October 2025 Newsletter

Welcome to the latest edition of the Greater Lafayette Indivisible newsletter.  

Greater Lafayette Indivisible is a pro-democracy, local grassroots organization that is committed to fighting for progressive policies, registering American voters, and demystifying congressional advocacy.  Our goals include holding our elected officials accountable to constituents rather than to their national political party or outside interests, increasing voter participation, and promoting justice, equality, and inclusion.  We were established in 2017 and are part of the national Indivisible movement.

In our newsletters, we’re imagining that activism is like a waterway that builds in intensity.  In addition to calls to action, we’ll also provide information about upcoming events and opportunities to foster community, good news, and places in which we’re finding inspiration.opportunities to foster community, good news, and places in which we’re finding inspiration.

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Ripples (small direct actions)

• Mark your calendars for LTHC Homeless Service’s 2nd Annual “Home for the Holidays Gala” on Friday, November 21, from 6-10 pm, at The Stables Event Center (7071 S 100 E, Lafayette).  This will be an evening of transformational philanthropy, meaningful connection, and community leadership in action, and it will feature a chef-crafted dinner, a bar featuring curated cocktails, wine, and beer selections, a silent auction, a soundscape for dancing, and shared impactful stories.  You can find more information here.
  
• Mark your calendars for Lafayette Urban Ministry (“LUM”)’s Community Thanksgiving Feast on Thanksgiving Day (Thursday, November 27) from 12-2 pm at Central Presbyterian Church (31 N 7th Street, Lafayette – adjacent to the Tippecanoe County Public Library – Social Hall Entrance is on 7th Street).  Everyone is welcome!  LUM relies on donations of money, food and supplies, and time to serve more than 800 meals.
  
  Parking is available off 8th St., between South St. and Columbia, or off Columbia between 7th and 8th Streets.  The city’s 7th Street Parking Garage is free on the holiday. The gate will be down and you’ll have to take a ticket, but there should be no charge when you exit.
  
• Common Cause is a national, nonpartisan, grassroots organization dedicated to upholding the core values of American democracy.  They work to create open, honest, and accountable government that serves the public interest; promote equal rights, opportunity, and representation for all; and empower all people to make their voices heard in the political process.  If you’d like to support their work to protect voters, limit Big Money’s influence on our elections, improve transparency in government, stop partisan and racial gerrymandering, and more, you can donate here.

Rush (action at the county level)

• Indivisible is excited to host a 2-part interactive workshop called “Talking about Politics Without Fear, Tears, or Anger.”  Part one will be on Monday, October 20, from 6-7 pm, and part two will be on Monday, October 27, from 6-7 pm.  Both discussions will take place in the Elm room at the West Lafayette Public Library (208 W Columbia Street, West Lafayette, second floor).  In addition to street parking, parking is also available in the garage across the street at 117 N Chauncey Ave, West Lafayette.  If the cost of parking is prohibitive, the Library staff can validate your ticket at the front desk.
  
  This workshop might be for you if you have at least one person in your life that you avoid talking to about certain things, you’re afraid to bring up certain topics in public because they are “too political” or because you might sound “too liberal,” and/or you’re frustrated because it seems that nobody else in your community cares about the current state of democracy.
  
  Together with a certified intercultural communications expert, you’ll learn how to build bridges, conversational and personal, across perceived differences around political values.  You can sign up to attend Mobilize (part one and part two).
  
  Suggested pre-meeting resources:
  • The “10 ways to have a better conversation” Ted Talk by Celeste Headlee (12 minutes)
  • Breaking the Fourth Wall Handout by Indivisible’s founders (two pages)
  • The book “Calling In: How to Start Making Change with Those You’d Rather Cancel” by Loretta J. Ross

Note: This is the same session that was offered July 16, but feel free to attend again.

