The statewide canvass launch is Sept. 22. We will be turning out – for instance -- those 300,000-plus Prince George’s voters who turned out in 2012 for the presidential election but not in 2014. Larry Hogan won by fewer than 70,000 votes. Do the math, and join us.

Speaking of Larry Hogan -- he got a rare “Alternative Facts” award from the Baltimore Sun last week; one he probably did not welcome. Check it out … and share it.

Progressive Maryland Weekly Memo for Sept. 17-24 2018

The statewide canvass launch is Sept. 22. We will be turning out – for instance -- those 300,000-plus Prince George’s voters who turned out in 2012 for the presidential election but not in 2014. Larry Hogan won by fewer than 70,000 votes. Do the math, and join us.

Speaking of Larry Hogan -- he got a rare “Alternative Facts” award from the Baltimore Sun last week; one he probably did not welcome. Check it out … and share it.

ACTIVISM STATEWIDE

General Election Canvasses in Anne Arundel, Frederick and more – get the details and join up here.

OUR CHAPTERS AROUND THE STATE

Progressive Prince George’s

Every Saturday morning – join Prince George’s teachers and activists in a solidarity canvass to boost voting for gubernatorial candidate Ben Jealous!

Sign up here

Saturday, September 22, Participatory Defense Community Meeting  for the Mass Liberation Campaign at 01:00 PM at Oakcrest Community Center rsvp

Saturday, September 22 Mass Liberation Training  10:00 AM Zion Church in Landover, MD rsvp

PMD Montgomery

Take Action Anne Arundel County

Chapter Events:

Thursday, September 20 at 7 pm -- Education, Immigration & Canvassing 

Take Action Anne Arundel County has been researching and planning local issue campaigns. Our first action is focused on Funding Education. The Education Lockbox Amendment is on the November 6 ballot. Voters will be deciding whether the state constitution is amended to require the state to use casino revenue to supplement the education budget. We all thought this was decided years ago but in actuality, there was never a law in place requiring the state to use the casino funds specifically for education. We need the majority of registered voters to VOTE YES. Are you in? We need volunteers to help get the word out to registered voters.

Anne Arundel County is moving to an elected school board for the first time.  Take Action Anne Arundel County plans to have Candidate Forums for Board of Education candidates in County Districts 4, 5 and 7. We are looking for volunteers to help organize these forums. If Education is a concern for you, join us! 

Take Action Anne Arundel County will be kicking off canvassing events for the General Election beginning in September. We are looking for a Canvass Captain, canvass hosts, canvassers, and phone bankers. If you want to support getting progressive candidates elected, WE WANT YOU! We will be talking about our slate of PM endorsed candidates during our monthly meeting. 

RSVP here

Saturday, September 22 --- Canvass in Annapolis

Join Take Action Anne Arundel County in canvassing for progressive candidates in Annapolis, including Ben Jealous for Governor and Lisa Rodvien for County Council District 6.

RSVP here.

Anne Arundel County Events:

Wednesday, September 19 at 3 pm - Environmental Matters Committee

The Environmental Matters Committee of the Annapolis City Council is reviewing changes to a proposed bill on banning polystyrene foam containers in Annapolis. This meeting can be observed by the public at the Mayor John T. Chamber Jr.,  Council Chambers at City Hall. There is no planned public testimony.

Polystyrene foam bans are in place in Montgomery County, Prince George's County, and Baltimore City. The Anne Arundel County bill was vetoed by County Executive Steve Schuh earlier this year. This bill was also filed in Annapolis and will be voted on by the Annapolis City Council this fall.  

Thursday September 27 at 7pm -- On the Road for Climate Action

Dr. Shahir Masri is an air pollution scientist and author & Athina Simolaris is an educator. This summer they’re pausing their careers for 1 year of grass-roots climate advocacy. They will be in Annapolis with “On the Road for Climate Action,” an 11-week public outreach tour across 35 states. They are speaking with city councils, community groups, and schools on the important issue of climate change and solutions. They are surveying communities to better understand how climate change sentiment differs across the country and interviewing those most affected by climate change.

This program will be held at the Annapolis Friends Meeting House. More information is here.  Let us know you are coming here.

Progressive Howard County

Progressive HoCo’s site furnishes very detailed information on candidates in county elections.

PMD Baltimore

After a long struggle with the moody spirits of the World Wide Web, we have a Baltimore chapter link! Check out our health care blog post and join us canvassing in Baltimore City Wednesday 9/19, Saturday 9/22 and Sunday 923 and in Baltimore County Saturday 9/22 and Sunday 9/23. We will support -- and win with -- Ben Jealous, send Larry Hogan back to private life and hold the corporate Democrats accountable.

Talbot Rising

SEPT. 22 - FREDERICK DOUGLASS DAY IN EASTON 10 am to 4 pm
Guest Speaker: Dr. Spencer Crew, Robinson Professor of History, George Mason University and Assistant Curator at the Smithsonian Museum of African American History and Culture. West St. Downtown Easton (Between Dover and Federal)

SEPT. 27 - Talbot County Council Candidate Forum on the Environment  6:30 - 8:30 pm, Talbot County Free Library, Easton This forum is co-sponsored by CBF and the League of Women Voters Mid Shore.

