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MWEG Deep Dive Recap: Michaelâs Story â Understanding Systemic Racism
In the wake of the terrible, tragic death of George Floyd at the hands of a police officer in Minneapolis, we have a new urgency to understand why and how such a thing could happen. We know itâs happened before many times to both Black adults and Black children, but this time is different. This time we were witnesses to the callous cruelty of an officer of the law as he knelt on Georgeâs neck until he was dead. We are beginning our journey to understand how our system of law, justice, child custody, schools, building codes, housing, healthcare, and social services interact to put young children and adults of…
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Media Literacy: How to Address Misinformation on Social Media
Why should we call out misinformation? Social media has become a powerful tool for the dissemination of disinformation, propaganda, and conspiracy theories related to current events. This causes division, confusion, and contention among friends, family members, and neighbors. It impedes our ability to make well-informed judgments as citizens. MWEG is working hard to educate people about how to identify quality news sources; however, a more challenging aspect of media literacy is learning how to address and respond to friends and family members who share misinformation. This is an emotionally fraught and taxing issue, and there are no easy answers. How should we do it? According to the MWEG Principles of…
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Call to Action: Protect Democracy by Ensuring Government Oversight
On June 20 the president continued his pattern of weekend firings by unexpectedly terminating Geoffery Berman, U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York. Berman had been overseeing many high-profile investigations, including one into President Trumpâs personal attorney, Rudy Giuliani. Bermanâs firing, while legal, did not follow regular norms and patterns. In conjunction with other recent firings, it raises questions about Trumpâs repeated removal of government officials actively investigating claims against his administration and his associates. In April and May, President Trump fired five inspectors general, including those looking into allegations of impropriety at the State Department, Department of Defense, and Department of Health and Human Services. Congress has…
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Call to Action: Oppose New Asylum Procedures
On Monday, June 15, the Trump administration posted a proposal to the Federal Register that would drastically restrict the ability of people seeking asylum to apply and qualify for asylum in the U.S. The proposalâs biggest changes include removing the ability to claim asylum due to a credible fear of domestic or gang violence in the country of origin and increased restrictions to legal representation. Previous policy interpreted asylum law to include such threats. Under President Trump, policy has increasingly excluded this type of violence. The new proposal would make that policy official, leaving hundreds of thousands of displaced people vulnerable. To Do: Please use our Call to Action tool…
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MWEG Deep Dive Recap: “Charting a Course Forward for Principled Conservatives”
Mormon Women for Ethical Government recently hosted a Deep Dive event with a focus on principled conservatism. Sarah, the president and CEO of communications firm Longwell Partners, was the featured speaker and shared her perspective with MWEG members and invited guests. Sarah Longwell is a lifelong conservative who was a loyal and influential Republican â until Donald Trump was nominated by the GOP and then elected president. âWhen he was nominated, I was extremely alarmed. When he was elected, that turned into a five-alarm fire,â Sarah said. Thatâs when she became a âNever Trumper,â working against Trump and for other candidates who disavowed Trumpâs particular ideology. Sarah’s focus as a…
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MWEG Town Hall Recap: “If All Lives Matter, then Black Lives Matter”
Last week MWEG was honored to host Dr. LaShawn Williams, clinical social worker and assistant professor at Utah Valley University; Charlotte Mountain, MWEGâs anti-racism committee lead; and Denise Grayson, MWEGâs senior director of the proactive root at our inaugural Town Hall event. The meeting was titled âIf All Lives Matter, then Black Lives Matter: Turning Frustration into Productive Interpersonal Action,â and each attendee came away more equipped to engage thoughtfully and courageously with others on race and racism in America. Weâd like to share a few quotes from the night, plus some questions attendees asked during the event and the link to watch the full recording in the MWEG Portal.…