Roar (action at the national level)

• Indivisible is hosting an evening of letter writing on Thursday, October 2, from 6-7:30 pm.  We’ll meet in the Maple room at the West Lafayette Public Library (208 W Columbia Street, West Lafayette, second floor) to write letters to citizens in Pennsylvania encouraging them to vote in their upcoming Supreme Court election.  Envelopes, papers, pens, and stamps will be provided.  You can let us know you’ll attend by signing up via Mobilize.
  
• We are partnering with MADVoters and The League of Women Voters of Greater Lafayette for Indivisible national’s second “No Kings” day of defiance on Saturday, October 18.  We will meet at the Sonya Margerum Fountain on the West Lafayette side of the pedestrian bridge (425 E State Street, West Lafayette) at 2 pm and march across the bridge to the courthouse.  We will march around the courthouse and then back to the pedestrian bridge and on to Tapawingo Park (100 Tapawingo Drive, West Lafayette) for the “Power to the People” Community Fair.  There, we’ll enjoy live music, speakers, community organizations, and food trucks.  People are encouraged to bring signs (see below if you need to find time to make one).  If marching isn’t for you, you’re welcome to join us at Tapawingo Park.  You can sign up to attend on Mobilize.
  
  There is limited parking at Tapawingo Park, but there should be plenty of parking in the Wabash Landing Parking Garage across the street (enter near the Hilton Garden Inn).
  
  PLEASE NOTE: A core principle behind all No Kings events is a commitment to nonviolent action.  We expect all participants to seek to de-escalate any potential confrontation with those who disagree with our values and to act lawfully at these events.  Weapons of any kind, including those legally permitted, should not be brought to events.  You can find information and resources for Indivisible’s strategy here.
  
• In preparation for the No Kings protest, we’re hosting 2 sign making parties: Sunday, October 12, from 1:30-4 pm, and Thursday, October 16, from 5:30-7:30 pm.  Both events will be held in the Creativity Lab at the West Lafayette Public Library (208 W Columbia Street, West Lafayette, first floor).  We’ll provide basic supplies, but feel free to bring your own, as well.  Let us know you’re coming by signing up on Mobilize.  Don’t worry if you can’t stay for the entire time.  You can come for all or part of the event.
  
  In addition to street parking, parking is also available in the garage across the street at 117 N Chauncey Ave, West Lafayette.  If the cost of parking is prohibitive, the Library staff can validate your ticket at the front desk.
  
  

Opportunities to build community

• Several local groups meet monthly for conversations and planning.  In previous newsletters, we’ve listed each of them here.  This month, in an effort to improve efficiency, we’re linking to the community calendar on the Take Action Greater Lafayette website instead.  This website is full of resources and opportunities to get involved, and we definitely recommend that you check it out!
  
• The Purdue University Latino Cultural Center (LCC) is hosting a “Crochet with CARE” event on Thursday, October 2, from 12:30 – 1:30 pm.  This is open to all Purdue students and will take place at the LCC (426 Waldron Street, West Lafayette).  Students are invited to crochet a granny square that will be joined into a community quilty, symbolizing healing and solidarity.  No experience is needed – beginners are welcome!
  
• Indivisible will be hosting its next monthly gathering on Wednesday, October 8, from 6 to 7:30 (-ish) pm in the Maple and Elm rooms at the West Lafayette Public Library (208 W Columbia Street, West Lafayette, second floor).  In addition to street parking, parking is also available in the garage across the street at 117 N Chauncey Ave, West Lafayette.  If the cost of parking is prohibitive, the Library staff can validate your ticket at the front desk.

For the past few months, we’ve been organizing into teams.  Each team will work together to strategize and implement the ideas for things like holding our elected officials accountable, preparing for the 2026 elections, forming a rapid response team, organizing social events, coordinating and preparing for protests, reaching out to other progressives in red areas, offering classes on how to have hard conversations, and planning community book discussions.  We hope to break down our big picture goals into manageable tasks and strategically focus our energy so that together we can make our actions as impactful as possible as we work to grow our community and push for positive change in our county and beyond.

