you up on what is going on out here, who is doing it, how does that impact your everyday life, and what everyone is saying about. We are based in Texas, so we have a lot of Texas news, but we cover the whole wide world. There is a LOT of stuff going on everyday, and no one can keep up with it all, but we attempt to….for you. (Clap for us).

GPL Presents: Organizers Corner w/ Joey Cade

Every Sunday night, Joey Cade, our Resident Precinct Chair, lays out our Call To Actions for the week. Because knowing what’s going on is one thing. But doing something about it is another. Let’s do both!

GPL Presents: Water Cooler with Jalon and Joey

Every morning, Jalon D’na and Joey Cade check in and talk about something we read or saw on slack. Videos drop some Thursday! (We are very busy…but we try our best!)

GPL Presents: Daily Briefs with Jalon Nichols

Everyday, Jalon reads you the headlines of the day — just to keep you in the know. Think NPR at the top of each hour, with a lot of shade some jokes and levity.

Good News!

Our News Briefs are now everywhere you get your podcasts! So you can take me on your commute, in the gym, or when I like to listen to podcast, while you’re washing dishes.

Subscribe and leave a review for us!

Listen on Spotify

Listen on Apple

Watch on Youtube

Subscribe now

Enter in your weekly Call To Actions (CTA!) from our Resident Precinct Chair, Joey Cade!

We survived the primary.

Take a breath for a moment.

It was a hard one.

But before we talk about the challenges, let’s start with the bright spots — because there are real reasons for hope.

First, we elected Gina Hinojosa to be our Democratic nominee for Governor.

A strong woman who first got involved in politics as an angry mom running for school board is exactly the kind of leader we need at the top of our ticket in 2026. She understands public education, she understands communities, and she will be a powerful contrast to Greg Abbott — whose policies have taken resources from our students and teachers for years.

Congratulations also to the rest of our endorsed candidates who are now officially part of the Democratic slate for the 2026 midterms, including Sarah Eckhardt for Comptroller, Clayton Tucker for Agriculture Commissioner, Jon Rosenthal for Railroad Commissioner, and many more outstanding candidates up and down the ballot.

And congratulations to Rep. James Talarico for winning the Senate primary. Avoiding a runoff in that race is a huge relief for everyone. He is a good person and we fully expect him to run the race of a lifetime this fall to flip Texas.

We also still have important runoff races coming this spring — including Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General and Congressional District 33 — and we’ll be covering those soon here at Get Pod Local.

But before we sprint ahead to the general election, we must pause for a family meeting.

This primary exposed something that has been building in our party for several cycles now (generations, really…). Continuing to pretend it didn’t happen will only guarantee it happens again.

Throughout the primary race, many Black Democrats — especially Black women — were speaking openly about how the campaign conversation was making them feel. Not asking anyone to change their vote. Not attacking anyone personally. Simply asking fellow Democrats to hear them when they said certain language and assumptions were painful.

Too often, those concerns were met with defensiveness, instead of listening.

Too often, the response centered the feelings of White voters, rather than the experiences being shared.

And that matters. Because Black voters — and especially Black women — have been the most reliable voting bloc in the Democratic Party for decades. When they say something feels wrong inside the party, we must listen.

If we want to flip seats together, we should care enough to WANT to listen to our most reliable organizers and voters for the Democratic vote.

I am not saying that Rep. Talarico is a racist. But PACs supporting him ran blatantly racist ads and his supporters have - and still are - using hurtful White supremacist language in how they are talking about the race and what’s next. As of today, there is not yet a public discussion being led by the Talarico campaign addressing this ongoing issue. It must be faced before asking anyone to move on.

We live inside systems shaped by White supremacy. Every one of us. And that means we all have a responsibility to examine how our assumptions, our language, and our reactions affect the people who carry the heaviest burdens in our democracy.

If we want to be a party capable of defeating MAGA and defending democracy, we have to be brave enough to have those conversations with honesty and humility. The fact that racist attack ads were run against Congresswoman Crockett up until the very last night of the election is unacceptable anywhere in 2026. It has no place in our party and should be eschewed by all Democrats, and all Democratic candidates.

In this case, repair is a necessary part of the work that is needed now for all of us to be able to move forward together.

Another truth we have to face together is what happened with voting itself.

Thousands of voters were disenfranchised by local GOP parties ramming in new voting rule changes during this primary. We saw confusion at polling locations, long lines, and barriers that never should exist in a functioning democracy.

The media actually covered some of it in real time — something we rarely see in Texas — but coverage alone doesn’t fix the problem.

What matters now is making sure every vote cast is counted. This is not going to change the election result - it’s not about that. Fighting for every vote is how we defend democracy - period. But also it’s necessary as a backstop before the general elections this fall — because we know the obstacles will be greater in the Midterms. If you or anyone you know had any issues voting, please report it so it may be included in the case seeking to have all votes counted: DallasDemocrats.org/demprimarysurvey

If you want to understand what happened and why it matters, I highly recommend watching this episode of Tashara Parker’s show. It includes a close friend League of Women Voters leader Elaine Campbell, Dallas County Democratic Chair Kardal Coleman, Texas Democratic Party Chair Kendall Scudder, and others, discussing what voters and election workers experienced on the ground and the task ahead to begin repairing.

One thing they talk about is the need to build real relationships of trust inside our party.

That work begins at the upcoming Dallas County Democratic Convention on Saturday, March 21 — the first countywide convention in nearly 100 years!

At the convention we will:

• Ratify our party platform, which is our agenda to pursue

• Discuss the disenfranchisement that happened in this election, and how to prevent it in the fall

• Meet our candidates, and plan to flip seats in fall 2026

• Build relationships and community across the county - make friends !

This is our chance to have the family meeting we need — not to divide, but to repair and move forward stronger - together. RSVP here to join us:

www.mobilize.us/dallasdemocrats/event/889919/

For a deeper dive into why racism is still always our talisman dragging us down, please watch “The Riot Report”, a PBS documentary that describes the years of study done in the 1960s to determine the root cause of American disharmony. The commission found clear reasoning for our troubles: Racism, White supremacy, and the need for real reparations to address the systemic, generational harm (still being) done to the people who are now our majority in Texas, non White people.

Unfortunately, our nation, and the Democratic party, has continued to prefer to brush these issues under the rug and ignore them over & over again. Instead of doing the hard work to seek true resolution and repair, America continues to expect some people to accept what they get, even if it isn’t equitable.

In the Texas Senate race, I am hearing the expectation from Talarico supporters to those who’ve voiced their pain over racist language used by Talarico supporters and the PACs supporting him, to just let it go and get behind the candidate that won, in the name of unity…

We can’t keep expecting those still being harmed by White supremacist systems to keep standing with us doing the work - if we aren’t committed to doing anything to make it better for them.

I’m committed to stay at the table to learn more about language we use that is harmful. I am committed to support candidates that will do the hard work with us to seek real repair and to build real relationships of trust.

I hope that as a “big tent” Democratic party, we will look at this as an opportunity to create real unity and real repair. It will carry us so much further and make it possible to flip Texas.

[Sidebar: As I always try to do, I am not just asking readers to do their part to learn how White supremacist language we use is harmful and to keep becoming better partners in the fight for true parity. I am also doing my part. I am in a group that already met with the Talarico campaign to begin the work with them, in hopes of building the bridges needed for healing. If we each do our part, we will lift all boats.]

One tip before we move on.

If you see graphics circulating online claiming to show exactly how different racial or ethnic groups voted in the primary, please be cautious. All of the charts I’ve seen are based on polling or projections, NOT actual vote data. Sharing inaccurate numbers only spreads misinformation and deepens divisions. We must be vigilant in questioning content online. Never share an infographic that you aren’t certain where it came from.

Let’s commit to being careful with information and responsible with how we talk about this election.

We can celebrate having record Democratic voter turnout! Hooray! I commend the Dallas County Democratic Party and the Texas Democratic Party, who both have grown to be real organizations that are doing the work organizing in our communities 365 days of the year, instead of just before the election. It’s making a huge difference.

BUT still, less than half of eligible voters participated in the primary.

That means the real challenge is still ahead of us. We need over 70% of registered voters to vote this fall to flip statewide races.

Which means the work now is simple and clear:

• Talk to voters.

• Register voters.

• Bring new people into the process.

• Build the relationships that turn occasional voters into lifelong participants.

Democracy is not a spectator sport.

It’s something we build together — sometimes through celebration, and sometimes through hard conversations that make us all grow.

Let’s do the work.

Together.

With resolve and solidarity,

Joey

This newsletter is free, but if you’d like, please buy us some coffee. xoxo

Buy Us Coffee! ☕️

Organizer’s Corner is a Newsletter brought to you by our very own, Joey Cade. Lots of folks have ideas of what can help / what you should do — and while no one has all the answers, we (specifically Joey) do have some. Okay, a lot. Joey is not just a co-host of Get Pod Local …she’s also the Precinct Chair for Dallas’ Precinct 1052.

Your Moment Of Zen

Other GPL Goodies

Get Pod Local The Podcast: Season 2 with Jalon and Joey

Joey and Jalon sit down with Politicians, Community Leaders, and movers and shakers making a difference. And almost every episode, the Dallas Mayor catches a stray. He deserves it. It’s fine. Episodes drop every Tuesday! Coming Soon!

GPL Presents: New Newsletter with Jalon Nichols

Every Friday, Jalon catches you up on what is going on out here, who is doing it, how does that impact your everyday life, and what everyone is saying about. We are based in Texas, so we have a lot of Texas news, but we cover the whole wide world. There is a LOT of stuff going on everyday, and no one can keep up with it all, but we attempt to….for you. (Clap for us).

