One year ago, H.I.V.E. began in the back room of Weezie’s Candy Emporium as a group of women gathered to voice our concerns, disappointment and hopes for our community and beyond. We didn’t know much but we did know we had a desire to create some positivity around us. So we began by educating ourselves on issues and then moved to getting involved in local projects, initiatives and candidates. We’ve supported each other in our own projects and come together to lift each other up. We’ve also met with more fabulous people and organizations than we can count to help create positive change in our community, state and beyond. Thank you for an awesome first year and we look forward to much more to come!

This past year, H.I.V.E.:

• Successfully asked the Homewood City Schools to change their Code of Conduct to be inclusive of students (and employees) regardless of their sexual orientation/gender identity.
• Organized an Anti-Bullying/Anti-Bias Book Drive resulting in over 43 books being donated to the three Homewood Elementary schools, totaling over $900 in donations.
• Rallied behind our local candidates Felicia Stewart (Candidate for AL House District 46), Danner Kline (6th U.S. Congressional District) and Doug Jones (U.S. Senate), hosting a meet the candidates night, phone banking sessions, writing postcards, parading in the Homewood Christmas Parade and more.

HOSTED

• Co-hosted a Women’s in Politics Luncheon at the Clubhouse on Highlands with the fabulous M.A.D. in Alabama, Forward Alabama and the Greater Birmingham Democrats
• Organized our first Open Ears & Beers Event at Good People Brewery, bringing together people from all sides of the conversation to find common ground
• H.I.V.E. Books, a monthly book club

DONATED

• Our members collected donations/contributed to:
  • Magic City Acceptance Center
  • First Light Women’s Shelter
  • Islamic Academy of Alabama
  • YouthServe

MEETINGS/PANELS

• Talking to Our Neighbors (Indivisible’s Carole Griffin, Lawyer and Member Extraordinaire Doug Marsh) 
• Environmental Issues (GASP,’s Kirsten Bryant, March for Science’s Nicole Watkins)
• Meet the Candidates Night (Felicia Stewart, Danner Kline, Doug Jones) and info session with the Greater Birmingham Democrats’ Bob Parker and Ready to Run’s Pat Vandermeer
• Healthcare (Former Finance Director of Children’s Hospital Alabama and more Doug Hoffman, Retired Medical Director of the William A. Daniel, Jr. Adolescent Health Center and more Marsha Studervant and Director of State Government Relations at HealthSouth and more Katie Shuey)
• Education (Alabama education blogger Larry Lee, AL.com Education reporter Trisha Crain, Elementary School Principal Susan Remick)
• Human Rights (Magic City Acceptance Center’s Amanda Keller, Lawyer & ACLU and AIDS Alabama Board Member Anil Mujumdar) 
• Emerge Alabama’s Stacie Propst

We’ve just received word that Louise Jones will be joining us at our H.I.V.E. Anniversary Celebration this Sunday, January 28, 2018 at 6:30 p.m. at Weezie’s Candy Emporium (923 Oxmoor Rd). Louise was integral to her husband’s election to the U.S. Senate and has been so supportive of the many women’s groups and movement in Alabama and beyond. We can’t wait to hear from her.

We hope you can join us as we celebrate you and this energizing and inspiring community we have built! We will also be mingling, planning, writing postcards, eating cake and toasting each other on a year of gathering, learning and doing. We hope you can join us!

Megan & Kristin

We hope you can join us:

H.I.V.E. Books
Saturday, January 20th, 10:30 a.m.
Seed’s Coffee, 174 Oxmoor Rd, Homewood, AL 35209
We are reading The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
All are welcome! You don’t have to read the book to come and participate in the discussion. Email Caitlin or Glory for more info and check us out at Goodreads

H.I.V.E.’s Anniversary Celebration
Sunday, January 28th, 6:30 p.m.
Weezie’s Candy Emporium, 923 Oxmoor Road, Homewood, AL 35209
We are going back to where it all began for an evening of celebration and looking forward! All are welcome and we hope you can join us as we celebrate H.I.V.E.’s one year anniversary.

H.I.V.E. Meeting
Monday, February 19, 2018, 7:00 p.m.
Homewood Library, Room 101
Meeting details to be announced soon!

H.I.V.E. Meeting
Thursday, March 15, 2018, 7:00 p.m.
Homewood Library, Room 101
Meeting details to be announced soon!

Meet the Candidates
Monday, April 23, 2018, 6:30 p.m.
Homewood Library, Large Auditorium
Join us as we get to know the candidates in the upcoming 2018 State, Congressional and Gubernatorial races. We have an exciting list of candidates who have already confirmed. More info to come!