Even if you missed last month’s meeting, now is a great time to join a team or to try out a few teams to see which is the right fit for you.  And if you’re not ready to join a team yet but still want to mingle, please join us!  There’s usually someone there who isn’t on a team and is available to chat with you.  We’ll provide snacks and nametags, so you’ll just need to bring yourself and a willingness to network and strategize.  You can let us know you’ll attend by signing up via Mobilize here.

• Indivisible is also hosting a book discussion on Wednesday, October 15, from 6-7 pm at Second Flight Books (2122 Scott St, Lafayette).  We’ll be discussing the book “Not a Lot of Reasons to Sing, But Enough” by Kyle Tran Myhre.  You can find more information and RSVP on Mobilize.  Parking is available in their lot off of Reynolds and on Scott Street.  Additional parking can be found at and around Columbian Park nearby.  

• If you’re looking to join a book club, there are several around town:
  
  • The Tippecanoe County Public Library has several book groups.  You can find more information here, here, and here about each book club, what they’re reading, and when they meet.
    
  • Main Street Books (426 Main Street, Lafayette) and Second Flight Books (2122 Scott Street, Lafayette) offer several book clubs.  You can find more information here about each book club, what they’re reading, and when they meet.

• If you’re instead looking for silent book clubs, the West Lafayette Public Library offers one on the third Thursday of each month in the Sun Room (208 W Columbia Street, West Lafayette, second floor), and the Lafayette Quiet Book Club meets on the fourth Wednesday of the month at different locations around town.  A discussion time is usually offered but is never required.

Good news

• The Good Samaritan Project is hosting its Women’s Cancer Survivor Brunch and Resource Fair on Saturday, October 18, from 11 am – 2 pm, at MatchBOX Coworking Studio (17 South 6th Street, Lafayette).  Titled “Shake, Shimmy & Shine,” this empowering celebration of survivorship, sisterhood, and strength will be filled with dance-worthy music, uplifting energy, and meaningful connections.  Whether you’re a survivor, supporter, or simply ready to let loose and have fun, this event is the perfect chance to celebrate life, resilience, and joy.  You can find more information and purchase tickets here.
  
• WFYI reports that on September 22, “Google announced its intent to withdraw a contested proposal to rezone hundreds of acres on the southeast side of Marion County for a data center campus. The abrupt end to the controversial tech development comes after months of debate between supporters and residents who feared their quality of life in Franklin Township would suffer.”
  
• Transformed Birth Services announced that they “are starting a doula program within the Tippecanoe County jail. Now, pregnant and newly postpartum inmates will have the option of receiving birth and/or postpartum doula support. We will also be able to continue to connect them with resources and support after release.”  Transformed Birth Services is a local non-profit that was created to address maternal health disparities in Tippecanoe County by providing prenatal, birth, postpartum, and bereavement community doula support at little or no charge for underserved families.  

What is inspiring us

• Artful Impact has opened its new studio in The Bindery in downtown Lafayette (511 Ferry Street)!  This organization was started with the goal of establishing “a creative, learning-based studio dedicated to empowering individuals with disabilities through art-making and entrepreneurial skill development.  Designed for individuals aged 18 and older with special needs, Artful Impact provides hands-on experience in creating, marketing, and selling handmade goods while equipping participants with essential business and vocational skills.  By fostering creativity, independence, and financial literacy, Artful Impact not only enhances the lives of its participants but also strives to build a more inclusive community where individuals of all abilities can contribute, connect, and thrive.”  You can follow them on Facebook and also sign up for their newsletter at the bottom of their website.

If you have an organization, an event, or a bit of good news that you’d like us to include in a future newsletter, please email [email protected].  For general questions, please email the Steering Committee at [email protected]. 

Past editions of our newsletter can be found on our website: lafayetteindivisible.com 

As always, you can donate toward our efforts here or by donating cash at our next in-person gathering.  Donations are used for expenses such as voter registration booth fees, supplies, and administrative costs.  Thank you for your continued support!