GPL Presents: Organizers Corner w/ Joey Cade

Every Sunday night, Joey Cade, our Resident Precinct Chair, lays out our Call To Actions for the week. Because knowing what’s going on is one thing. But doing something about it is another. Let’s do both!

GPL Presents: Water Cooler with Jalon and Joey

Every morning, Jalon D’na and Joey Cade check in and talk about something we read or saw on slack. Videos drop some Thursday! (We are very busy…but we try our best!)

GPL Presents: Daily Briefs with Jalon Nichols

Everyday, Jalon reads you the headlines of the day — just to keep you in the know. Think NPR at the top of each hour, with a lot of shade some jokes and levity.

Good News!

Our News Briefs are now everywhere you get your podcasts! So you can take me on your commute, in the gym, or when I like to listen to podcast, while you’re washing dishes.

Subscribe and leave a review for us!

Listen on Spotify

Listen on Apple

Watch on Youtube

Subscribe now

Welcome to Organizer’s Corner — a (free) newsletter from your friends at Get Pod Local! Because we can help you stay inform — but then what?

Enter in your weekly Call To Actions (CTA!) from our Resident Precinct Chair, Joey Cade!

Another War. *sigh*

Still no accountability in the US from the Epstein files. *sigh*

Every day brings something newly destabilizing. Something designed to pull our attention in a hundred directions at once. Authoritarianism is overwhelming by design.

If you’re feeling mentally saturated — like your brain simply cannot absorb one more headline — you are not alone. It feels impossible to stay regulated with all that’s going on. I’m not sleeping well, have a bad cold, and cry more days than not.

So first: Take care of yourself.

Drink water.
Sleep whenever you can.
Log off for breaks.

We are going to need our strength to make it to the other side of this.

And then — let’s focus on what we can actually do that makes a difference right now.

VOTE.

Today, Tuesday, March 3. 7:00am – 7:00pm is Primary Election Day.

And in Dallas County, you must vote at your assigned precinct location. The local GOP forced a return to precinct-only voting for Election Day, so you cannot vote countywide tomorrow.

Find your correct voting location here:

👉 www.dallascountyvotes.org/vote-centers

If you don’t have your voter registration card handy, check your registration status here:

👉 www.dallascountyvotes.org/voters/ballot/#VoterEligibilitySearch

Give Yourself At Least An Hour

Expect long lines. The ballot is long. Each location has an equal number of Republican & Democratic machines — but Dallas County is heavily Democratic, which means waits to access Democratic machines will likely be longer. Expect confusion. Expect people to be turned away from locations they’re used to voting at.

And remember, this friction is not accidental.

But here’s the truth that doesn’t get said enough:
The primary is where power is actually decided.

In Dallas County, most races are won or lost in the Primary because the county votes heavily Democratic in the general election in the fall. But, no matter there you are….

• The primary determines who represents our values.

• The primary determines who appears on the general election ballot.

• The primary determines who will fight — or fail to fight — for our communities.

• And primaries are decided by the people who show up.

• Not the people who care the most.

• Not the people who post the most.

• The people who vote.

  ---

What to Expect When You Walk In To Vote

When you check in, you will be asked which primary you’re voting in. Declaring “Democratic” does not permanently register you with a party. It simply determines which ballot you receive and binds you to that party for any runoff and for participation in local conventions. If you want to be able to vote in a Democratic runoff or attend Dallas’s first countywide Democratic convention in nearly 100 years, you must vote in the Democratic primary now, not the Republican.

For details on what to expect, review the FEDDs voting guide:

👉 www.fedds.org/primary2026

The ballot is long and you need to vote all the way to the bottom because the lower the position, the closer they are to touching your everyday life, like family courts and justices of the peace. Plus the 13 strategic propositions are at the bottom and you want to have your say on what the Dem party would focus on if we flip seats.

Print your sample ballot (here) or other written notes to bring with you. (No phones allowed in the voting center.) Or, print my all-county endorsement list — or the fully-aligned Stonewall Democrats’ one-pager — which are both here:

👉 https://linktr.ee/joeyprecinctchair

If you’ve ever been frustrated with Democratic leadership…

If you’ve ever wished for stronger voices…

If you’ve ever wanted different choices…

This is where you make that real.

Don’t forget to grab your sticker!

Eyes Are On Texas!

Y’all — we’re experiencing historic turnout because we have been engaging voters for months in Texas. Don’t let up now. We have one more day.

Let’s Run Through The Tape!

After you vote, text or call three friends and ask if they have a plan.

If you can do more, here are ways to help:

• Volunteer with your favorite campaign — block walking, literature drops, phone & text banks.

  • Most can be found on Mobilize, such as Rep Jasmine Crockett for Senate, Gina Hinojosa for Governor, Julie Johnson for Congress, and many more.

• Volunteer with Dallas Dems to help ALL candidates:

  • Boiler room voter protection (bring your laptop & your smile). Email Chelsi Floyd: chelsi@dallasdemocrats.org

  • Phone banking: www.mobilize.us/dallasdemocrats/event/902437

  • Party at the polls / Poll greeting: www.mobilize.us/dallasdemocrats/event/890787

And beyond the primary, for extra gold stars:

• Use 5calls to demand Congress act on the unauthorized war:

👉 https://5calls.org/issue/iran-israel-war-us-involvement/

• Contact Dallas City Council before Wednesday’s vote on our landmark City Hall building:

👉 www.savedallascityhall.com/take-action-now

• Attend the meeting Wednesday wearing blue if you can.

We don’t need everyone to do everything

We just need everyone to do their small part. Communal collective action is always what has effected change in America.

So, ignore the noise.

Ignore the chaos.

Ignore the exhaustion designed to keep us disengaged.

Do the one thing that still gives you direct power in this moment.

Vote.

And help someone else vote.

We will take care of the rest together, when we get to it.

With resolve and solidarity,

Joey

This newsletter is free, but if you’d like, please buy us some coffee. xoxo

Buy Us Coffee! ☕️

Organizer’s Corner is a Newsletter brought to you by our very own, Joey Cade. Lots of folks have ideas of what can help / what you should do — and while no one has all the answers, we (specifically Joey) do have some. Okay, a lot. Joey is not just a co-host of Get Pod Local …she’s also the Precinct Chair for Dallas’ Precinct 1052.

More Moment Of Zen

Primaries Are Coming Up! Are You Ready?

Are You Registered?

Other GPL Goodies

Get Pod Local The Podcast: Season 2 with Jalon and Joey

Joey and Jalon sit down with Politicians, Community Leaders, and movers and shakers making a difference. And almost every episode, the Dallas Mayor catches a stray. He deserves it. It’s fine. Episodes drop every Tuesday! Coming Soon!

GPL Presents: New Newsletter with Jalon Nichols

Every Friday, Jalon catches you up on what is going on out here, who is doing it, how does that impact your everyday life, and what everyone is saying about. We are based in Texas, so we have a lot of Texas news, but we cover the whole wide world. There is a LOT of stuff going on everyday, and no one can keep up with it all, but we attempt to….for you. (Clap for us).

GPL Presents: Organizers Corner w/ Joey Cade

Every Sunday night, Joey Cade, our Resident Precinct Chair, lays out our Call To Actions for the week. Because knowing what’s going on is one thing. But doing something about it is another. Let’s do both!

GPL Presents: Water Cooler with Jalon and Joey

Every morning, Jalon D’na and Joey Cade check in and talk about something we read or saw on slack. Videos drop some Thursday! (We are very busy…but we try our best!)

GPL Presents: Daily Briefs with Jalon Nichols

Everyday, Jalon reads you the headlines of the day — just to keep you in the know. Think NPR at the top of each hour, with a lot of shade some jokes and levity.

Good News!

Our News Briefs are now everywhere you get your podcasts! So you can take me on your commute, in the gym, or when I like to listen to podcast, while you’re washing dishes.

Subscribe and leave a review for us!

Listen on Spotify

Listen on Apple

Watch on Youtube

Subscribe now

Welcome to Organizer’s Corner — a (free) newsletter from your friends at Get Pod Local! Because we can help you stay inform — but then what?

Enter in your weekly Call To Actions (CTA!) from our Resident Precinct Chair, Joey Cade!

Like all weeks in the past year, the past week has been heavy.

Many Black people, but especially Black women, in Texas Democratic spaces have been saying that what they are experiencing right now is the familiar weight of white supremacy dressed up as “strategy,” “electability,” and “tone” in our Democratic Senate race.

I want to be very clear about what I am and am not doing.

• I am not centering my feelings.

• I am not re-litigating what has been said online or in conversations I did not witness.

• And this is not about endorsements today.

This is also not about Mango Mussolini posting offensive racist imagery of two of our most distinguished — and most beloved — Black Americans during Black History Month. It’s disgusting but we’ve known he’s disgusting for decades.1

I am focused on listening to Black women. And I am asking fellow White liberals — especially White women — to do the same.

This week, a Black woman shared her experience of a private conversation with a candidate for Senate that made her feel that her community — and their issues — were diminished and disrespected. Instead of pausing to listen and think first, too many white liberals rushed to denial. Not even to disagreement — but to outright disbelief. Accusations of “it didn’t happen” or that she must be “getting paid” for the claims they decided are “not credible”, while also admitting they did not see the videos and don’t know who it is making the claims.

Well, I know her and trust her. She’s a local voice in new media political coverage that I’ve listened to a long time. She is wise, thoughtful, strategic, and not someone out to damage any Dem campaigns. She spoke about reasonable concerns with a candidate’s campaign and has been attacked by their supporters. These supporters are also blaming the other candidate, who wasn’t involved and also happens to be a Black woman.2

That reflex of these Dem supporters to defend their position rather than listen and consider what was said matters — and was felt viscerally by Black women, at a time when systemic oppression is intensifying in their daily lives.

