Progressive Maryland’s Dec. 29 Statewide Meeting in Annapolis hosted nearly 200 progressive activists. We connected and re-energized after a draining midterm campaign; we met in breakout groups by local chapters; and we also broke out and strategized around issue campaigns. Read more in the first Memo of 2019.
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Progressive Maryland’s Dec. 29 Statewide Meeting in Annapolis hosted nearly 200 progressive activists. We connected and re-energized after a draining midterm campaign; we met in breakout groups by local chapters; and we also broke out and strategized around issue campaigns including Movement Politics, Medicare for All, the fight for $15 as a minimum wage statewide and locally, Fair Elections to get big money out of politics, and Mass Liberation (fighting mass incarceration and building resilient communities to include returning citizens).
We are refreshed and ready to struggle for real change, not business as usual, in our communities and at the General Assembly session that begins next Wednesday, January 9.
What happened at the meeting? Check out the video:
Executive Director Larry Stafford Jr. said in our followup discussion: “When everybody is in the same room it is very powerful” … reaffirming the statewide reach of Progressive Maryland (see our local chapters, below).
A post-meeting digital evaluation for participants will come soon so stay tuned for that – because we had energy from all those chapters and you can connect even if you were unable to make the statewide event.
Coming up in 2019: one-day training sessions to build power in your community; local and regional meetings based on both issue campaigns and your geographic community; and house meetings to build power in your own communities. So stay tuned for dates and events and if you are on our Slack platform, find local or issue channels where the conversation can continue.
Director Stafford announced at the meeting that Progressive Maryland will take the lead on creating a Leadership Institute to consolidate our training exchange and focus our community power-building skills. A Politics Pipeline program as part of the Movement Politics effort will encourage participants to run for office locally – and be trained and empowered to run and win.
Shout out (From Adam Pagnucco’s Best and Worst of the 2018 election cycle in Bethesda Beat):
“Newest power players: Progressive Maryland and the Democratic Socialists
Founded by Tom Hucker years before he became an elected official, Progressive Maryland played its biggest role ever in a MoCo election by starting a six-digit super PAC to take on the opponents of its favored candidate, Marc Elrich. The Democratic Socialists provided critical ground troops to support Elrich’s campaign and also helped to get Gabriel Acevero and Vaughn Stewart elected to the House of Delegates. The big question now is what they do next.”
We have included this message in every Memo this year – but as we launch into 2019 after our statewide meeting, it is more important than ever:
 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 (last year??) and now here you are again...
OUR CHAPTERS AROUND THE STATE
Saturday, January 05, Participatory Defense Community Meeting 1:00 PM at Oakcrest Community Center rsvp
 Meetings every Saturday in January; see our calendar
Take Action Anne Arundel County
Monthly Chapter Meetings
Wednesday, January 9 at 7 pm at the Edgewater Community Library
Topics: State Legislative Session, Speaker Jennifer Dwyer, Progressive Maryland Development and Policy Director
Jen will discuss Progressive Maryland's priority bills that impact women, including paid family leave, salary history, and pregnant worker protections.
Education, Environment, Cell Tower/Wireless and Healthcare actions planned at the state and county level will also be discussed.  Share Facebook event
Other Anne Arundel Events
 Saturday, January 5 -- Chesapeake Climate Action Network Action Fund Lobby Training for 100% Renewables 10am to 12pm at the Severna Park Library, 45 W McKinsey Rd, Severna Park
CCAN Action Fund is advocating for passage of the Clean Energy Jobs Act and the Pipeline and Water Safety Act during the General Assembly. The Clean Energy Jobs Act is back and will increase Maryland's Renewable Portfolio to ensure more of our electricity is generated from carbon-free sources. The Pipeline and Water Safety Act will require Maryland agencies to fully review the impact of proposed projects that affect water quality and safety (so they won’t drop the ball again).  To RSVP for this training please click here.
Wednesday, January 9 at 10:30 am - Clean Energy Jobs Act rally
The Maryland General Assembly convenes on January 9. Join the Climate Stewards of Greater Annapolis, the Chesapeake Climate Action Network Action Fund, Interfaith Power & Light and other climate advocates in support of the Clean Energy Jobs Act at a rally to welcome our legislators back to Annapolis.  The rally will be at the corner of College Avenue and St. Johns Street from 10:30 AM to 11:30 AM. Come out to show our lawmakers that the climate wave is here! For more information about the rally click here.
