Next year is an important election year for all major state offices in Alabama, plus Congressional representatives and a U.S. Senator. Lawmakers in Montgomery will be focused on state issues but viewing them through a national political lens. What could go wrong?
You guessed it. That’s why we plan to be on the job. Join HIVE Alabama and MAD? Make a Difference for our sixth annual virtual Alabama Legislative Preview on Tuesday, January, 13th at noon. Click here to pre-register.
On Nov. 18, the Alabama Educational Television Commission (AETC) is poised to sever ties between Alabama Public Television and the Public Broadcasting System. The commission is also toying with the idea of keeping PBS but eliminating PBS public affairs programming such as the PBS News Hour. To make matters worse, the commission plans to make this decision in a Birmingham conference room too small for more than a handful of interested Alabamians to attend.
Our friend Elaine Witt has put together the amazing tool kit below with more information and a guide to contacting the Governor’s office, APTV and the individual ATEC members. Thank you Elaine!
WHAT CAN YOU DO?
Join us this Wednesday, November 12th from 5:00-7:00 p.m. at Cahaba Brewing (4500 5th Ave S Building, 35222) as we write postcards to both APTV and the Alabama Educational Television Commission. We will hand deliver them to the Governor’s office and to APTV offices.
Email public officials involved in this decision to share your opinion. Sample email template and below.
Call the office of Gov. Kay Ivey, who appoints this commission. Sample telephone script and phone number below.
Call or email your Alabama House Representative or Alabama Senator to express your concern. Ask them to please intervene to stop Alabama Public Television from cutting ties with the Public Broadcasting System, and let them know if you are an APT member. Or adapt one of the templates below. You can find their contact information here.
Show up for the next public meeting of the Alabama Educational Television Commission, at 10 am on Tuesday, Nov. 18, at 2112 11th Ave South, Suite 400, Birmingham, AL 35205. We may not all get into the room, but media will be there to capture our turnout. Feel free to bring a small sign supporting the partnership between APT and PBS. Sample messaging: APT & PBS Belong Together *** LISTEN to your members: Keep PBS!
KEY TALKING POINTS
APT is a treasured Alabama institution that has been educating Alabamians and enriching their lives for 70 years.
APT members should have access to any discussion that could cause the loss of 90 percent of APT’s programming; this discussion should not take place in a tiny conference room.
APT has many thousands of members, nearly all of whom will probably cancel their memberships, and perhaps demand their contributions back, if they can no longer access PBS programming via APT’s four digital channels or the popular PBS Passport app. Losing these loyal members and having to refund their money will ultimately lead to the death of APT.
PBS educational resources for teaching basics like reading and math are vital in schoolrooms throughout Alabama. These resources will be lost if APT severs ties with PBS.
Members of the AETC have been quoted in press reports to say they want to cut ties with PBS because the president doesn’t like it. These commissioners should be ashamed to put politics above the concerns of more than 20,000 APT contributors, many, many more APT viewers and Alabama schoolchildren.
SAMPLE SCRIPTS
Sample Telephone Script for Gov. Kay Ivey (334-242-7100): Hi, my name is [NAME], and I’m a voter from [CITY]. I am opposed to the elimination of programming from the Public Broadcasting System on Alabama Public Television, as is proposed by members of the Alabama Educational Television Commission. As an APT (contributor/viewer), I am asking the governor to intervene in what would be a reckless action by a board she appointed.
I am a (FINANCIAL CONTRIBUTOR TO/VIEWER OF) Alabama Public Television, and I am alarmed to hear of the proposed severing of ties between APT and the Public Broadcasting System. I (SUPPORT/WATCH) APT because I value programs like the PBS New Hour, Nature and American Masters, as well as children’s programs like Sesame Street.
APT is a treasured Alabama institution with a 70-year history of educating Alabamians. Cutting ties with PBS will quickly lead to the loss of APT altogether. The more than 20,000 viewers who support APT through their donations cannot be expected to continue giving if they can no longer access PBS programming via APT’s four digital channels or the popular PBS Passport app. Some will certainly ask for their money back.
The loss of PBS will also mean the loss of valuable teaching tools that have supported teachers throughout Alabama for generations.
I am writing in hopes you, as governor, will intervene in what would be a reckless action by a board that you appoint.
Respectfully,
(YOUR NAME, CITY)
Sample Email to APT and individual AETC Members (addresses below):
Dear (NAME OF RECIPIENT)
I am a (FINANCIAL CONTRIBUTOR TO/VIEWER OF) Alabama Public Television, and I am alarmed to hear of the proposed severing of ties between APT and the Public Broadcasting System. I (support/watch) APT because I value programs like the PBS New Hour, Nature and American Masters, as well as children’s programs like Sesame Street. Please consider my concerns, as stated below:
– Without PBS, there will be no APT. The more than 20,000 viewers who support APT through their donations cannot be expected to continue giving if they can no longer access PBS programming via APT’s four digital channels or the PBS Passport app. Some will certainly ask for their money back.
– The loss of PBS will also mean the loss of valuable teaching tools that have supported teachers throughout Alabama for decades.
– Members of the unelected board that controls APT have been quoted to say they want to cut ties with PBS because politicians they support don’t like it. These commissioners should be ashamed to put politics above the interests of thousands of APT members, viewers and schoolchildren.
– I would like to voice my concerns to the board that controls APT, or at least have access to the Nov. 18 meeting where this proposal will be discussed. I am told this meeting will be in a small conference room, which is highly inappropriate for the discussion of something that matters so much to so many Alabamians. I ask that you find a larger, more suitable space for this meeting, and allow public comments.