The Alabama Legislature reconvened today and there’s a prefiled bill seeking to outlaw “debtor’s prisons.” Senate Bill 31 (sponsored by Senator Albritton – R) says that municipal courts would no longer be able to jail defendants accused of misdemeanors (such as traffic tickets, etc.) because they can’t afford to pay certain fines or fees.  While 77 municipalities across Alabama have adopted policies aimed at ensuring that their jails don’t hold people just because they can’t pay their fines, this bill would make it uniform across the state. 

The Southern Poverty Law Center has advocated for this policy change for several years. You can read more about this issue here, the SPLC’s work and the actual bill here.

I’m writing a postcard and email to my Senator (Jabo Waggoner) to encourage him to support Senate Bill 31. Will you join me in reading more about this issue and taking action? (My text: “Senator Waggoner, I’m writing in hopes you will support Senate Bill 31 sponsored by Senator Albritton. This law prohibits jailing people because they are poor and upholds our Constitution. Thank you for doing the right thing.”)

You can click here to find your Senator.  

Senator Jabo Waggoner (my senator)
jabo.waggoner@alsenate.gov
11 South Union Street, Ste. 726
Montgomery, AL 36130

Senator Rodger Smitherman (another senator in our area, please check the link above)
rodger.smitherman@alsenate.gov
11 South Union Street, Ste. 737
Montgomery, AL 36130

H.I.V.E.’s first annual Anti-Bullying/Anti-Bias Holiday Book Drive is a wrap! H.I.V.E. members donated 46 Anti-bullying/Anti-bias books to our friends at Shades Cahaba Elementary, Edgewood Elementary and Hall Kent Elementary Schools. We plan to work with these schools again in the spring for a city-wide Anti-bullying Day. And to expand the book drive to more schools. THANK YOU!!!

The time has come. Please VOTE this Tuesday, 12/12. Tell your friends to vote. Follow up with them to make sure they have. Be the change you want to see in the world. Let’s show folks what we can do here in Alabama when we unite in goodness.

The H.I.V.E. has partnered with the three Homewood Elementary Schools to sponsor a holiday book drive featuring anti-bullying and anti-bias books.  Each school has created a wish list of books that fit into this category.

Please click here to donate a book (or books!) of your choice to these libraries. Please choose your book(s) and write your checks directly to the school(s). We will be in touch to collect your checks before Wednesday, December 13th.  Thanks so much for your support!

Friends, my heart is heavy over the news of the past few days. We can not stand by as folks normalize and defend horrible actions. We MUST hold folks accountable. Not just the accused but all who defend and look the other way. I know we are all busy. But NOW is the time to take a stand and DO OUR PART to elect representatives that we can be proud of. Not just on December 12th but next year and the year after and beyond. Please JOIN US.

Click here for a link of  actions this week that you can do to support Doug Jones (many you can do from the comfort of your own homes). Then JOIN US as we phonebank for the fabulous VOTE Felicia Stewart this Monday, 11/13. JOIN US Tuesday, 11/14 to write postcards to urge friends to vote for Doug Jones. JOIN US Tuesday, 12/5 as we march in the Homewood Christmas parade to stand up for what is right for our state and fellow Alabamians. We can do this together. Unite for better.

• Tuesday, November 7th, 6:00-8:00 p.m.
  Phone Banking for Doug Jones with the Greater Birmingham Democrats
  Doug Jones Headquarters, 4500 5th Ave, S, Birmingham, AL 35222
  Click here for more info

• Monday, November 13th, 6:15-8:30 p.m.
  Phone Banking for Felicia Stewart (AL House District 46)
  Felicia’s house
  Email Kristin for more info

• Tuesday, November 14th, 7:15 – 9:00 p.m.
  Doug Jones Postcard Writing & Noteworthy Campaign Writing
  Megan’s house
  Email Megan for more info

• Saturday, December 2nd, 10:30 a.m.
  H.I.V.E. Book Club – First Meeting!
  We’re reading Hope In the Dark by Rebecca Solnit
  Octane, 2821 Central Ave, Homewood, AL 35209
  Email Caitlin or Glory for more info

• Tuesday, December 5th, 6:30 p.m.
  Homewood Christmas Parade
  Let’s “Jingle Bell Rock the Vote” by marching in the parade to encourage voting on December 12th! Bring you Doug Jones yard signs, handmade signs saying “VOTE December 12th,” twinkle lights and more! All are welcome. Stay tuned for more info.