Many white liberals revealed that comfort with the familiar and loyalty to “our candidate” mattered more than believing a Black woman’s lived experience. That is White supremacy culture at work.

And to be clear: no one is calling anyone KKK or purposeful racist. But if you were raised in the United States, you were indoctrinated into White supremacy. We are all deeply trapped inside the systems set up to keep it in tact doing their job really well. There is no moment where we “graduate” out of racism. And there is no point when any of us becomes perfect. Anti racism work is a lifelong, active practice, and uncomfortable by design.

What Black women have been naming is not about a single comment. It’s about a pattern:

• Being told who is “electable” and who is not.

• Being expected to show loyalty without being shown trust.

• Being told to wait, to be patient, and to be 100% perfect, while the same is not asked of White candidates.

As one respected Black elected leader in our community wrote this week, the issue is not messaging or turnout. It’s values. “If the most reliable voters in the Democratic coalition are continually treated as expendable, then we should stop pretending the problem is anything else.”

It is up to us liberal White people to decide if WE are ready to eschew white supremacy and misogyny. I know I am and I hope most of you are with me. We’ve got a lot of work to do….

After many painful conversations about White supremacy — I intentionally leaned into joy.

I spent days listening to Bad Bunny, in preparation for the “Benito Bowl,” and reminding myself that art, culture, and movement have always been intertwined. His joy, his defiance, his politics — it matters. I danced. A lot.

We had a huge turnout at The FEDDs’ meeting where we learned about how judges impact our lives and made over 700 whistle kits to help keep neighbors safe with our friends at El Movimiento. My Funky East Dallas Dems community is family to me and so many of us. I’m proud of the work we do together and that we’ve stepped up our game in the past year.

I went to see a play - feminist, pro-union 9 to 5 - with my sister. I watched the Olympics opening ceremony and booed JD Vance along with the crowd. I visited the goats at White Rock Lake who are eating invasive species out of the ecosystem — and have quickly become a neighborhood gathering point, where people of all ages and backgrounds show up together, smiling, talking, and being human.

Read:: A plant species has overwhelmed a Dallas neighborhood. So officials are calling in goats, 200 of them, for help

Plus, the kids are alright!

High school students across Texas have begun their own protest walk-out movement. It seems to be spreading organically. Over the past week students in Garland, Plano, Fort Worth, Mesquite, Hurst, Rowlette, Wylie, Prosper, Leander, Hutto, and more had massive protests.

Read: Dallas students walk out to protest immigration crackdown amid threats from Abbott, TEA

And then there’s the weekly Defend Democracy protests in East Dallas.

This week, we had one of our largest turnouts yet - 150 people! It keeps growing. More young people each week. More folks driving in from over an hour away. We’re coming up on one full year of showing up every single week — because it feels good to stand together for our values.

That’s the part that gives me hope.

Community is forming. Real community.

The kind that will matter as authoritarianism tightens and things get harder. The kind that reminds us we are not alone, and that collective action is still possible.

We need truth and joy.

Accountability and music.

Hard conversations and dancing.

This moment — as painful as it is — is an invitation.

An invitation for white liberals to finally confront our racism head-on.

An invitation to choose values over comfort.

And an invitation to build a movement that actually reflects the people who carry it.

We will only get through what’s coming if we do it together.

And that means listening — really listening — to Black women, and all non white Americans who have always lived under American oppression. They know the way out.

via wetheurban3

This week’s Calls to Action:

• Participate in the Police Oversight Board Meeting (Tonight) Tues, Feb 10th at 5:30pm to demand transparency and accountability for ICE in Dallas. Attend in person or online. Sign up to speak in person or online by emailing OCPO@DallasCityHall.com.

  • I was proud to participate in the effort to block the 287g agreement with ICE last fall and to be a signatory on this letter that went to the City Council this week. We have to fight ICE however we can within local government. Get involved with the important work of El Movimiento or Venicos Unidos.

• Call Congress!!

  • Call your House Rep to tell them to block the SAVE Act which is in the House this week.

  • Call your Senators to tell them to protect the boundary waters from toxic mining - the vote is expected on this in the Senate this week.

  • When you are on the phone with both your House and Senate representatives in DC, also remind them that you expect ACTION on the Epstein case. Release ALL the files and hold public hearings NOW.

• Make your plan to vote in the Democratic primary between Feb 17 - 27.

  • I wrote this guide with tons of details.

  • The Get Pod Local endorsement list is coming soon!

Keep going, y’all. WE are the Resistance.

Hugs and high fives,

Joey

PS: If you are White and this piece made you feel mad or defensive, please study white supremacy culture and read Black authors. Consciously update who you follow to be primarily non White people. It’s up to each of us to figure out how we are upholding White supremacy and to find ways to fight it. As a White woman, I’m here to call out fellow White people I love who are showing signs of unhealthy bias.

In these hard times, we all need to lift our game. Let’s try harder to be better to each other, to hear each other, and to decenter our own singular perspective. Let’s think — and act — as one. Because we need each other to make it out of authoritarianism.

Stronger together.
Together we are America.

One More Thing

via projectloveu_

This newsletter is free, but if you’d like, please buy us some coffee. xoxo

Buy Us Coffee! ☕️

Organizer’s Corner is a Newsletter brought to you by our very own, Joey Cade. Lots of folks have ideas of what can help / what you should do — and while no one has all the answers, we (specifically Joey) do have some. Okay, a lot. Joey is not just a co-host of Get Pod Local …she’s also the Precinct Chair for Dallas’ Precinct 1052.

More Moment Of Zen

Primaries Are Coming Up! Are You Ready?

Are You Registered?

Other GPL Goodies

Get Pod Local The Podcast: Season 2 with Jalon and Joey

Joey and Jalon sit down with Politicians, Community Leaders, and movers and shakers making a difference. And almost every episode, the Dallas Mayor catches a stray. He deserves it. It’s fine. Episodes drop every Tuesday! Coming Soon!

GPL Presents: New Newsletter with Jalon Nichols

Every Friday, Jalon catches you up on what is going on out here, who is doing it, how does that impact your everyday life, and what everyone is saying about. We are based in Texas, so we have a lot of Texas news, but we cover the whole wide world. There is a LOT of stuff going on everyday, and no one can keep up with it all, but we attempt to….for you. (Clap for us).

GPL Presents: Organizers Corner w/ Joey Cade

Every Sunday night, Joey Cade, our Resident Precinct Chair, lays out our Call To Actions for the week. Because knowing what’s going on is one thing. But doing something about it is another. Let’s do both!

GPL Presents: Water Cooler with Jalon and Joey

Every morning, Jalon D’na and Joey Cade check in and talk about something we read or saw on slack. Videos drop some Thursday! (We are very busy…but we try our best!)

GPL Presents: Daily Briefs with Jalon Nichols

Everyday, Jalon reads you the headlines of the day — just to keep you in the know. Think NPR at the top of each hour, with a lot of shade some jokes and levity.

Good News!

Our News Briefs are now everywhere you get your podcasts! So you can take me on your commute, in the gym, or when I like to listen to podcast, while you’re washing dishes.

Subscribe and leave a review for us!

Listen on Spotify

Listen on Apple

Watch on Youtube

Welcome to Organizer’s Corner — a (free) newsletter from your friends at Get Pod Local! Because we can help you stay inform — but then what?

Enter in your weekly Call To Actions (CTA!) from our Resident Precinct Chair, Joey Cade!

This is a wild and painful time we’re living through.

A time of overt misogyny, white supremacy, Christian nationalism, authoritarianism, and aggressive racism. It’s disorienting. It’s exhausting. It’s a roller coaster none of us asked to be on.

This morning, I spoke with a friend of Latino descent who told me she’s become deeply fearful to leave her house. She’s a spunky professional with a family —someone I’ve never known to carry fear, even while enduring racism and oppression throughout her life because of her global majority skin. Now, she doesn’t go anywhere without her passport. She drives under the speed limit. She never forgets a turn signal. She limits leaving home to work, school drop-offs, and groceries. Otherwise, they live in hiding.

Think about how many millions of Americans are living like this right now.

Thank you for being here. Thank you for recognizing that resisting this authoritarian takeover isn’t abstract— it’s personal. And it’s up to each of us.

As painful as this moment is, we have to keep reminding ourselves of something essential: we know the way out.

The way out is community.

When we make new friends and deepen relationships built on trust, we’re preparing for what’s next. When we weave a tighter web of connection, we increase our ability to keep one another safe. It’s become abundantly clear that we can’t wait to be protected—we have to protect each other.

This weekend, I helped with an organizer training, and it felt like medicine. Sitting in a room with friends — new and old — learning, strategizing, and doing the sometimes-unglamorous admin work it takes to activate our neighbors reminded me why this matters. I’ll share more about what we learned next week, but for now I just want to say: I hope you’ll join me at the next one. Collaborating together in the resistance movement changes everything.

And there’s more light breaking through…

On Saturday, Taylor Rehmet flipped a Republican-held seat in a special election — huge news for Texas. That win shifted real power in the Texas Legislature. The Republican candidate was endorsed by Mango Mussolini, and the district voted for him decidedly last year—yet the swing was massive. A full 31%. That doesn’t happen by accident. It happened because the winning coalition was clear: a strong candidate who is a union worker and veteran with the endorsements of Vote Vets and the unions.

And the support of his county party, organizers, and Texas Democrats. Everyone I know was organizing to get out the vote in that election. And it worked, big time. Taylor will serve in the TX Senate as an unapologetically working class, people-focused leader.

I’m sure the White House walls were surely sprayed with ketchup.

