Your Weekly Memo, with lots of info about training -- who needs training? we all do... and events in all manner of progressive localities.
We’re progressives in the Era of Trump, and we know our hearts are in the right place.
How about our skills?
It’s amazing how much more you can accomplish – organizing your community, articulating your views in a way that brings people to listen – with a little training. And there is a lot of it on offer as we approach the summer. Take a look below.
Statewide organizing notes
Friday, May 26th at 7 p.m. Door Knocking Program Confab -- We will be rolling out deep canvassing and door goals this summer in preparation for 2018. To Join from PC, Mac, Linux, iOS or Android: https://zoom.us/j/579411166 Or iPhone one-tap (US Toll): +14086380968,579411166# or +16465588656,579411166# Or Telephone: Dial: +1 408 638 0968 (US Toll) or +1 646 558 8656 (US Toll) Meeting ID: 579 411 166 Please read the NPR article on deep canvassing in the meantime.
Also deep canvassing training in Frederick County this weekend; see the event page or check out the Frederick County chapter report below.
Resistance Summer – sign up TODAY. MoveOn is rolling out Resistance Summer (NOT to be confused with the Democratic National Committee's program, also called "Resistance Summer"!).
MoveOn's program will have 1,000 Mobilizers in a 3-month program with these goals: (1) electrolyze the resistance; (2) develop grassroots capacity and leadership; and (3) win victories this summer. Please apply on behalf of Progressive Maryland https://act.moveon.org/survey/resistancesummer2?source=peoplesaction.
It's a pretty short application. Deadline Today, Monday May 21st Find out more here.
Candidate Pipeline Trainings: 1-Day candidate training has moved from May 20th to June 3rd; 3- Day candidate training will be on June 23rd-25th Contact [email protected]
Behind the scenes: even after the 2017 General Assembly Session is long over, Progressive Maryland is laying the groundwork for issue and legislative campaigns for the 2018 session. At the forefront: the fight for the $15 minimum living wage, and reform of the state’s unjust cash bail system. Contact Jennifer Dwyer at [email protected] to find out how you can help and which legislators (maybe one of yours) needs to hear from you.
Job Openings:
Baltimore Organizer: Please send resume, 3 references, and cover letter to Alexiss Kurtz [email protected].
Healthcare Organizer: Please send resume, 3 references, and cover letter to Justin Vest at [email protected]
Fellow: Please send resume, 3 references, and cover letter to Alexiss Kurtz [email protected].
Intern (unpaid): Please send resume, 3 references, and cover letter to Justin Vest at [email protected]
GOING LOCAL
Prince George's County Chapter
Thursday June 1st at 6:30 p.m. Progressive Maryland and Progressive Prince George's are scheduling an in-person meeting to lay out a strategy for Prince George's County Fair Elections, location TBD – check the Events Calendar for updates.
Progressive Prince George’s is following up its recent re-org meeting with committee action. Please join an issue committee: Transportation; Criminal Justice; Immigration Rights; Public Finance Reform; Education or join a volunteer specialty: Recruitment Team; Social Media; Phone Bank; HUSTLE(texting app); Data Team; Host Team; Field Team; Canvass Captain; Canvassers. Please contact the Prince George's co-leaders for more details: Rev. Diane Teichert [email protected]; Amity Pope [email protected]
Howard County Chapter:
We held a Progressive HoCo organizing kickoff on Sunday May 21 for our Howard County Chapter, with twelve attendees including a candidate for Howard county council and a candidate for (I believe) Assembly District 9A. We continue to work to find a core group for the chapter. Contact Dave Bazell, [email protected]
Howard County: Fair Elections Public Hearing June 5th. We need people to come out to the hearing. Please RSVP via email to David Bazell at [email protected] whether you want to speak or not.
Howard County needs a steering committee -- we are looking for leaders to work on the following: Recruitment Team; Social Media; Phone Bank; HUSTLE(texting app); Field Team; Canvass Captain; Canvassers… and Howard County is looking for issue committees and committee leadership for: Fair Elections; Transportation/Roads; Immigration; Affordable Housing; Fight for 15 -- Please contact the Howard County chapter leader, Dave Bazell, at [email protected] .
Montgomery County Chapter
Our Montgomery County members celebrated a huge victory when the County Council released their proposed FY18 budget which includes the full funding (totalling $11 million) for the county's new Public Election Fund. The fund provides additional public funding for candidates for local office who raise money only from small-dollar donors. The new program will limit the power of special interests in the coming the election and allow new grassroots candidates to run competitive campaigns. The victory comes after members testified on the importance of the program and met with lawmakers to advocate for full funding.
