Our national umbrella organization People's Action, newly consolidated, is having a founding convention early this week right in DC and our attention is on that. Plus upcoming events and the most recent blog posts with links.

PROGRESSIVE MARYLAND WEEKLY MEMO FOR APRIL 24-30

 Many PM activists and staff – looked like 40-plus Sunday night – are at the founding convention early this week (Sunday through Tuesday) of People’s Action – a confab of 1200 activists representing dozens of community organizations based in states and cities around the US. PA is Progressive Maryland’s national umbrella group, as well as embracing many similar organizations. You can tune in to livestreams from that event, including visits from Van Jones and Sen. Bernie Sanders.

 Good news from MoCo – we’ve been agitating for the Council to fully fund the county’s public election fund for council and executive elections and now it looks as if Ike Leggett’s budget will be boosted by $1 million to the amount called for. Bethesda Beat has the full story.

 Our Revolution Maryland held a first statewide meeting Sunday in advance of a livestream to national OR members with stars including Sen. Nina Turner of Ohio, Sanders labor supporter Larry Cohen and Maryland’s Ben Jealous. The Maryland group reported on county-level and regional member development and actions and set plans to gin up candidates and campaigns, get big money out of elections, develop a coordinated priorities agenda for the 2018 Assembly session in which OR-MD can join other groups like Progressive Maryland (which had members in the OR crowd Sunday). The OR-MD group, leaders said, can muster 42,000 contacts in the state and plans an elaborate electoral endorsement pattern that should involve all those persons.

 PROGRESSIVE MARYLAND EVENTS

Monday, May 1 Progressive Anne Arundel --  County budget overview session with Councilman  Chris Trumbauer (Dist. 6) 5:30 p.m. at the Ram’s Head, Annapolis,  more info at https://www.facebook.com/events/1766949860301619/

 Thursday, May 11 Progressive Prince George’s chapter meeting

The Prince George's Chapter of Progressive MD has co-leads Amity Pope and Diane Teichert heading up the chapter.  We've formed a Coordinating Committee whose main responsibility will be to lead the Progressive Prince George’s chapter of Progressive MD based on the goals set, and key issues chosen by the Chapter members.  We will plan chapter meetings, and provide an infrastructure to align chapter efforts and goals. We will support Progressive Maryland with representation at state-wide events, with fundraising, and with membership growth. We are all volunteers, and are all members of PMD.

 Our next meeting with the new organizational structure is scheduled for Thursday, May 11th at 6:45pm. We will meet at UFCW Local 400 - 8400 Corporate Drive, Landover, MD. Directions

Leadership Training Program:

• Training: Look out for two upcoming leadership training events this summer from PM.
  • 1 Day training on May 20th 
  • 3 Day training on the 23rd-25th
• Existing Trainees: Complete survey and schedule a one-on-one with Movement Politics Director [email protected]

OUR ALLIES

 Wednesday, April 26, 7:30 p.m. Prince George’s County Organizing for Action has a climate change informational event Wednesday night in University Park with climate scientist and author Dr. Ross Salawitch.

  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 recently published these blogs:

 April 21, 2017  "March for Science" reaffirms our human respect for facts and inquiry

March for Science? We have to, because the facts of our world are being hijacked and falsified by those who have a vested interest in ignorance, the precondition of exploitation.

April 20, 2017   UMD Social Justice Day aims to coordinate on-campus activism

"Social Justice Day" event at College Park flagship campus this week (April 18) shows potential for change in campus action, plus need for more coordination and concrete steps. A thorough Diamondback report outlined the day's events.

April 18, 2017  People's Action founding convention is next progressive step

This weekend, the founding convention of People's Action -- next door in Washington DC -- represents the forging of state organizations like Progressive Maryland and 50 other groups in 29 states into a refreshed force for resistance and for creation of positive change. Read more about the event and sign up for a call Thursday night (April 20) to answer questions and prepare for Progressive Maryland's major role in the shaping of this effort.

April 17, 2017  Progressive Maryland Weekly Memo for April 17-23

Introducing a new staffer, plus events for your calendar from our expanding roster of county chapters. And recent blog posts. Note that the founding convention of People's Action is coming up in DC at week's end; be in on it.

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.