And Christian Menefee’s big win—as a community organizer, civil rights attorney, and committed progressive—also tells us something important about where the Texas Democratic electorate is headed.

Add to that the release of Liam Ramos and his parent from detention, following sustained organizing and advocacy led by Rep. Castro and Rep. Crockett.

Add the release of the Epstein files1, which are deeply damning of Mango Mussolini. These are not small things.

So yes — I woke up feeling more sunshiny than I have in a long time.

Then I went to the weekly protest in my neighborhood. Every Sunday from noon to one, rain or shine, my friend Beth leads the effort. They’re coming up on a full year of showing up. This weekend was the biggest turnout yet — over 130 people. Folks came from East Texas, from Colorado, from right down the block. We had our regular horseback rider and guitar playing organizer. And this week, Moira Rose was honored, as well, following the sudden loss of Catherine O’Hara.

The turnout was big — but what struck me even more was the response.

• Constant honks.

• Waves. Thumbs-up.

• A massive 18-wheeler leaned on its horn so long it rattled our chests and had us cheering.

This is what we do during authoritarianism: we lean into community, and we deliberately add joy into our daily practice. Music, dancing, laughter, shared purpose—these are not distractions. They are sustenance. They are how we survive and keep going. I hope you have places in your life where your spirit is being lifted, because we need that light.

And when we get even a single ray of hope during authoritarianism, we build on it. We amplify it, savor it, and use it as fuel to do one more act of service to our community.

With the arrival of Black History Month, we have so much to celebrate and lift up. Black joy, Black excellence, Black art, and Black resistance have always shown us how to endure - and how to win. At GPL we study and celebrate Black History every month, but this year the designation deserves more appreciation and spotlight than usual. Truly, we’d be lost without the light, resilience, ART, and patience of Black America. I know I would be at least.

What can we do this week? Just keep going. And feel good about it.

• Take action IRL

  • Join me for a FEDDs Solidarity & Community event at 6:30 on Tuesday, to learn about the Judges on our ballot and a whistle kit crafting program with our friends at El Movimiento.

  • Register to take this quick, free program with me on Feb 9th to become a voter registrar in TWO counties at once. March to the Polls offers great multi-county certifications.

• Take action solo

  • Make your plan to VOTE in the primary NOW. It is surprisingly complicated…

  • Print and share our election flyer.

    

    

  • Watch The Wiz this week for some beautiful Black joy. Immerse yourself in the sumptuous color, music, and performance. Let it fill you back up.2

  • Support independent journalism — , Georgia Fort, , , , and others telling the truth and keeping you informed, even when it’s unsafe.

This is how we resist.

This is how we care for one another.

This is how we win—together.

Hugs and high fives,

Joey

Read: You Don’t Just Find Community by Taylor Redd

Taylor Redd

You Don't Just "Find" Community.

I used to think community was something you stumbled upon… something that just “happened” when the timing was right, when you walked into a room made for you, when your people suddenly showed up in your life…

Read more

6 months ago · 9 likes · 9 comments · Taylor Redd

This newsletter is free, but if you’d like, please buy us some coffee. xoxo

Buy Us Coffee! ☕️

Organizer’s Corner is a Newsletter brought to you by our very own, Joey Cade. Lots of folks have ideas of what can help / what you should do — and while no one has all the answers, we (specifically Joey) do have some. Okay, a lot. Joey is not just a co-host of Get Pod Local …she’s also the Precinct Chair for Dallas’ Precinct 1052.

More Moments Of Zen

Primaries Are Coming Up! Are You Ready?

Check your voter registration leading up to this election!

Other GPL Goodies

Get Pod Local The Podcast: Season 2 with Jalon and Joey

Joey and Jalon sit down with Politicians, Community Leaders, and movers and shakers making a difference. And almost every episode, the Dallas Mayor catches a stray. He deserves it. It’s fine. Episodes drop every Tuesday! Coming Soon!

GPL Presents: New Newsletter with Jalon Nichols

Every Friday, Jalon catches you up on what is going on out here, who is doing it, how does that impact your everyday life, and what everyone is saying about. We are based in Texas, so we have a lot of Texas news, but we cover the whole wide world. There is a LOT of stuff going on everyday, and no one can keep up with it all, but we attempt to….for you. (Clap for us).

GPL Presents: Organizers Corner w/ Joey Cade

Every Sunday night, Joey Cade, our Resident Precinct Chair, lays out our Call To Actions for the week. Because knowing what’s going on is one thing. But doing something about it is another. Let’s do both!

GPL Presents: Water Cooler with Jalon and Joey

Every morning, Jalon D’na and Joey Cade check in and talk about something we read or saw on slack. Videos drop some Thursday! (We are very busy…but we try our best!)

GPL Presents: Daily Briefs with Jalon Nichols

Everyday, Jalon reads you the headlines of the day — just to keep you in the know. Think NPR at the top of each hour, with a lot of shade some jokes and levity.

Good News!

Our News Briefs are now everywhere you get your podcasts! So you can take me on your commute, in the gym, or when I like to listen to podcast, while you’re washing dishes.

Subscribe and leave a review for us!

Listen on Spotify

Listen on Apple

Watch on Youtube

Subscribe now

Welcome to Organizer’s Corner — a (free) newsletter from your friends at Get Pod Local! Because we can help you stay inform — but then what?

Enter in your weekly Call To Actions (CTA!) from our Resident Precinct Chair, Joey Cade!

I thought it was hard to write last week.

And then we survived this week.

Citizen ChongLy “Scott” Thao was kidnapped on camera in his boxers.

Read: A U.S. citizen says ICE forced open the door to his Minnesota home and removed him in his underwear after a warrantless search

In north Texas, Wael Tarabishi passed away after losing his caretaker to ICE.

5 and 2 year old children were taken - and those are just two that got press coverage...

Read: Families protest 5-year-old boy held at Texas facility separated from detained father

Detained immigrant families are being tortured here in Texas.

And, another good person was murdered — and we were forced to watch it from multiple camera angles while our government lied about it again.

And this is just what went wrong with ICE this week.

Read Jalon’s weekly newsletter to catch up on all the madness.1 👇🏻👇🏻👇🏻👇🏻👇🏻

Every week, I remind us that the exhaustion, fear, and overwhelm we feel are not accidental. They are the point.

Authoritarianism doesn’t just rely on force — it relies on psychological collapse.

They want us frozen and stressed.

They want us either fighting nonstop until we burn out — or giving up entirely.

So if you feel depleted right now, please hear this clearly: you are not failing.

You are responding normally to something profoundly traumatizing.

This is what authoritarianism feels like — it’s everywhere and constant. Outrage replaces outrage. It all becomes a dark blur.

What I hope is that alongside the fear, you also feel shaken awake.

Non-white communities have always known the brutality baked into this country.

If there is any opening here, it is that more of us are now seeing it clearly — and feel mad enough to be moved to action. 2

Let’s turn courage witnessed into courage in ACTION. Be inspired by Renee Good and Alex Pretti to Be a Helper.

None of us can do everything.

But each of us must do something.

That’s how authoritarianism is defeated…

…not by lone heroes, but by millions of people choosing sustained, collective action. And it works best when we make it a normal part of our lives, alongside people we can build community with. Because more care and trust is also needed.

So, decide your level of time, energy, and risk — and jump in sustainably. We are not sprinting. We are building infrastructure to fight back. Choose to take action in ways you can do consistently.

Immediate ICE related actions:

Call Congress and demand NO ICE funding.

• The US Senate is voting as early as tomorrow, Mon, Jan 26, so take a few minutes to call your Senators NOW.

  • 5 Calls makes it easy with the script: https://5calls.org/issue/dhs-budget-ice-defund/

    • It really is super easy. 👇🏻👇🏻👇🏻👇🏻👇🏻

• Attend Indivisible’s nationwide “Eyes on ICE” call tomorrow, Mon, 1/26 at 7pm central: www.mobilize.us/nokings/event/891782

• Want to get involved with the grassroots work of protecting neighbors, like you see in Minneapolis? In north Texas, fill out this form to join Community Self Defense DFW:

  • You will then be added to an email list and receive notices of upcoming trainings and events; once you attend you may be added to their private messaging apps. They have to be careful to add only those who participate to keep everyone safe.

  • Those who want to wear a whistle and be on the lookout are encouraged to join. We must build a web of protection across our region NOW. Before ICE gets worse here, which is happening as we speak….

Support the movement from home.

• All these orgs need admin help, grant writing, meal trains, maintain databases, etc - offer what you can do

• Be conscious with your attention and money

  • Unfollow influencers staying silent3

  • Stop supporting brands — national or local — that refuse to speak out

• Make whistle kits at home with this handy guide from Vecinos Unidos

• Fund organizations already doing the work

  • Set a small monthly donation - this is the sustainable support orgs need

    • National orgs include: RAICES, National Immigration Project, Immigrant Defense Project, ACLU, and others

    • Please give monthly to Vecinos Unidos locally: https://donorbox.org/vecinos-unidos-mutual-aid-fund-emergency-relief-for-families-after-ice-abductions

  • Contribute to Wael Tarabishi’s GoFundMe

But also, show up offline.

• Court watching, shopping, or driving for families in hiding with groups like Vecinos Unidos

• Volunteer with local food pantry support orgs, we love Dallas Feeds Dallas

• Attend events - anything will get you more engaged

  • FEDDs Congressional Spotlight on Tues, Jan 27 at 6:30pm

  • Protest ICE downtown on Thurs, Jan 29 at 7pm

  • FEDDs Neighbors to Voters Organizer Training

  • Protest support training on 2/1

  • FEDDs Judges, Community, and Solidarity program on Tues, Feb 3 at 6:30pm

    • In addition to learning about judges on our ballots, we will be making KYR whistle kits with our friends at El Movimiento

    • “Know Your Rights” (KYR) whistle kits are used on the streets - you hear the whistles in all the videos in Minneapolis, the same are in use here and everywhere

  • Become a voter registrar on 2/9 with March to the Polls

And, lean into community.