Join HIVE/MAD for a fundraising lunch on Tuesday, November 4th from 11:45 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Surin West (1918 11th Ave S, 35205) to hear from one of our favorites, Elizabeth Anderson! Elizabeth is once again running for Alabama’s Sixth Congressional District and we want to help her kick off her campaign!
A generous donor has sponsored lunch. Please email Jennifer at jenniferlougreer@gmail.com to reserve your spot and then please contribute to Elizabeth here.
Fight fire with fire! Join us for Postcarding for Democracy on Monday, October 20th, from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at Cahaba Brewing Company (4500 5th Ave S, 35222).
We have been asked to help with an urgent postcard project, sending 250 handwritten cards to California voters in support of Prop 50. This ballot measure, up for a vote on November 4th, was drafted to combat Trump’s request for five more gerrymandered GOP districts in Texas. California Gov. Gavin Newsome countered with his proposal to temporarily redraw five districts and add more Democrats from his state to Congress.
Bring a friend and a book of standard first-class stamps, or a donation, if you can! We promise good company and good trouble!
Toforest Johnson is a son, a brother, and a father who has spent more than 26 years on Alabama’s death row for a crime he did not commit. He was convicted in 1998 for the 1995 murder of Jefferson County Sheriff’s Deputy William G. Hardy—despite overwhelming evidence of his innocence.
More than ten witnesses testified that Toforest was across town at the time of the crime. There was no physical evidence linking him to the scene. No eyewitnesses placed him there. Since the day of his arrest, he has unwaveringly maintained his innocence.
Yet, the Alabama Attorney General continues to pursue his execution.
This grave injustice has sparked national outrage. Those calling for a new trial include former Alabama Supreme Court Justices such as Drayton Nabers Jr., former Governors including Robert Bentley, former Attorneys General including Bill Baxley, U.S. Senator Doug Jones, and current Jefferson County District Attorney Danny Carr.
Join us on Monday, September 15th from 6:30-8:30 p.m.in the Round Auditorium at the Homewood Public Library (1721 Oxmoor Rd, Birmingham, AL 35209) as we gather to learn more about Toforest’s case, hear clips from the award-winning Earwitness podcast—produced by Birmingham journalist Beth Shelburne—and explore how we can stand in solidarity with Toforest and his family in the fight for justice.
Help us send hundreds of postcards on Monday, June 30th from 6:00-7:30 p.m. at Cahaba Brewing Company (4500 5th Ave S, Birmingham, AL 35222) to lawmakers while they are debating and voting on the Republican budget megabill. This is the bill that slashes essential taxpayer services — ACA affordable premiums, healthcare protections, Medicaid, SNAP nutrition benefits, clean energy supports, etc. — to finance tax cuts that disproportionately favor the rich. We provide postcards and stamps. You bring the passion for democracy and honest feeback for lawmakers. Click here for more info.
Congratulations! We made it through the 2025 Alabama legislative session. Here is a list of some of the bills HIVE Alabama and MAD? Make A Difference followed. To check a bill’s language or status, go to the state’s Alison website. Special thanks to MAD?’s Jennifer Greer for putting this amazing list together for us!
Thank ALL of you for calling, postcarding, and going to Montgomery to lobby for positive change. We helped pass at least eight good bills. We also stopped numerous bad bills. Our voices were heard!
Join us on Tuesday, May 13th from 12-1 p.m. for our annual Legislative Review Zoom featuring the good and the bad of the 2025 Alabama Legislative Session. Hear from amazing advocacy groups including:
Join us on Thursday, April 10th from 5:30-7:30 p.m. at the Alabama Peanut Company (2016 Morris Ave, Birmingham, AL 35203) as we finish an important postcarding effort to protect free speech at Alabama libraries — and, incredibly, keep our favorite librarians out of jail! We have everything you need — postcards, addresses, stamps, etc. And this venue is pure fun! Click here for more info.
1) Add state lawmaker contacts to your phone. Get the names/contact info of your lawmakers by entering your address at this link. *Tip from our friend/calling guru Rebecca Rothman: Save all politicians in your phone as “Politician (first name) (last name)” so you can search them easily.
3) Determine who to call. If the bill is in the House, call your Representative. If it’s in the Senate, call your Senator. Also, you may also want to call House or Senate leadership and the bill’s sponsor(s), especially if your legislator is a sponsor. Sponsors are listed in at the top of the bill (enter the number on the Alison website, Bills Current Session.)
VOTE YES
Ban Possession of a Pistol with Alterations like Glock Switches: HB26
Replace 1-Day-Voting with Early, Multiple-Day, In-Person Voting : HB59/HB71
Allow Voters w/Disabilities a Designee to Deliver Absentee Ballot/Application: HB77
Support AL Maternal Health Care Act to Cut Red Tape for Pregnancy Care:HB89/SB102
Quit Throwing Out Ballots! Allow Absentee Voters to Fix Errors: HB97
Penalize Parent of Child who Brings Unsecured Firearm to School: HB103
Exempt Sales Taxes on Diapers, Baby Supplies, Hygiene Products HB152/SB159
Pass the Alabama Voting Rights Act & Allow All Eligible Citizens to Vote: SB7
Fund Alabama Public Transportation for Just $5 a Year on Car Tag: SB11
Affirm Right to Engage in, Dispense, & Inform about Contraception: SB19
Remove Tax Incentives from Violators of Child Labor Laws: SB 22
Cut Paperwork & Restore Voting Rights to Incarcerated Upon Release: SB153
Vote YES to Give Non-Violent Offenders with Life Sentences a Second Chance: SB156
VOTE NO
Don’t Jail librarians For Doing their Jobs at Community Libraries: HB4
HIVE Alabama 