We have our Fourth of July to mark our 1776 Declaration of Independence and the French, just thirteen years and ten days later, had theirs. Bastille Day has come and gone, the day (July 14) that marks the beginning of the French Revolution of 1789 and the emergence of working people as a force in history, no turning back. That was the kick-start; join us in the continuing work of making change and building power.

Progressive Maryland Weekly Memo for Monday July 15 2019

We have our Fourth of July to mark our 1776 Declaration of Independence and the French, just thirteen years and ten days later, had theirs. Bastille Day has come and gone, the day (July 14) that marks the beginning of the French Revolution of 1789 and the emergence of working people as a force in history, no turning back.

Nothing that exciting on the horizon this week, but Maryland progressives can feel a little shiver about what it took back then for ragged poor and downtrodden French folks to breach the walls of “the prison they told us would outlast us all,” as the song has it.

We progressives have a more nuanced agenda today but the principles are the same: knocking down the barriers to the full lives all of us deserve. Those ideals are represented by the campaigns we wage. At Progressive Maryland (and with our progressive allies) we work for environmental justice, [see Talbot Rising event below] reform of the criminal justice/policing system [including ICE and abusive immigration policy; see allied events below] and cutting the school-to-prison pipeline, fair elections that loosen the grip of big money on our politics, and reform of the systems that keep our families trapped in poverty in the midst of wealth. We are formulating our part in campaigns for Medicare for All and for education reform in the path being laid out by the Kirwan Commission, so stay tuned.

Progressive activism around the Free State, both Progressive Maryland’s action and those of our allied organizations and individuals, are in the Weekly Memo early every week (usually Monday unless a holiday intervenes). It’s a clearinghouse for folks who are building power together; and you can be in that environment of collective action. You can get the Weekly Memo email; just sign up here.

OUR CHAPTERS AROUND THE STATE

Progressive Prince George’s

PMD Montgomery

Frederick County Progressives

Take Action Anne Arundel County

Progressive Howard County

Talbot Rising

Monday, JUL 22 a showing of the award-winning Scorsese documentary “Before the Flood” narrated by Leonardo DiCaprio. Join Talbot Rising at the Talbot County Free Library 5:30-7:30 PM -- Mary Helen Gillen of Pickering Creek Audubon will discuss the climate challenge and activist opportunities -- for more information, contact: Ridgely Ochs, Talbot Rising, 631-871-2172.

Lower Shore Progressive Caucus

PMD Baltimore

EVENTS FROM OUR PROGRESSIVE ALLIES

TODAY MON, July 15, the Reel and Meal at the New Deal screens Psychedelic Mysticism: The Good Friday Experiment & Beyond. The 46-minute documentary about mixing religion and mushrooms will be shown following an optional vegan meal (&14.00), which begins at 6:30 PM.  Filmmakers Susan and Frank Gervasi will lead a discussion following the film. The New Deal Café is located at 113 Centerway in Greenbelt’s Roosevelt Center.

SUN Jul 21  Maryland Legislative Coalition Forum, Legislative Education Series on Immigration. Delegates Joseline Pena-Melnyk and David Fraser-Hidalgo discuss the challenges involved in getting immigration legislation passed in Maryland. 1:30-4:30.  Avalon Room, Ellicott City Miller Branch Library, 9421 Frederick Rd, Ellicott City, MD 21042, RSVP

Monday, JUL 22 a showing of the award-winning Scorsese documentary “Before the Flood” narrated by Leonardo DiCaprio. Join Talbot Rising at the Talbot County Free Library 5:30-7:30 PM -- Mary Helen Gillen of Pickering Creek Audubon will discuss the climate challenge -- for more information, contact: Ridgely Ochs, Talbot Rising, 631-871-2172.

 Wednesday, August 14 Prison and Police Abolition – Socialist Night School comes to MoCo! 7:00 PM to 9:30 PM Bethesda-Chevy Chase Regional Services Center 4805 Edgemoor Ln # 100 · Bethesda, MD -- Wisconsin room on the 2nd floor. Join Montgomery County DSA and MDC DSA's Socialist Night School for a discussion on the politics of police and prison abolition situated in the context of our community and the larger region.

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

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:

July 13, 2019 Teachers across Maryland flexing their political muscle

Why are Maryland teachers fighting for the improvements promised in the Kirwan Commission proposals (and in the unkept promises of the Thornton plan before that)? Maybe because “ A 2018 study on ‘Understanding Teacher Shortages’ … found that Maryland teachers ranked 48^th out of 50 states for teacher working conditions, … and … scored especially low on classroom autonomy and administrative support.” It starts in the classroom, the reason Progressive Maryland is engaged with teachers in the Alliance to Reclaim our Schools (AROS) in Prince George’s, Montgomery and other counties around the state. This Maryland Matters article by Lisa Nevans Locke outlines the path to activism for many of the state’s teachers.

July 09, 2019 Hogan stonewalling on spending riles critics across the spectrum

Without the need to bamboozle the electorate with nice-guy poses, Maryland’s Guv is sounding more Trump-like every day. His latest move -- withholding needed funds with an "unprecedented level of hypocrisy" -- fits the emerging pattern.

July 08, 2019 Progressive Maryland Weekly Memo for Monday, July 8, 2019

At Progressive Maryland (and with our progressive allies) we work for environmental justice, reform of the criminal justice/policing system and cutting the school-to-prison pipeline, fair elections that loosen the grip of big money on our politics, and reform of the systems that keep our families trapped in poverty in the midst of wealth. Read more about our issues -- and how you can be a part of change and building power -- in the Memo, every week.

>>REMEMBER – these blog posts are frequently 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