Find your resistance crew.

Mine is a lot like this.

To find your tribe, try attending organization or club meetings (like the ones listed above). Or, build your own small circle of friends who show up together. Organizing with friends is one of the most joyful parts of my life.

Today, we felt cooped up from the ice storm here and wanted community, so we met neighbors outside on our corner and had our own anti-ICE protest.

We chatted, held signs, wrote Abolish ICE in the snow, got honks of approval from cars driving by, and talked about voting in the Primary Election between Feb 17 & 27. I felt much better after the connection with neighbors.

And yes — rest and joy are required, not optional.

Burnout is not noble. Regulated nervous systems are how we stay in this long enough to defeat authoritarianism.

All of this matters.

Every bit of it.

Because community is the antidote to authoritarianism.

Because solidarity is how we survive this.

Because helping each other is how we get out.

So…. Find. your way to -

• Build community.

• Fight white supremacy.

• Be a Helper.

That’s how we get through this — together.

With solidarity and care,

Joey

This newsletter is free, but if you’d like, please buy us some coffee. xoxo

Buy Us Coffee! ☕️

Organizer’s Corner is a Newsletter brought to you by our very own, Joey Cade. Lots of folks have ideas of what can help / what you should do — and while no one has all the answers, we (specifically Joey) do have some. Okay, a lot. Joey is not just a co-host of Get Pod Local …she’s also the Precinct Chair for Dallas’ Precinct 1052.

More Moments Of Zen

Primaries Are Coming Up! Are You Ready?

Check your voter registration leading up to this election!

Other GPL Goodies

Get Pod Local The Podcast: Season 2 with Jalon and Joey

Joey and Jalon sit down with Politicians, Community Leaders, and movers and shakers making a difference. And almost every episode, the Dallas Mayor catches a stray. He deserves it. It’s fine. Episodes drop every Tuesday! Coming Soon!

GPL Presents: New Newsletter with Jalon Nichols

Every Friday, Jalon catches you up on what is going on out here, who is doing it, how does that impact your everyday life, and what everyone is saying about. We are based in Texas, so we have a lot of Texas news, but we cover the whole wide world. There is a LOT of stuff going on everyday, and no one can keep up with it all, but we attempt to….for you. (Clap for us).

GPL Presents: Organizers Corner w/ Joey Cade

Every Sunday night, Joey Cade, our Resident Precinct Chair, lays out our Call To Actions for the week. Because knowing what’s going on is one thing. But doing something about it is another. Let’s do both!

GPL Presents: Water Cooler with Jalon and Joey

Every morning, Jalon D’na and Joey Cade check in and talk about something we read or saw on slack. Videos drop some Thursday! (We are very busy…but we try our best!)

GPL Presents: Daily Briefs with Jalon Nichols

Everyday, Jalon reads you the headlines of the day — just to keep you in the know. Think NPR at the top of each hour, with a lot of shade some jokes and levity.

Good News!

Our News Briefs are now everywhere you get your podcasts! So you can take me on your commute, in the gym, or when I like to listen to podcast, while you’re washing dishes.

Subscribe and leave a review for us!

Listen on Spotify

Listen on Apple

Watch on Youtube

Subscribe now

Welcome to Organizer’s Corner — a (free) newsletter from your friends at Get Pod Local! Because we can help you stay inform — but then what?

Enter in your weekly Call To Actions (CTA!) from our Resident Precinct Chair, Joey Cade!

This Feels Overwhelming.

I’m struggling to write this week — and I suspect many of you are struggling to read the news, too.

Everything feels loud. Scary. Unstable. We’re being asked to keep going to work, keep living our lives while something enormous and dangerous is unfolding in plain sight. It feels unreal.

It feels like the end of an empire — because in many ways, it is.

I’m seeing it everywhere.

• Group chats.

• Mutual aid threads to help those in hiding here in TX.

• Mom groups having conversations about go-bags and contingency plans.

• Plus the impending sense that this is only the beginning — and that it’s about to get much worse…

If you feel frazzled, stressed, or unable to think clearly right now, please hear this: that is not a personal failure. That is the psychological impact of authoritarianism doing exactly what it is designed to do.

Authoritarians don’t just seize power through laws and force — they seize it through exhaustion, fear, and overwhelm. They want us frozen. They want us panicked. They want us to feel like we must either fight or flight, to give up entirely.

But here’s the truths we have to keep reminding ourselves — and the one thing grounding me this week:

• Power is not decided in our panic.

• Power is decided when citizens engage.

• Power is decided in elections.

And this week the 2026 election season officially begins in Texas!

We are always the first up on the US elections calendar — even as the country feels like it’s on fire.

This week some sneaky, hidden special elections get underway here in TX. Most of us don’t have an election this week, but….

• If you live in and around the Fort Worth / Midcities area, you get to vote for Taylor Rehmet for Texas Senate District 9. I’m jealous - I’d love to vote for Taylor, a veteran and union worker who surprised everyone winning the majority of the votes in his fall election.

  

  He’s finally in his runoff election with a Republican vying for the winnable, flippable Texas Senate seat. It would be a HUGE deal to take that seat from a Republican and we’re lucky to have a phenomenal candidate who’s been working his heart out. Please get involved with Taylor’s campaign & VOTE if you are in TX Sen Dist 9.

  

  

• If you live in Houston, you get to vote for Christian Menefee for Congress. Texas House Dist 18 is having a runoff following the passing of Rep Sylvester Turner (may he rest in power). has proudly endorsed our friend and fellow progressive Christian Menefee for the seat and hope you will vote for him.

  

  

• There are also special elections in Grand Prairie for City Council seat 8 (don’t have endorsement list yet but will; DM me) and a City Council seat in Frisco where Dems I know are recommending Ann Anderson.1

📢 If you live in any of the above areas 📢

• Early voting: January 21–27

• Election Day: Saturday, January 31

These elections are confusingly placed just before the start of Primary Election voting, intentionally …

…and they are happening while we’re distracted and overwhelmed. So turnout will be miniscule. Hence, your vote will carry more weight than usual.

If you live in any of these areas and can get yourself to the polls between Jan 21 & 27 to get your vote in, you can be proud of that good work.

And it will make you feel good, deservedly so. If we can flip that TX Senate seat we’ll give Democrats more power in the next legislative session. LFG!

Remember…

• Voting is not pretending everything is fine.

• Voting is not complacency.

• Voting is one of the clearest refusals to surrender power that ordinary people still have. (I can’t say with confidence that we will still have this right in the autumn, but we do this spring!)

• Yes, we need our current elected officials to take ACTION and we are calling for that - and will hold them accountable by voting….2

I won’t tell you not to prepare for what’s coming, not to help those in need in our communities, or not to take this danger seriously. We were made to take care of each other. We must build community resilience. And we have to keep paying attention. (I recommend the GPL News Briefs, which keep me informed without the heart palpitations news gives me. Watch on YT and get deets & source links on our Substack.)3

But I also want to say this clearly, especially if you’re feeling like you’re drowning this week, like I do:

You are allowed to rest.

You are allowed to feel joy.

You are allowed to live your life while resisting.

Burnout does not stop authoritarianism. Sustained, collective action does.

This moment doesn’t require you to do everything.

It requires you to do the next right thing. That’s it. Resistance doesn’t succeed when a few of us pretend to be super heroes. Resistance wins when every single one of us pitches in just a little.

There’s something small we can each do.

• If you have a special election, please make a plan to vote by putting in on your calendar now. If you’re not in those areas, help one person you know who is.

• This post has tons of ways to do something to help with the protests, media, and countless other support ideas. 👇🏻👇🏻👇🏻👇🏻👇🏻

  A Rebellion of Care

  EVERYONE CAN FIGHT ICE: HERE IS HOW

  ICE have doubled down, flooding Minneapolis with thousands of federal agents and expanding what the state is calling an aggressive enforcement operation that is, in every real sense, an occupation. Tens of thousands of people have already taken to the streets in protest, but federal forces keep pushing forward; detaining citizens, breaking into homes, a…

  Read more

  6 months ago · 59 likes · 8 comments · David Gate

• You may be surprised to hear there are protests in Dallas almost EVERY day now. DM me if you can’t find them!

  ---

  Watch: Anti-ICE protestors demonstrate on pedestrian bridge above U.S. 75

  ---

• Please become a Vecinos Unidos court watcher or if you are a non-English native speaker, help them remotely to translate their KYR (know your rights) info.

  • Or just pitch in a few bucks toward leader Sandra’s birthday fundraiser.

• Get involved with El Movimiento and get on their list to take a neighborhood observer training to learn how to help when you see ICE activity, or host a fun KYR whistle kit making party with them. (Or, come to mine on Feb 3, 6:30pm)

• Make art for the movement.

• Start talking to friends about the Primary Election that is fast approaching…

• Watch the TX Dem Primary Statewide Race zoom event I helped host on Jan 13th to familiarize yourself with the races and candidates.4

• In Dallas, attend one of the many events I have between now and Feb:

  • Weekly Defend Democracy protests Sat & Sun at noon

  • Jan 24, 1pm - Senate Debate Watch Party & Discussion

  • Jan 27, 6:30pm - Congressional Spotlight

  • Jan 31, 10:00am - Neighbors to Voters: Precinct Organizing & VAN Training

  • Feb 3, 6:30pm - FEDDs Judges, Community & Solidarity

The tyrannical authoritarians wants us isolated and overwhelmed.

