Our 2020 Year in Review Report is "Live!"

It goes without saying that 2020 was a critical and historic year for our nation. It was also a year in which SOMA Action made an outsized impact—on our local community, as well as the nationwide progressive landscape—thanks to all of the hard work, generosity, and ingenuity of our volunteers, donors, and leaders. 

So we decided to capture the highlights of our 2020 with our first-ever Year in Review Report. 

The report was the brainchild of Gail Safian, a Public Relations professional and SOMA Action volunteer who played an active role in several of our voter outreach efforts. In mid-December, Gail reached out to the Executive Committee to make the case for documenting the year in a report, and offered to help lead the effort to create it. 

Gail worked with then-Communications Chair Gary Forman to pull together all the information needed. Rose Lorre helped with the writing of the report. And SOMA Action graphic design all-star Pete Cascio made it all look great.

The 17-page report outlines all of SOMA Action’s 2020 initiatives to increase civic engagement, empowerment and involvement within the South Orange-Maplewood community and beyond, including:

• Ballot Box Bonanza, our first-ever, one-day event encouraging South Orange and Maplewood voters to utilize secure ballot drop boxes while voting in the 2020 elections; 

• Vanquish the Villains, SOMA Action’s very own “take back the Senate” project, which targeted vulnerable GOP incumbents from Naine, Arizona and North Carolina;

•  SOMA Action Georgia Action (SAGA), our all-in effort to help push Rev. Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff over the finish line in Georgia’s Senate runoff elections;

•  SOMA Against Hate Collective, co-founded alongside more than a dozen, local civic and religious organizations to launch a pro-unity, pro-inclusion messaging campaign;

•  Co-founding the Coalition to Save South Mountain Reservation and co-organizing Essex County’s first-ever Zero Waste Charrette;

•  Organizing a local Violin Vigil in honor of Elijah McClain;

• Forming new committees to address the needs and changes of 2020 and beyond, including the Cannabis Equity Initiative, to push for Black equity within the legalized marijuana market, and the Complete Count Committee, to support Census outreach efforts.

The annual report also highlights all that we were able to accomplish by the numbers, including:

•  Sending 19,180 letters and voter registration forms to people in swing states;

•  Raising $17,569 to donate to Senate campaigns in Maine, Arizona and North Carolina;

•  Hand-writing 10,000 postcards to Georgia voters of color ahead of the state’s Senate runoffs;
  Partnering with dozens of our fellow, local, grassroots groups to rally to save the U.S. post office;

• Hosting hundreds of attendees at virtual events that raised multicultural awareness and explored how to work toward a more just and equitable society.

A pdf version of the report can be found on our website (in the announcement banner at the top of every page, and on the "About Us" page). A hard copy was sent to every 2020 Sustaining Member. 

 We have a few extra copies, which Membership Chair Beth Boily has offered to send to the first 15 people who sign up for a new Sustaining Membership. Contact Beth directly (bethboily@gmail.com) to sign up and get your copy!