Friends,
I hope you can join me at our upcoming community events, including a Know Your Rights Town Hall this Monday, Feb. 17. Find more details below, and please share this information with friends and neighbors. We will share more legislative updates soon!
As always, if you or someone you know would like to provide any feedback about what’s happening in Lansing, or needs assistance of any sort, please feel free to reach out to my office. You can contact me by sending an email to senschang@senate.michigan.gov or calling our Lansing office at 517-373-7346. Our district office number is 313-922-6949.
Sincerely,
Stephanie Chang
State Senator
District 3
- Join me for my upcoming event, Know Your Rights Town Hall, this Monday, Feb. 17 at 6:00 p.m. Find more information and RSVP here. Note: you must RSVP in order to receive location details.
- We observed White Shirt Day on Feb. 11 to commemorate the 88th anniversary of the end of the Flint sit-down strike and honor Michigan’s hardest workers.
- It’s officially tax season. Read on if you need help filing or are interested in free tax assistance resource
Know Your Rights Town Hall
Join me, the ACLU of Michigan, Michigan Immigrant Rights Center, International Institute of Metropolitan Detroit, and Elevated Therapeutics for a conversation about what to do if ICE approaches you as well as what you need to know about immigration law, citizenship, and how allies can join the fight. Please RSVP by phone: 313-922-6949, email: SenSChang@senate.michigan.gov, or online. The location will be sent out 24 hours ahead of the event. The event will also be streamed on Facebook at Facebook.com/stephaniechangMI. For more information, please visit the Facebook event page.
WHEN: This Monday, Feb. 17, from 6:00 – 8:00 p.m.
WHERE: The location will be sent out 24 hours ahead of the event to those who have RSVP’d. Please RSVP by phone at 313-922-6949, by email at SenSChang@senate.michigan.gov, or online here.
Coffee & Conversation with Sen. Chang
WHEN: Friday, February 21, from 2:00 – 3:00 p.m.
WHERE: Tim Hortons, 25100 Ryan Rd., Warren, MI 48091
Coffee & Conversation with Sen. Chang
WHEN: Monday, March 3, from 10:00 – 11:00 a.m
WHERE: Kitab Cafe – Willis Location, 422 W. Willis St., Detroit, MI 48201
Coffee & Conversation with Sen. Chang & Rep. MacDonnell
WHEN: Friday, March 21, from 2:00 – 3:00 p.m
WHERE: Tavern on the Main, 235 S. Main St., Clawson, MI 48017
Honoring the Great Laborers of Our State on White Shirt Day
Tuesday, Feb. 11 was White Shirt Day, which marks the 88th anniversary of the end of the Flint sit-down strike when Michigan UAW members won the right to be recognized by General Motors.
Entire families — men, women and children — helped in the strike. Family members put their bodies on the line, forming a human shield around the plants to protect the strikers from violence and delivering food to the plants. They fought, and they won: higher wages, improved working conditions and better benefits — the opportunity to build a brighter future for their families.
Within a year of that strike that ended in 1937, the UAW grew from 30,000 to 500,000 members strong, and autoworker wages increased by as much as 300%.
Michigan didn’t just put the world on wheels. The courageous sacrifices these auto workers made 88 years ago changed the course of the labor movement — igniting a rallying cry for millions of workers around the country, ushering in a wave of intense union activity and ultimately unleashing the power of the middle class.
Senate Democrats joined together, wearing white shirts to serve as a reminder that — no matter the color of your collar, job duty or title — all workers deserve dignity, and there is dignity in all work.
This week, we remember and honor those trailblazers whose heroic actions paved this pathway for progress in Michigan and nationwide. We are proud that their history is our history. And I am proud to continue to stand with working people in the Michigan state legislature, advocating for strong livable wages, the best earned paid sick time law possible, paid family leave, and making things more affordable for Michiganders.
Need Help Filing Your Taxes? Free Tax Filing Assistance
Tax season is upon us. The deadline to file your 2024 tax return or request an extension is April 15, 2025. Please find free resources to help you file your taxes below.
- The IRS offers FREE volunteer income tax assistance programs for our seniors and low-income individuals, which you can find by calling 800-906-9887. If you are over 50 years old, you can also find a FREE assistance program through the AARP Tax Aid Program by calling 888-227-7669. If your adjusted gross income was $84,000 or less you can also access.
- SE Oakland County AARP Foundation Tax-Aide: https://mitaxapp.com/D15website/
- Tax assistance for older adults in southeast Michigan: https://www.ageways.org/2025/01/13/tax-help-available-for-southeast-michigan-seniors/. (Link includes more details, such as addresses and a list of counties — including Oakland and Macomb.)
- Michigan offers the Homestead Property Tax Credit and the Home Heating Credit for both renters and homeowners. The maximum credit is $1,700. Renters age 65+, whose rent is more than 40% of their total household resources, may qualify for an alternative credit. Homeowners may also be eligible for a Principal Resident Exception that exempts taxes levied by a local school district. Learn more and determine your eligibility here: https://ptaconsumers.aarpfoundation.org/taxpayer-states/michigan/
- Detroit/Wayne County groups that are offering free tax assistance: https://detroitmi.gov/government/tax-preparation-sites
- Michigan Legal Help free tax assistance resources: https://michiganlegalhelp.org/resources/income-tax/getting-your-taxes-done-free
- In the City of Warren, City Treasurer Lorie Barnwell is working with the AARP to provide free tax preparation at the Warren City Hall Atrium, 1 City Square, Warren, MI 48093 on Feb. 19, 24, and 26 between 8:30 – 11:00 a.m.