Community — and participation — is how we push back.

I don’t know what’s coming next. I share your fear that this may be just the beginning. But I do know this: giving up our agency now only guarantees the worst outcomes.

So this week, let’s do the thing that still matters. Each of us will focus both on caring for ourselves and our loved ones, and also find little ways to take action and support the resistance.

And then we keep going — together.

With honesty, solidarity, and care.

Viva la revolución,

Joey

This newsletter is free, but if you’d like, please buy us some coffee. xoxo

Buy Us Coffee! ☕️

Organizer’s Corner is a Newsletter brought to you by our very own, Joey Cade. Lots of folks have ideas of what can help / what you should do — and while no one has all the answers, we (specifically Joey) do have some. Okay, a lot. Joey is not just a co-host of Get Pod Local …she’s also the Precinct Chair for Dallas’ Precinct 1052.

Your Moment Of Zen

The Ladies of LSU. just destroyed the UDA Nationals 2026 stage!

Other GPL Goodies

Get Pod Local The Podcast: Season 2 with Jalon and Joey

Joey and Jalon sit down with Politicians, Community Leaders, and movers and shakers making a difference. And almost every episode, the Dallas Mayor catches a stray. He deserves it. It’s fine. Episodes drop every Tuesday! Coming Soon!

GPL Presents: New Newsletter with Jalon Nichols

Every Friday, Jalon catches you up on what is going on out here, who is doing it, how does that impact your everyday life, and what everyone is saying about. We are based in Texas, so we have a lot of Texas news, but we cover the whole wide world. There is a LOT of stuff going on everyday, and no one can keep up with it all, but we attempt to….for you. (Clap for us).

GPL Presents: Organizers Corner w/ Joey Cade

Every Sunday night, Joey Cade, our Resident Precinct Chair, lays out our Call To Actions for the week. Because knowing what’s going on is one thing. But doing something about it is another. Let’s do both!

GPL Presents: Water Cooler with Jalon and Joey

Every morning, Jalon D’na and Joey Cade check in and talk about something we read or saw on slack. Videos drop every Thursday!

GPL Presents: Daily Briefs with Jalon Nichols

Everyday, Jalon reads you the headlines of the day — just to keep you in the know. Think NPR at the top of each hour, with a lot of shade some jokes.

Good News!

Our News Briefs are now everywhere you get your podcasts! So you can take me on your commute, in the gym, or when I like to listen to podcast, while you’re washing dishes.

Subscribe and leave a review for us!

Listen on Spotify

Listen on Apple

1

https://www.facebook.com/FreyForTexas/posts/-heads-up-frisco-texas-is-currently-holding-a-special-election-right-now-to-fill/866901339541114/

Welcome to Organizer’s Corner — a (free) newsletter from your friends at Get Pod Local! Because we can help you stay inform — but then what?

Enter in your weekly Call To Actions (CTA!) from our Resident Precinct Chair, Joey Cade!

This newsletter is free, but if you’d like, please buy us some coffee. xoxo

Buy Us Coffee! ☕️

It Was Another Really Painful Week Here In Trumpville.

After everything we lived through, it’s almost hard to remember that we invaded Venezuela just a week ago — or that the Epstein files are still being buried. That’s how authoritarianism works.

Read: Lawmakers ask for a judge to step in on Epstein document release

So let’s pause and name it: this week was really hard.

Because it was.

We had the truth of our situation slapped in our faces. This is an authoritarian country.

You’ve likely seen the murder of Renee Nicole Good, from multiple angles.
I’m sorry.

And I’m really sorry if you saw this gestapo situation with an innocent family and a food delivery driver. [Trigger warning; take care before watching.]

And a US military veteran was taken from their cabin while sleeping on a cruise ship. His name is Jose Martinez, a name so common it may as well be Joe Smith. How could storm troopers bust in on sleeping vacationers over the name Joe Smith on a list??

Read: Phoenix veteran says ICE agents detained him after Caribbean cruise

And then there’s this headline: ”Texas hands over complete list of registered voters to Trump administration”. I’m sure that’s for a perfectly good reason…1

This is what authoritarianism looks like — not all at once, but everywhere. Outrage replaces outrage. Crisis replaces crisis. It all becomes a dark blur.

This week, someone in the data world warned me to “be careful” about being vocal. They joked that they’d “remember” me when I was gone.2 I think it was meant lightly — but it landed heavy. Because under an unimpeded authoritarian regime, that fear stops being hypothetical.

Today, I participated in Day 4 of the Stonewall Democrats of Dallas endorsement screenings and when US Rep. Jasmine Crockett spoke, she admitted she’s scared, too. We all are. This is a lot to carry.3

But You Know What Else? There’s Also A Lot Of Good Happening.

We cannot lose sight of that.

1. Congress extended the healthcare subsidies, which will help millions of Americans.

2. Celebs have spoken out…

3. …And real people have attended protests across the nation.

With the leadership of El Movimiento, Vecinos Unidos, and other orgs, we gathered for a beautiful, well organized rally and march just one day after Renee Nicole Good was killed by ICE.

And together, we asked my US Rep Julie Johnson to act on ICE’s bad behavior in Dallas (this was before the murder in Minneapolis on Weds) — and she did. Her office responded swiftly, sending letters to Dallas officials and to Secretary Kristi Noem.

And Something Else Is Happening, Too: The People Are Finding Each Other.

Our weekly East Dallas protest gathering keeps growing. Last weekend, 85 people — including our first protester on horseback. This weekend: 120 people, a guitarist singing, and friends being loud on I-75 at the same time.

So Let’s Stay Grounded And Focused On What We Can Control.

• We can safely and lawfully document ICE activity.

• We can protest peacefully.

• We can contact Congress and demand accountability.

• We can organize and get out the vote.

• We can choose kindness over cruelty.

And we can fill our lives with co-conspirators, joy, and real rest.

Over the next week, plan extra rest — and make plans to get into good trouble with your friends on MLK Day. We fight authoritarianism best by staying engaged with each other.

If you haven’t seen Join or Die, I can’t recommend it enough. Decades of research confirm what many of us already know: the strongest democracies are built through community.

That’s it. Community is how we get to the other side of this.

https://www.netflix.com/title/81746809

As citizens, let’s keep exercising our agency — as long as we have it. This moment matters.

Here Are A Few Ways To Get Involved Locally This Week

• Call Congress about ICE and the Epstein Files.

• Attend the virtual meet & greet with statewide Texas Democratic candidates (Tuesday, Jan 13, 6:30pm) https://www.fedds.org/eventinfo/jan1326statewide

• Join our friends at SAAVETX and Chris Tackett for a virtual conversation on Christian Nationalism in TX (Wednesday, Jan 14, 7pm) https://www.mobilize.us/saavetexas/event/878055/

• Attend a protest — including ours every Saturday and Sunday at noon. https://www.fedds.org/blog/weekly-defend-democracy-protest.

• Also there is a nationwide walkout scheduled. If you can, join in.

  

• Put the AFL-CIO’s TX Senate debate on your calendar for 2pm CT on Saturday, Jan. 24th. https://texasaflcio.org/news/texas-afl-cio-host-first-debate-between-democratic-candidates-us-senate

Let’s lean into each other. We’re still at the beginning of this story.

Hugs, high fives, and solidarity,

Joey - Proud “Fucking Bitch” ✊🏻

PS: It is worth mentioning that Nicole Good’s murder getting so much media attention after many non white people have been killed - or disappeared - by ICE with little coverage is also painful to experience.

It is important that we recognize that this is meant to scare us. I hope white women will keep putting their privileged skin on the line. This oppression has been felt by our global majority neighbors since America’s founding. We are all that is left to stand in the breach. Please don’t hide. Engage more. We need you, white women. America will not survive without your protection.

If we back down, our silence will mean the end. And we will regret it then. I hope we can figure this all out before it’s too late.

Organizer’s Corner is a Newsletter brought to you by our very own, Joey Cade. Lots of folks have ideas of what can help / what you should do — and while no one has all the answers, we (specifically Joey) do have some. Okay, a lot. Joey is not just a co-host of Get Pod Local …she’s also the Precinct Chair for Dallas’ Precinct 1052.

Your Moment Of Zen

We’re Also On Youtube!

Watch Us On Youtube!

Other GPL Goodies

Get Pod Local The Podcast: Season 2 with Jalon and Joey

Joey and Jalon sit down with Politicians, Community Leaders, and movers and shakers making a difference. And almost every episode, the Dallas Mayor catches a stray. He deserves it. It’s fine. Episodes drop every Tuesday! Coming Soon!

GPL Presents: New Newsletter with Jalon Nichols

Every Friday, Jalon catches you up on what is going on out here, who is doing it, how does that impact your everyday life, and what everyone is saying about. We are based in Texas, so we have a lot of Texas news, but we cover the whole wide world. There is a LOT of stuff going on everyday, and no one can keep up with it all, but we attempt to….for you. (Clap for us).

GPL Presents: Organizers Corner w/ Joey Cade

Every Sunday night, Joey Cade, our Resident Precinct Chair, lays out our Call To Actions for the week. Because knowing what’s going on is one thing. But doing something about it is another. Let’s do both!

GPL Presents: Water Cooler with Jalon and Joey

Every morning, Jalon D’na and Joey Cade check in and talk about something we read or saw on slack. Videos drop every Thursday!

GPL Presents: Daily Briefs with Jalon Nichols

Everyday, Jalon reads you the headlines of the day — just to keep you in the know. Think NPR at the top of each hour, with a lot of shade some jokes.

Good News!

Our News Briefs are now everywhere you get your podcasts! So you can take me on your commute, in the gym, or when I like to listen to podcast, while you’re washing dishes.

