Impact
Setting New Norms: Equity, Transparency and Accountability
Marblehead Beacon reports that during the 2022 Town Meeting, PowerUP Citizen Sponsored Article 36 requested in part that the procedures for determining Board & Committee appointments be officially codified. The text of the article called for the Town “to adopt procedures of operation and organizational structures for each board, committee, or similar town body to include but not be limited to a designation of powers and duties, decision making processes, board structure, and its initiatives to attract new members.” (Marblehead currently does not have documented standards or charter.) Three seated officials stood to oppose the Article - all of whom represent financial institutions in their professional lives and oversight of millions of dollars of taxpayer's money.
The Select Board Chair even claims "...the text of the Article was “so abstract and so non-specific. It expresses more of a yearning for something,” he said, “that I think is a fundamental misunderstanding of what our participatory form of government is here in Marblehead. Codification is not a substitute for trust and participation.” 2023 Here We Come!
Legislative Success: Removing Racist Name, Inclusive Language, Diversity Statement, Land Acknowledgement
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2021: After a lengthy, hate fueled campaign where we were threatened and harassed; circled, hissed at and attacked at Town Meeting - we changed the name of a Conservation Area to properly reflect a valued, respected small business owner and Revolutionary War Veteran Joseph Brown.
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2022: "Just last year, town resident Megan Sweeney, founder of the new citizen advocacy network Power Up Marblehead, tried moving an article through Town Meeting with similar goals. The article, called “Diversity” on the warrant, failed to gain a majority at Town Meeting last May. It included eight changes overall, including the gender-neutral language change, the Board of Selectmen title change, amending “job postings and job descriptions to reflect inclusiveness,” and changes for how screening committees in the town are formed." We are proud to say that in 2022 the Select Board - with new voices on the Board - sponsored the Article and despite opposition, it passed at Town Meeting.
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2022 After soliciting and receiving support from the Task Force Against Discrimination (only official town board to address discrimination), our Article to adopt a Diversity Statement passed. We now have a town sanctioned Statement that reflects a welcome to all.
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2022 After soliciting sponsorship for a Land Acknowledgement Article, allies of PowerUP worked tirelessly to draft and pass an Article that reflects acknowledgement of creating a town on indigenous land.
"As representatives of our local interfaith and social justice organizations, we and our allies explicitly stand together to denounce the antisemitic and racist incidents and expressions which continue to rise in our community, across the nation and worldwide. We know, as history continues to teach us, that silence from people of conscience allows such hatred to grow and erupt." -June 2021
Lifting Our Voice
PowerUP! March 2021
After months of swimming through ambiguity, obstacles and subterfuge, we transitioned to an organized existence. This is our first Letter to the Editor in the Marblehead Reporter (now defunct local paper)
Speaking Out Against Hate February 2021
“I think the unknowns, the 18 months that somebody knew the event took place and it took so long to get to the chief. involved is worrisome,” said Megan Sweeney. Sweeney wondered if an existing institutional environment prevented the incident from coming to light sooner.
Speaking Out Against Hate September 2021
“Dialogue, education, and accountability are effective tools in combating hate,” said Megan Sweeney, cofounder of the PowerUP Coalition, a diverse group which promotes increased civic engagement in town. “Marblehead’s acknowledgement of the legacy of trauma hate crimes inflict is a first step in an ongoing process.” -
Speaking Out Against Hate January 2021
“It is incomprehensible why the investigation has not been completed/results released. Our community has been left wondering and worrying for too long. Our police department reputation damaged whilst a shadow of white supremacy looms overhead.” -Megan Sweeney, cofounder of the PowerUP coalition.
PowerUP! 6 Months Old
"Since our introduction, many have tried to define us from the confines of what exists - sometimes through an "us vs. them" lens. It has initiated many conversations and we are truly grateful - Democracy is, after all, a continuous dialogue."
Standing Up at Town Meeting May 2021
"If you think an affluent and generally liberal community like Marblehead isn’t a place where you’d find racially insensitive remarks said at a public meeting, think again. At the annual town meeting May 3, residents voted on a matter concerning changing the name of a pond and conservation area."
We are motivated by our profound Impact since 2021. Our PowerUP01945 Events and media campaign built an unsurpassed energy around Marblehead Town Meeting and Town Elections. The local media coverage further amplified the heightened awareness of issues, candidates, and voting. Our recordings generated thousands of views, Candidates sought our Endorsement, Town Meeting 2022's engagement levels are still discussed and every precinct ran out of ballots in the June 2022 Elections. THIS is how we create change: finding points of unity and speaking out unapologetically. #GetInvolved
Creating Space for New Perspectives
March 2022, Jewish Journal "Hate Crimes Spike in North Shore and Beyond"
“How many swastikas do we have to have before we are completely consumed by outrage and wanting substantive change?” said Megan Sweeney, cofounder of the Power-UP coalition in Marblehead. “We cannot be perpetually reactive.”