Online and Offline Spaces
Framing the Problem
Increasingly, we find ourselves isolated in our own political information loops, curated by algorithms or the result of deliberate programming (for example, in the major cable TV news channels). Sometimes, we curate who we wish to listen to in a blinkered way, even with a broad following list on a social media platform.
Perhaps these places need to exist, but they’re damaging. They disturb peace of mind within ourselves and further polarization that severs us in ways that make it difficult to address politics openly with others. This disenfranchises people from participating in politics and makes it easier for authoritarian political movements to take root.
Our communities can save us by building people power that can counter authoritarian ambitions. You’ll find community with neighbors, affinity groups, allies you meet through your activism and political participation. Here, we’re experimenting with ways to engender a stronger community of Democrats in our township.
Ways We’ll Come Together
Coffee Klatch
We’ll get together for regular coffee meetups to talk politics, whether it be current events, happenings at the local level, activism experiences, and insights from books.
These will be regular, but announced on this website and our mailing list.
Please plan to respect our host’s space. Don’t disturb others and be sure to properly patronize the establishment.
Book Club
Reading books builds in-depth knowledge of the issues, past and present, that shape our political environment. We’ll strive to make room for more reading and share recommendations, and what we learned, together.
Click Request to join. Once approved, you can add your books to the list of recommendations. This will be more of a “book of the month” type of tracking. Each coffee klatch we’ll discuss the current book and pick the book for next month.
Our local libraries (like Sewickley Public Library) are great places to access quality books and Libby a way to borrow electronic versions.
Unified (social media)
There are lots of affinity groups on Facebook, news to react to on Twitter (now “X”), etc. The political ideologies promoted in these places are shifting, trust and safety eroding, and any additional profit or engagement in these platforms are ultimately turned against us.
We’re trying something different — intimate, digital “third spaces” that are community-minded and just ours.
Unified is where we’ll start. If you’re interested in joining, contact us and we’ll give you an invite code. Once you’ve joined, you can set up your profile, post individually, or set up custom actions to encourage others to contact our elected representatives, etc.
You can then request to join Aleppo Township Democratic Committee to gain access to our private chat area, announcement board, and more.
Committee Meetings
At least once a quarter, we’ll have an in-person committee meeting to report on its health, strategy updates and activites. These are open to all Democrats and will be posted here and in the newsletter. They are typically held at the Sewickley Public Library. While our committee is small, meetings may be held jointly with other single-member committees.
Feel free to join and participate. Better yet, consider being a member of the committee to shape how your committee works directly.
Interesting in serving on the committee? These are elected positions but can be appointed by a chair where there are vacancies. Contact us for more information!
Local Organizations
We’ll look for ways to partner with local affinity organizations that are doing great work.
Aleppo Township is part of Quaker Valley, and Quaker Valley Democratic Organization aims to bring together our local committees to help combine and coordinate our efforts.
Indivisible West Hills is another place to find volunteer and activism opportunities in our region.
Both have mailing lists and an online presence. Please consider joining.