Subscribe and leave a review for us!

Listen on Spotify

Listen on Apple

Subscribe now

2

Hi. This is Jalon…if I ever hear someone saying this to either of us, please know, I’m slapping the shit outta you. Are you kidding me?! I hope that person is a subscriber and knows that I’m serious. I will slap you and ask questions later. Jesus Christ.

Welcome to Organizer’s Corner — a (free) newsletter from your friends at Get Pod Local! Because we can help you stay inform — but then what?

Enter in your weekly Call To Actions (CTA!) from our Resident Precinct Chair, Joey Cade!

This newsletter is free, but if you’d like, please buy us some coffee! xoxo

Buy Us Coffee! ☕️

It’s impossible to write today without acknowledging what’s dominating the news: another illegal hot war…

As a lifelong anti-war organizer — someone who came into activism protesting the Gulf War in the early 1990s — I’m devastated. I could easily write an entire newsletter about it.

But I decided long ago that this space would not be dictated by whatever is blowing up in the news cycle.

And I still refuse to write Cheeto Mussolini’s name anywhere.

More importantly, this illegal, neo-colonial invasion is meant to do exactly what it’s doing: distress us, distract us, and exhaust us — while also obviously being yet another money making scam that puts the entire globe in more danger. The wealthiest continue to profit every time the world is pushed closer to the edge…

Before this escalation, I planned to ask readers to call Congress and demand accountability for the administration and DOJ’s refusal to release the full Epstein files. This sudden occupation is a convenient distraction — from the files, from corruption, and from everything else unraveling around this administration.

That’s why it is essential — with every new wave of atrocity and outrage — that we remain focused on what we do have control over.

• We can demand action from our elected officials.

• We can care for ourselves and our neighbors.

• And we can organize to flip seats in the midterms.

If we let ourselves get distracted now, we won’t be able to flip seats like we plan to this year. Because the Democratic Primary Election is in full swing already! I spent my entire weekend immersed in it, and I’m here to assure you:

This is the moment that matters.

The primary is when we choose our champions — the candidates who will actually defeat Republicans in the fall. After the primary, the only lever left is turnout. This is one chance when ordinary citizens have real power to shape what November looks like.

So let’s use it.

Important upcoming election dates:

• Monday, FEB 2: Last day to register to vote in the Primary Election in Texas

• Tuesday, FEB 17: First day of early voting (We are voting next month!!) 👈🏻👈🏻👈🏻

  ---

This week…

…let’s each take one action in each of the three ways we make a real difference in the resistance:

1. Demand action from our elected officials

Call your Senators and Representatives: 202-224-3121

5calls.org makes this easy with scripts.

And yes — we are still demanding the full release of the Epstein files. We will not let that go. When you call, make sure your offices hear that loud and clear.

2. Prepare for the Primary Election

Confirm that your voter registration is “Active” or register to vote.

• Deadline: Monday, February 2

Plan to attend this statewide candidate event I’m planning on zoom on Jan 13th. It’ll be a casual event to hear from candidates for statewide office, meaning ALL of us in Texas get to vote for those races, no matter where you live. So if you are in Texas, join us on the 13th at 6:30pm.

This is how we choose who we’re fighting with in November.

3. Care for yourself — and for others

If you are feeling overwhelmed, give yourself more grace to rest this week. We are still in the dead of winter. Let’s not pressure ourselves yet.

If you have the capacity and privileged enough to feel safe doing so, I recommend attending a protest. Protests help hold officials accountable, but they also do something just as important: they remind us we’re not alone. I attended one today, and left feeling stronger and pumped up to keep fighting together.

Watch Hello, Dolly!

Hello, Dolly! is perfect to enjoy in this moment. It’s stunningly beautiful. And Barbara Streisand was fresh on the scene at the time - and completely slays the smart leading role of Dolly Levi.

It takes place during the era of the robber barons - these wealthy individuals held all the riches, while most struggled to survive. Sound familiar?

What was different then, is that the wealthy understood their role in building the American dream. They put a large percentage of their wealth toward the betterment of society. [For more on the Gilded Age and how the wealthy actually helped build the America we know today, watch PBS’s American Experience episode on it.]

They knew that investing in education, the arts, and building public spaces would lead to Americans being intelligent, industrious, healthy citizens with a vibrant cultural scene. And they did just that. They built up America to be the envy of the world. (A position we are nowhere near at this point.)

The importance of having those holding the wealth also consciously sharing it with the masses beneath them is one of the subtle themes of Hello Dolly. It may be gorgeous, but it also tells the story of a widow who couldn’t have had a bank account of her own at the time. She determines to marry a wealthy man so she can lift him up to be a philanthropist. She can’t become a philanthropist in her own right at the time, but if she marries a wealthy man, she will again be able to spend money across her community - and lift everyone up.

Here’s one of the early times she talks about it.

And, as she says later, at Vandergelder’s store: “Money is like manure; it’s not worth a thing unless you spread it around, encouraging young things to grow.” Truer words are rarely said on TV!

It’s also just a phenomenal FEAT of production.

So, enjoy a viewing of Hello, Dolly! You’ve earned it. And maybe it will inspire you as much as it does me. I want to live in a world where the wealthy again feel a responsibility to the rest of society. Tax the rich and corporations. We’ll eventually have to EAT the rich if we keep heading in this direction!

I had no idea it is ’s favorite movie until now!!

Remember, the chaos is intentional. The distraction is intentional. Our response must be intentional too.

Stay focused. Stay connected. And keep your eyes on the primary, y’all — because that’s where we decide what kind of country we’re fighting for this year.

We’ve got work to do. And we are not backing down.

Hugs, high fives, and solidarity,

Joey

Organizer’s Corner is a Newsletter brought to you by our very own, Joey Cade. Lots of folks have ideas of what can help / what you should do — and while no one has all the answers, we (specifically Joey) do have some. Okay, a lot. Joey is not just a co-host of Get Pod Local …she’s also the Precinct Chair for Dallas’ Precinct 1052.

Your Moment Of Zen

We’re Also On Youtube!

Watch Us On Youtube!

Other GPL Goodies

Get Pod Local The Podcast: Season 2 with Jalon and Joey

Joey and Jalon sit down with Politicians, Community Leaders, and movers and shakers making a difference. And almost every episode, the Dallas Mayor catches a stray. He deserves it. It’s fine. Episodes drop every Tuesday! Coming Soon!

GPL Presents: New Newsletter with Jalon Nichols

Every Friday, Jalon catches you up on what is going on out here, who is doing it, how does that impact your everyday life, and what everyone is saying about. We are based in Texas, so we have a lot of Texas news, but we cover the whole wide world. There is a LOT of stuff going on everyday, and no one can keep up with it all, but we attempt to….for you. (Clap for us).

GPL Presents: Organizers Corner w/ Joey Cade

Every Sunday night, Joey Cade, our Resident Precinct Chair, lays out our Call To Actions for the week. Because knowing what’s going on is one thing. But doing something about it is another. Let’s do both!

GPL Presents: Water Cooler with Jalon and Joey

Every morning, Jalon D’na and Joey Cade check in and talk about something we read or saw on slack. Videos drop every Thursday!

GPL Presents: Daily Briefs with Jalon Nichols

Everyday, Jalon reads you the headlines of the day — just to keep you in the know. Think NPR at the top of each hour, with a lot of shade some jokes.

Welcome to Organizer’s Corner — a (free) newsletter from your friends at Get Pod Local! Because we can help you stay inform — but then what?

Enter in your weekly Call To Actions (CTA!) from our Resident Precinct Chair, Joey Cade!

This newsletter is free, but if you’d like, please buy us some coffee! xoxo

Buy Us Coffee! ☕️

Plan what you’ll carry into 2026

We don’t accidentally stumble into winning years.

We decide what we’re bringing with us — and what we’re leaving behind.

As we close out 2025 and step into a decisive midterm year, this is the moment to get intentional. Not frantic. Not panicked. Focused.

Because the work of winning in November doesn’t begin in the fall.

The Primary Is Where Power Is Decided

In Texas, the Democratic primary will be on March 3, 2026. That means January and February are when outcomes are actually shaped. This is when we choose our champions…

…the candidates who will go on to defeat Republicans in November.

And when we choose well — when we do the work early — we win.

Primary elections are usually decided by a small number of people paying attention.1 That’s not a flaw of democracy — it’s an opportunity.

A few hours volunteered, a few conversations with friends, a little money given in January can make an outsized difference. When more of us help people make a plan to vote early, turnout rises.2

When turnout rises, better candidates win. And when better candidates win the primary, we flip seats in November.

Read: Texas voter turnout fell from 2018. It was still higher than other midterms.

The primary is where power is decided.

This is how movements actually work.

Not all at once.

Not a single battle won by a singular hero.

But through small, steady acts of shared responsibility.

As mentioned last week, democracy in practice is:

• An hour spent volunteering with fellow citizens

• A local meeting attended

• A neighbor checked on

• A mutual aid donation

When we show up for one another — by donating time or resources, checking in on friends, gathering in real life — we create the trust and resilience we need (to keep everyone safe during this authoritarian regime AND to win elections). Trust turns into turnout. Especially in primaries, where elections are decided by the people who show up consistently.

Let’s decide now that in 2026 we will stay stay focused all year on deepening and expanding our community of voters. If we do this, as we build towards the Midterm election in October, we will WIN.3

Read: Why Republicans in Congress are turning against Trump

But none of this works if we’re fried.

So we’ll keep repeating this through 2026:

Burnout helps authoritarians. Regulated nervous systems win elections.

