Last week, we had a strong voting rights presentation at the UK Law School with over 80 students coming out to participate. Tayna Fogle and Tyler Birdwhistle spoke to the crowd who asked great questions and were very supportive.  We were also sure to let everyone there know how to use the legislative message hotline and to otherwise support HB 70. 

Tyler, John Ghaelian and others at this meeting are now circulating a petition to UK Law students in favor of restoring voting rights to former felons who have served their debt to society.  They're planning on delivering the petitions to key Kentucky senators in the coming weeks.

Red State Ramblers: Groundhog from Kentuckians For The Commonwealth on Vimeo.

Performances for the evening were provided by The Wild Boogers, Rich and the Po Folks, Clack Mountain String Band, and the Red State Ramblers. Additionally, Kentucky author Erik Reece and Kentucky poet Eric Sutherland read from the stage. Central Kentucky member Tanya Turner spoke from the stage encouraging folks to attend I Love Mountains Day on February 11.

Long-time KFTC member and establishment owner Josh Miller mentioned how exciting the event is every year and how much he looks forward to opening up the Bar for such a good cause.

Numerous KFTC members volunteered their time and creative skill to make the event such a huge success and one that folks in Lexington look forward to every year. 

Thanks to Jordan Panning, Mason Colby, Erin Cutler, Josh Saxton, and everyone else who helped working the door and the merch table.  Special thanks to Brian and Sara Turner of Cricket Press (www.cricket-press.com) for producing yet another wonderful poster.  Posters are still available for $10 each. Email Tim@KFTC.org if you are interested in purchasing one.

Third Annual I Love Mountains Old Time Music Showcase!!!!

February 6, 2010, All Ages
$10 (sliding scale, no one will be turned away) to benefit the work of Kentuckians For The Commonwealth

Al's Bar, Sixth Street and North Limestone in Lexington

Music Starts at 9 p.m.
Clack Mountain String Band
Red State Ramblers
Rich and the Po Folks
The Wild Boogers

Special Guests, Kentucky Authors Erik Reece and Eric Sutherland

*** The beautiful poster designed and printed by Cricket Press will be available at the show for sale***

On Thursday, the Central Kentucky chapter spent its meeting reviewing legislation that KFTC endorses, and also learned from our allies at Lexington Fairness which bills they're lobbying for during the 2010 General Assembly.

Central Kentucky members Katie Meyer, Martin Mudd, Jenn Myatt, and Susan Williams each led a breakout session on one of KFTC's legislative priorities. Members then broke down into small groups and spent ten minutes at each "station."

In Katie's group members celebrated our work on Wednesday during the "Bake Sale for the Budget" big lobby day. They also learned about the progressive tax reform legislation proposed in House Bill 13.

Susan Williams led a group on sustainable energy policies. She shared information about the Kentucky Sustainable Energy Alliance (KySEA), and how the policies proposed by the alliance will

benefit all  Kentuckians by saving ratepayers money in the short and long-term, creating local jobs and businesses, improving our health and environment through cleaner electricity sources and by helping families struggling with rising energy bills.

In the voting rights break-out members had a chance to learn about where we are with the restoration of voting rights legislation (HB 70) and to prepare for our big voting rights lobby day on March 4.

The fourth break-out group, led by Marty Mudd, focused on the history of the Stream Saver Bill. There were several first-timers at the meeting who kept Marty on his toes by asking important questions like, "How do you make an issue like protecting streams in Appalachia important to someone who lives in Lexington or Louisville?"

KFTC also has a history of supporting ally organizations' work in Frankfort as well. The chapter invited Joey Rose from Lexington Fairness to share with them which bills they are working on right now. Lexington Fairness is a local LGBTIQ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Intersex and Queer) organization. There are four bills that they are lobbying for during this session;

1. Statewide Fairness Bill (House: HB 117): This bill would prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity throughout Kentucky in employment, housing, public accommodations, insurance coverage, and credit. The House bill also includes sexual orientation and gender identity provisions in the powers of state and local human rights commissions. Right now only residents of Metro Louisville, Lexington/Fayette County, and Covington are protected by city ordinance against discrimination.

2. Hospital Visitation Bill (House: HB 118): This initiative would allow any adult hospital patient to designate another individual to be treated as a member of the patient's family with regard to visitation.

3. Fair Marriage Bill (House: HB 17): This bill would repeal the 2004 anti-marriage amendment by returning the issue to Kentucky voters.