 See the latest newsletter with a post-election letter from the co-chairs https://www.talbotrising.org/newsletters31/2018/11/12/weekly-newsletter-nov-12-2018
Lower Shore Progressive Caucus
Read the Caucus chair’s post-election letter on the website. – plus a recent blog post from the leadership team.
PMD Baltimore – We’re still talking about Medicare for All
Baltimore comrades, Check in on Max Obuszewski’s highly useful activist calendar and tip sheet at http://baltimorenonviolencecenter.blogspot.com/
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 EVENTS FROM OUR PROGRESSIVE ALLIES
Sunday, January 13 Prince George’s Sierra Club group Potluck Social and Climate Change Update, 5-7 pm; Watkins Regional Park Nature Center. Guest speaker Dr. Astrid Caldas, Senior Climate Scientist at the Union of Concerned Scientists, will provide an update on climate change and its impacts, in light of recent high-profile reports. $5 with a potluck dish, $10 without, kids free. Please RSVP so we can get a head count, and indicate what you'll be bringing. Directions will be sent to those who register. RSVP here: https://act.sierraclub.org/events/details?formcampaignid=7010Z0000027LKaQAM. Contact: [email protected] Â
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OUR BLOG POSTS over the holiday break
Reading the Progressive Maryland BlogSpace: our blogs for the previous two weeks 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: We are reprising the last two weeks of blog posts, which may have slipped by you during the holidays…
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January 01, 2019 Five reasons not to get sucked into the 2020 election now
Democratic candidates are beginning to cascade into the 2020 presidential race at an accelerating pace. On New Year's Eve Sen. Elizabeth Warren was the latest to form an "exploratory committee" and others will doubtless do so soon, for visibility and fund-raising reasons. Lower Shore Progressive Caucus chair Jared Schablein ticks off the reasons that getting caught up in the madness too soon means we will be taking our eyes off the prize locally, where important work needs to be done and where local politicians are hoping you will not watch them too closely. He speaks for the Lower Shore but every jurisdiction in Maryland should take heed.
December 26, 2018 Progressive Maryland Weekly Memo for Wednesday, December 26, 2016
Welcome to the last Weekly Memo of 2018. Our Statewide Meeting in Annapolis this Saturday, Dec. 29 will kick off 2019 on the good foot – prepping for a highly interesting General Assembly session beginning January 9 and rolling on from there to mobilize working families and activists across the state. Be there; RSVP here.
December 21, 2018 State leaders bail on critical education needs
As the Kirwan Commission (“Innovation and Excellence in Education”) soldiered its way to completion of both policy and funding goals in nearly two years of hard work, the state’s leadership totally failed to do its part – both the Democratic-dominated Assembly and Larry Hogan’s executive branch blanched at the cost of doing the right thing by the state’s students and told the commissioners to, um, continue their work. Few reporters in the state have devoted more effort to following the commission’s work than Len Lazarick, editor of the online Maryland Reporter. Here he outlines in an account headlined “Legislative leaders shelve new funding another year” the sorry performance of state leaders.
December 18, 2018 A "Green New Deal" must be 100 percent JUST, as well
What others are calling a "just transition" to a new and planet-saving energy regime MUST include everyone involved, including impacted workers and frontline populations in so-called "sacrifice zones." And, as People's Action writer-activist Ben Ishibashi here implies but doesn't explore, any corporate engagement in the green economy has to be public-managed so resources and advantages do not bleed off to Wall Street's casino, big banks and the stock buyback frenzy.
December 17, 2018 Progressive Maryland Weekly Memo for Monday, Dec. 17, 2018
 MISTLETOE MEMO EDITION – be sure to give a nod to the Solstice on Dec. 21 as the Shortest Day goes by. Our next Memo will be the eve of the traditional holiday, Monday, Dec. 24 – but don’t forget to get yourself ready for the Statewide Progressive Maryland meeting, coming up…. More in this week's Memo, below...
 >>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
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