Rest is not retreat. Strategic rest is preparation. We can’t organize, persuade, or lead effectively when we’re exhausted. Down time now is how we stay in this for the long haul.

Until the new year, our job is to rest, refill, and reconnect.

When 2026 begins, we will rise ready - ready to build community. Because community is the antidote to authoritarianism. And it’s also how we win elections.

So Here’s Your One Assignment As We Cross Into The New Year

Just one. Pick what fits your life:

• Reach out to one person and reconnect — no agenda, just care

• Reboot your inputs: clear your algorithms, seek fresh voices, and lock in trusted sources that inform and empower you - Here’s a helpful video

• Donate money or sign up for a volunteer shift to donate time to a local organization addressing food insecurity, housing, or immigrant support

  • In the Dallas area, we recommend Vecinos Unidos or Minnie’s Pantry

  • A great election-related donation is to meet needs your local party has, such as purchasing from Dallas Dems’ wishlist

• Start learning about Democratic primary candidates

  • The choices we make in the primary will determine who’s on the ballot — and who can actually win — in November

  • This is a helpful list of every race that will be on ballots in Dallas County

  • Attend this virtual event I am helping plan on Tues, Jan 13, that’s open to all Texas residents and will feature statewide candidates (meaning the candidates we will all have on our ballots, no matter where you live in TX)

    • PS: , my candidate for Senate, HAS confirmed to attend so it’s sure to be lively and well attended

We don’t need to reinvent the wheel. We need to listen, trust, and fight like hell for leadership that reflects the wisdom of the people most impacted.

So As We Step Into 2026, Ask Yourself:

What will I carry forward?

Not fear — focus.

Not burnout — rest and preparation.

Not isolation — community.

What we do now, in the quiet months, matters.

The rest we take now.

The community we build now.

The candidates we choose now.

This important work we are doing now will determine how many seats we will flip in 2026.

We are not behind.

We are preparing.

And we are going to win, y’all.

Hugs, high fives, and a very Happy New Year. I’m excited about what we will accomplish together in 2026!

Joey

Important election dates4

• Mon, Feb 2 - Last day to register to vote in the Primary Election

  • Registering to vote in TX is NOT easy; League of Women voters is one of the best resources to ensure your registration is approved

• Tues, Feb 17 to Fri, Feb 27 - Primary Early Voting

  • The weekend of Feb 21 & 22 is our only Primary weekend voting

• Tues, March 3 - Primary Election Day

• Conventions - Attend these to build political power with like-minded citizens

  • Sat, March 21 - Congressional (local) Democratic Conventions

  • June 25-27 - State Dem Convention in Corpus Christi (most large counties will offer bus transportation but book accommodation asap)

• May - Primary Runoffs

  • If we have any runoff races from the Primary, they will take place in May

• Mon, Oct 5 - Last day to register to vote in the Midterm Election

• Mon, Oct 14 to Fri, Oct 30 - Midterm Election Early Voting

  • The weekend of Feb 21 & 22 is our only Primary weekend voting

• Tues, November 3 - Midterm Election Day

Lone Star Left

Where Are Texas Democrats?

Today, we’re going to have fun with numbers! 😁 One of my biggest pet peeves in Texas politics is the question that refuses to die. How will this statewide candidate appeal to rural voters? Closely followed by its equally tired cousin, Democrats could flip Texas if they just spent more time in rural communities…

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7 months ago · 73 likes · 31 comments · Michelle H. Davis

Organizer’s Corner is a Newsletter brought to you by our very own, Joey Cade. Lots of folks have ideas of what can help / what you should do — and while no one has all the answers, we (specifically Joey) do have some. Okay, a lot. Joey is not just a co-host of Get Pod Local …she’s also the Precinct Chair for Dallas’ Precinct 1052.

Your Moment Of Zen

We’re Also On Youtube!

Watch Us On Youtube!

Other GPL Goodies

Get Pod Local The Podcast: Season 2 with Jalon and Joey

Joey and Jalon sit down with Politicians, Community Leaders, and movers and shakers making a difference. And almost every episode, the Dallas Mayor catches a stray. He deserves it. It’s fine. Episodes drop every Tuesday! Coming Soon!

GPL Presents: New Newsletter with Jalon Nichols

Every Friday, Jalon catches you up on what is going on out here, who is doing it, how does that impact your everyday life, and what everyone is saying about. We are based in Texas, so we have a lot of Texas news, but we cover the whole wide world. There is a LOT of stuff going on everyday, and no one can keep up with it all, but we attempt to….for you. (Clap for us).

GPL Presents: Organizers Corner w/ Joey Cade

Every Sunday night, Joey Cade, our Resident Precinct Chair, lays out our Call To Actions for the week. Because knowing what’s going on is one thing. But doing something about it is another. Let’s do both!

GPL Presents: Water Cooler with Jalon and Joey

Every morning, Jalon D’na and Joey Cade check in and talk about something we read or saw on slack. Videos drop every Thursday!

GPL Presents: Daily Briefs with Jalon Nichols

Everyday, Jalon reads you the headlines of the day — just to keep you in the know. Think NPR at the top of each hour, with a lot of shade some jokes.

Subscribe now

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In 2022, 9.6 Million registered Texas voters DID NOT VOTE. That’s…..insane.

Welcome to Organizer’s Corner — a (free) newsletter from your friends at Get Pod Local! Because we can help you stay inform — but then what?

Enter in your weekly Call To Actions (CTA!) from our Resident Precinct Chair, Joey Cade!

This newsletter is free, but if you’d like, please buy us some coffee! xoxo

Buy Us Coffee! ☕️

Today Is The Winter Solstice — The Longest Night Of The Year

From here on out, the days will get longer… which means there is more sunshine ahead of us. (Thank goddess!)

After a year of nonstop spectacle, outrage, and chaos, many of us are getting pulled into a vortex of negativity and anxiety. It makes sense if disappearing into a scrolling device feels soothing right now (even though it doesn’t actually help). And authoritarianism thrives on exactly that — stress, burnout, and isolation.

That’s why this moment — this holiday season — matters so much.

As we head toward an election year that will decide the future of our democracy, this time is an invitation to pause, to breathe, and to prepare. Not to hide — but to get ready.

Because regulated nervous systems win elections.

Rest Is Not Retreat; It’s Part Of The Strategy

The work that actually wins elections is quiet, relational, and local. And it’s already happening — even if it never makes the news.

Every hour spent volunteering with fellow citizens.

Every neighbor checked on during the holidays.

Every local meeting attended.

Every mutual aid donation.

This is democracy in practice.

This is how democracy survives.

When we show up for one another — by donating time or resources, checking in on friends, gathering in real life — we create the trust and resilience that elections depend on. This is the trust that later turns into turnout — especially in primaries, where elections are decided by the few who are paying attention.

Community Is The Antidote To Authoritarianism

It always has been.

Do you know how Zohran Mamdani won in NYC (in addition to the obvious talent of the candidate)? By focusing on the foundational work of building community.

Mamdani’s campaign engaged more citizens than any campaign in NYC history, with over 100,000 volunteer canvassers. Their grassroots ground game was epic. Volunteers knocked on over 3 million doors, with help from the trust built by over 700 volunteer “field leads” who managed the wild influx of volunteers in each neighborhood. That is the exact grassroots, community-building work that will flip seats across Texas in 2026.

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So, over the next week, I invite you to focus on preparation, not panic. We will build our stamina, as individuals, and as a community of liberals determined to take back our country in 2026.

Spend time with people who make you laugh and feel grounded. Get outside and meet neighbors. Make new friends.

Read: < How to make friends & get good gossip

Read: New York’s Hottest Dinner Party Is in an Apartment in the South Bronx

Prioritize laughter, movement, sleep, and connection. We’ve earned the rest — and we’ll need the energy for what’s ahead.

Read: How to think about rest as a form of resistance

THIS is the season to dream big, to rest smart, and to get ready.

The days going forward are getting longer. The sun is heading back our way. And the work ahead - together - is worth it.

Hugs, high fives, and a very merry Christmas to you and yours,

Joey

Organizer’s Corner is a Newsletter brought to you by our very own, Joey Cade. Lots of folks have ideas of what can help / what you should do — and while no one has all the answers, we (specifically Joey) do have some. Okay, a lot. Joey is not just a co-host of Get Pod Local …she’s also the Precinct Chair for Dallas’ Precinct 1052.

Your Moment Of Zen

We’re Also On Youtube!

Watch Us On Youtube!

Other GPL Goodies

Get Pod Local The Podcast: Season 2 with Jalon and Joey

Joey and Jalon sit down with Politicians, Community Leaders, and movers and shakers making a difference. And almost every episode, the Dallas Mayor catches a stray. He deserves it. It’s fine. Episodes drop every Tuesday! Coming Soon!

GPL Presents: New Newsletter with Jalon Nichols

Every Friday, Jalon catches you up on what is going on out here, who is doing it, how does that impact your everyday life, and what everyone is saying about. We are based in Texas, so we have a lot of Texas news, but we cover the whole wide world. There is a LOT of stuff going on everyday, and no one can keep up with it all, but we attempt to….for you. (Clap for us).

GPL Presents: Organizers Corner w/ Joey Cade

Every Sunday night, Joey Cade, our Resident Precinct Chair, lays out our Call To Actions for the week. Because knowing what’s going on is one thing. But doing something about it is another. Let’s do both!

GPL Presents: Water Cooler with Jalon and Joey

Every morning, Jalon D’na and Joey Cade check in and talk about something we read or saw on slack. Videos drop every Thursday!

GPL Presents: Daily Briefs with Jalon Nichols

Everyday, Jalon reads you the headlines of the day — just to keep you in the know. Think NPR at the top of each hour, with a lot of shade some jokes.