4. Dual Parent Adoption Bill (House: HB 95): Allows non-married couples to adopt.

There will be a fairness lobby day on Wednesday, February 24. Starting at 9 a.m folks can gather in room 131 of the capitol annex for training.

To learn more about these bills and how they're coming along, visit the Kentucky Fairness Alliance's Legislative Action Center at http://kentuckyfairness.org/getinformed/legislation.htm

The Central Kentucky KFTC Chapter meets the third Thursday of every month from 7-9 p.m. at the Episcopal Diocesan Mission House at the corner of 4th Street and Martin Luther King. If you're interested in helping to plan our chapter meetings, please contact the CKY Organizer Ondine Quinn at ondine@kftc.org

The Central Kentucky Chapter held a fundraiser for KFTC last Saturday at Al's Bar in Lexington. This wasn't just any old fundraiser though, it was a punk rock show! Organized by KFTC member Jack Cofer, the show featured three great bands from Lexington; the Butchers, J. Marinelli, and the Tense Kids. Also joining everyone was the all female punk trio from Chicago, 8" Betsy.

Over 60 people attended the show and raised $260 for KFTC. Jack Cofer and Katie Meyer spoke from the stage about the importance of grassroots organizing, and why people should be involved in making their communities a better place.

Don't forget to come out for the next Al's Bar KFTC fundraiser, our old-time music showcase on Saturday, February 6. Doors open at 8 p.m., and the cover is $10.

All across the Commonwealth, KFTC members participated in events today celebrating the life of Martin Luther King Jr.

We also took some time to raise awareness of our Voting Rights campaign to challenge archaic laws in Kentucky that still disenfranchise 1 in 4 African Americans.

In Lexington, ten KFTC Members marched in the powerful MLK Freedom March with our banner starting at 10am, passing out voting rights handbills throughout the route. 

This is an important event for us to be at every year,” said Jerry Moody, A dedicated Central Kentucky KFTC leader who made the long march despite suffering a stroke just over a month ago.  “Building solidarity with community groups, particularly people of color groups, is key – and this is a good way to do that.”

 In Louisville, KFTC member Tayna Fogle was part of a motorcade with Wayside Christian Mission, inviting people to sign postcards to legislators about voting rights. 
In Perry County, members participated in a breakfast with a keynote speaker, followed by a march from Consolidated Baptist Church.  They took the opportunity to re-connect with the local NAACP chapter about our big voting rights lobby day in Frankfort on March 4th. 

Harlan County KFTC members participated in similar community events several days ago. 

In Scott County, KFTC members participated in a march and community event at Gano Baptist Church for the first time, with ten members participating over all.  At the community tabling event late in the evening, we connected with lots of new people in the community, including Scott County NAACP allies and three dozen people signed postcards about voting rights. 

Homer White remarked that it was one of the best community tabling events we’ve had in Scott County and many other members agreed that we should be involved every year. 

Tonight on the Woodsongs Old-Time Radio Hour will be musicians and KFTC members Ben Sollee and Daniel Martin Moore, as well as Kentucky writer Silas House. Ben and Daniel's new album, Dear Companion, is built around the theme of mountaintop removal and they'll be playing selections from it.  Silas will be reading selections from Eli the Good and Something’s Rising.

You can go straight to the webcast by clicking here.  Or find out more about the show here.  Woodsongs Old-Time Radio Hour reaches about 10 million people via internet, TV broadcasts, and 491 radio stations.

Here are a few more pictures of our Singing For Democracy Gospel Fest last week, focusing on restoring voting rights to former felons who have served their debt to society. 

Thanks again for everyone who made it possible.

Merline Davis wrote a good article that will appear in tomorrow's Herald-Leader supporting voting rights for former felons who have served their time and inviting people to our Singing For Democracy Gospel Fest on Wednesday. 

After spending three years in prison and another seven years on parole, René D. Riley of Lexington knew she wanted a better life, a fuller life, the life of an ordinary citizen.

As a convicted felon, though, Riley, 44, knew that kind of life would not be easy to achieve. Finding a job and safe housing were very difficult. Plus, she said, she realized she could not vote.

Section 145 of Kentucky's Constitution states that anyone convicted of a felony loses the right to vote. Those rights can be restored, though, through an executive pardon by the governor. Without a pardon, a convicted felon can never vote again in Kentucky.

 Riley was not having that.