Lower Shore Progressive Caucus

Lower Shore Progressive Caucus has a blog post refuting misconceptions about gubernatorial candidate Ben Jealous.

EVENTS FROM OUR PROGRESSIVE ALLIES

Monday, Sept. 17 Reel and Meal at the New Deal 11th Anniversary Celebration, live reading of "19-The Musical" --  the dynamic and little-known story of Alice Paul, the suffragists and their fight to get women the right to vote — the 19th Amendment. This special live production is performed by local award-winning theater, film and media company Through the 4th Wall. At the New Deal Cafe, Roosevelt Center, Greenbelt. Optional vegan meal is $14 at 6:30 p.m., performance is free at 7. More information here.

Friday, September 21 -- Say No! To the separation of our families! concert.  7:30 -9 PM, Takoma Park Community Center 7500 Maple Ave. Takoma Park  Join Patricio Zamorano and his Band as they present “Through the Wall, Trova Music and Soul from Latin America” with Juan Maldonado, Hernaldo Hernandez, Cesar Gurcaz and Xavier Bure. The concert is sponsored by Takoma Park City, Institute for Policy Studies, Casa de Maryland.  It is free with a $10 suggested donation.

 Saturday, September 22 -- MD Poor People’s Campaign has partnered with the River Road UU Congregation and DoTheMostGood (DTMG) to lead a nonpartisan Democracy Bootcamp at River Road Unitarian Universalist Congregation from 10:00 AM – 1:30 PM.
Participants will learn skills that can enable and support our democracy. Ashwani Jain, former White House staffer, will be the keynote speaker, along with Danielle Blocker from the MD Poor People’s Campaign. Learn from Organizers How to Take Effective Actions -- This is in preparation for Voter Registration and Canvassing in Montgomery County on September 29.
Please RSVP to ensure adequate provisions. For questions contact Vonna Heaton at [email protected]

Monday, Sept. 24 film “Dolores,” documentary about farm worker organizer Dolores Huerta, sponsors are Friends of Hyattsville Library, showing at 7 PM, University Christian Church, 6800 Adelphi Rd., Hyattsville.

Wednesday, October 3, • Film: Reinventing Power: America’s Renewable Energy Boom. Reinventing Power takes us across the country to hear from the people making our clean energy future achievable. It underscores that we don’t have to sacrifice jobs for a clean environment.  This 50-minute Sierra Club film will be shown at Greenbelt Community Center, Room 114, 7 pm.  
https://act.sierraclub.org/events/details?formcampaignid=7010Z000002B3YaQAK. Contact: Lore Rosenthal ([email protected], 301-345-2234).  Co-sponsored by the Prince George’s Sierra Club and the Greenbelt Climate Action Network. 

 Baltimore comrades, Check in on Max Obuszewski’s highly useful calendar and tip sheet at http://baltimorenonviolencecenter.blogspot.com/

It all happens for free… right? Not exactly. Organizing for change in our society and our high-maintenance politics requires both people and money. Keep change moving with a quick, secure impulse-buy contribution here. You know you meant to do it last week and now here you are again...

OUR BLOG POSTS IN THE PAST WEEK

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 recently published these blog posts:

September 13, 2018 Mass Incarceration is a Human Rights Issue

Please join Maryland progressives on 15 September 2018 to spread the word about drug decriminalization and its relationship to the human rights violation of mass incarceration. At Discussing Drug Decriminalization: Cannabis to Opioids, discussion of drug decriminalization will extend into other issues related to criminal justice reform. The forum is at Montgomery College/Germantown. Among the speakers, hear Democratic gubernatorial candidate Ben Jealous. Mass incarceration has motivated the need for criminal justice reform and those who have become a victim of our injustice system and want to be an advocate for human rights need to be heard. https://discussingdrugdecrim.eventbrite.com

September 11, 2018 Door-knocking: a narrative

In 2016, I waded into the deep end to go into communities to advocate for candidates I believed to be the best representation of my values. I knocked on doors in Maryland, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Nevada, and DC. I called voters in Iowa, New York, Indiana, Maryland, California, DC, Florida, Nevada, Ohio, North Carolina, and more.

No other experience was as pivotal or life changing for me as was going to people's homes to knock on their door and talk about the issues and the candidates I believed in.

September 10, 2018 Progressive Maryland Weekly Memo for September 10-17 2018

The statewide canvass launch is Sept. 22. We will be turning out – for instance -- those 300,000-plus Prince George’s voters who turned out in 2012 for the presidential election but not in 2014. Larry Hogan won by fewer than 70,000 votes. Do the math, and join us.

>>REMEMBER – these blog posts are expressions of political opinion from our wide-ranging membership and circle of allies. They are not expressions of opinion by Progressive Maryland. Don’t be surprised if they sometimes vary in their political content. You might even disagree with them – a good reason to contribute a blog of your own. Send it to the moderator, Woody Woodruff, at [email protected].

>>Keeping up with the blogs is easier with the index. The blogs published in the PM BlogSpace from June 2015 through December 2016 are all available with descriptions and links here. You can follow blogs for 2017-18 starting from here