The Montgomery County chapter's Family Economic Security team meets this Tuesday at Progressive Maryland's Four Corners office to discuss next steps in the Fight for $15 and the ongoing fight for universal health care.
The Montgomery County District 5 team (representing Silver Spring, Takoma Park, and Burtonsville) is hosting its first social this Wednesday at Nando's in Silver Spring. This is an opportunity for local progressives to meet and discuss issues affecting their communities.
The chapter will be formalizing its member-led leadership structure this week with the first meeting of its steering committee. Look for updates from our member leaders soon.
Frederick County Progressives Chapter
Events this week:
Deep Canvassing with the Frederick County Progressives
Sunday, May 28th from 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Staley Park Pavilions
Come out with the Frederick County Progressives on May 28th for deep canvassing in Frederick.
If you really understand the weight of what is at stake and the connection we need to build with our neighbors, you'll know participation in the#knockeverydoor campaign is crucial for our future.
Let's get started!
In order to maintain a cohesive message, please make every attempt to arrive on time to do pre-canvass training and divide into teams!
For more information or to RSVP, please go to our event page:
http://www.frederickprogressives.com/deep_canvassing_with_fcp_may28
Our chapter will have additional canvassing sessions on June 4th and June 18th.
More On the Calendar for Progressives
For complete information in some entries, follow the link to the Events Calendar at progressivemaryland.org
Tuesday, May 23, 2017 at 07:30 PM · 1 rsvp
Progressive Maryland offices
Family Economic Security Team Meeting
Are you interested in ensuring workers in Maryland have the right to paid sick leave? Want to raise the wages of working families?
Please attend our upcoming Family Economic Security team m (show all)
Wednesday, May 24, 2017 at 06:00 PM · 33 rsvps
Nando's Peri-Peri in Silver Spring, MD
MoCo Chapter District 5 Happy Hour
Interested in meeting people in your local community who share your progressive ideals? Want to know a little more about what the MoCo Chapter District 5 Team is all about? Come meet with (show all)
Saturday, June 03, 2017 at 09:00 AM · $36.00 USD · 2 rsvps
HOLIDAY INN EXPRESS BALTIMORE DOWNTOWN in Baltimore , MD
Movement Politics Campaign Leadership Training
Saturday, June 17, 2017 at 02:00 PM · $36.00 USD · 219 rsvps
The Home of David Hart in Bethesda, MD
The Blueprint 2018
Join us on June 17th for " The Blueprint 2018" where we will lay out our plan of action and raise money to win for the resistance in the 2018 elections. The ticket levels for the event are (show all) buy tickets
It all happens for free… right? Not exactly. Organizing for change in our society and our politics requires both people and money. Keep change moving with a quick, secure impulse-buy contribution here.
Reading the Progressive Maryland BlogSpace: our blogs for the previous week are shown below, but if you want a handy way to keep track – and never miss a blog post – you can sign up to get this Weekly Memo by email. Remember this is your blogspace and your participation is heartily invited. See something going on that you don’t like – or that you do like and hope to see more of? Send us your thoughts; submit to the moderator at [email protected]
We published these blog posts recently:
May 19, 2017 "Deep Canvassing" re-establishes progressive links to our communities
The genuine relationships we make and sustain founded on mutual trust bind us together like nothing else can. Frederick County Progressives Chair and Registered Nurse Beth Landry discusses using deep canvassing to build those connections within our communities.
May 19, 2017 "Resistance Summer": go with Moveon to build communities
MoveOn is launching Resistance Summer -- accept no DNC substitutes! -- and you can train with like-minded progressives to help build community resistance and empowerment, including in your own community. Note that the deadline for applying is SOON -- Sunday, May 21.
May 18, 2017 Can Campaign Finance Reform Be The Cornerstone of a Progressive Movement?
MoCo activist Dylan Shelton reminds us that fair elections laws, in place or being sought in local counties, are only one step. Power has many ways of buying elections and progressives have to recognize and combat all of them to win.
May 17, 2017 Home Stretch: Gov. Hogan needs to sign paid sick leave bill
Gov. Larry Hogan has scheduled a massive bill signing, his last for the 2017 session, on May 25. But he can dangle vetoes for two more days after that, including for the Healthy Working Families Act, the paid sick leave bill. We need to let him know that a veto -- just a stalling method for the inevitable override -- is not acceptable conduct of his office.
May 15, 2017 Progressive Maryland Weekly Memo for May 15-21
More chapters, more activists, more activism. Note that HoCo is having an organizing meeting this Sunday, below; and “The Blueprint” in June.
Keeping up with the blogs is easier with the index. The blogs published in the PM BlogSpace since June 2015 are all available with descriptions and links here.
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