"I am the type of person when I set my mind to do something, I push myself," she said.

When she couldn't find a job, she went to school. When she learned she could not cast a ballot, she contacted her parole officer.

She was supplied with the necessary paperwork to send to the governor's office asking to be re-enfranchised.

"I wrote Gov. (Ernie) Fletcher a letter and he wrote back," she said. "He asked why he should give (the right to vote) back to me."

In other news related to the upcoming Singing for Democracy Gospel Fest, we had a good set of planning meetings today to move things forward, but we scheduled another (fifth and final) meeting tomorrow, along with a set of other publicity events:

- Pleasant Green Church (540 West Maxwell Street) at 11am tomorrow (Sunday) morning.  Passing out flyers about the Gospel Fest.

- Fifth and final Planning Meeting - tomorrow (Sunday) at  4:00pm at the Lexington KFTC Office (250 Plaza Dr., Lexington).

- Flyering at the Lexington Transit Center downtown - 6am to 9am Tuesday, December 1st.  Headed up by Jan.

- Flyering Day to help raise awareness of the event on Tuesday, December 1st at 1pm, meeting at the Lexington KFTC Office (250 Plaza Dr., Lexington).  We'll flyer in the neighborhoods around Imani.

- Gospel Fest - Wednesday, December 2nd at 6:30pm at Imani Baptist Church.  This should be an extraordinary event!  We could also use more volunteers during the event itself.  Please email me to let me know if you can be there.

- Scott County Voting Rights Meeting - Thursday, December 3rd at 6:30pm at the Ed Davis Learning Center (151 Ed Davis Ln, Georgetown).  Meeting headed up by Homer White. 

Gospel Fest to Restore Voting Rights to Former Felons who have served their debt to society.

Featuring great church choirs, soloists, and hip-hop talents from all over Lexington and the rest of the state.  

Free! – But donations to Kentuckians For The Commonwealth are welcome

Forgiveness, loving your neighbor, compassion - If we truly believed all of that, then we wouldn’t have to have this discussion about whether former felons can vote or not.   God is always watching – and we’d better make this right.”        

                   – Tayna Fogle, former felon, and event organizer

Performing Groups:
- Wayside Christian Missionary – Louisville – ministry of Former Felons – "Down By The Wayside" 
- Total Praise – Lexington. House of God choir. 
- Voices of Bethsaida – Lexington. Bethsaida Baptist
- Black Phoenix Gang –   Louisville, KY. 
- Vettina People- Wright - Lexington, Ky Historic Pleasant Green
- Knucklehead Muzik.   Louisville – Former- Felons.   Hip-hop Gospel.
- Karen Dishman – solo  Lexington
- Rene Felder-Riley – solo – former -felon  Lexington
- Brandi – solo,  Cincinnati, Ohio Impact Life Ministries
- Jerry Moody – solo  KFTC member
- Elsie Speed - solo - Chronic Pain Support Inc.
- Jeff/Brianna Schultz - duo - Northern, Ky.  Kentucky Jail Ministries
- Edwards Singers: Jimtown, Ky.

Speakers:
- State Representative: Jessie Crenshaw "HB 70"
- Change Recovery House for Women: Kim Moore - Director
- Isaiah House Recovery Center:   Choe Sergent
- Brighton Recovery Center For Women:  Anita Prater - Director
- Drug Court:  Stephen Lyons - Graduate

Issue Background:

Kentucky is one of the two most difficult states for a former felon to get their voting rights back in.  186,000 Kentuckians can’t vote because of these laws – including 1 in 4 African Americans. 

We think that after someone has served their time, they should be given back their right to vote – because that’s the fair thing to do and because it make’s Kentucky’s Democracy stronger. 

Sponsored by Kentuckians For The Commonwealth
and co-sponsored by People Advocating Recovery, Never Alone, and other organizations. 

Contact:
Tayna Fogle – 859-270-9470 – LadyKat551982@yahoo.com
Dave Newton – 859-420-8919 – Dave@kftc.org

To get involved:

- Gospel Fest Planning Meeting.  Tomorrow (Saturday, November 28th) at  1:30pm at the Lexington KFTC Office (250 Plaza Dr., Lexington)

- Flyering Day Tuesday, December 1st at 1pm, meeting at the Lexington KFTC Office (250 Plaza Dr., Lexington)

- You can even download a flyer for the event from our website and post them around town or share them with organizations you're involved in.