It’s summer; maybe you think it’s a sleepy time – but our issues are still on the front burner, and so is our activism. Our activists are training on the Shore this weekend to build power across the state; info about that and future training opportunities below; check it out.

 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 here.

Progressive Maryland Weekly Memo for Monday June 10 2019

It’s summer; maybe you think it’s a sleepy time – but our issues are still on the front burner, and so is our activism. Our activists are training on the Shore this weekend to build power across the state; info about that and future training opportunities from [email protected] .

 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 here.

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

Lower Shore Progressive Caucus

PMD Baltimore

EVENTS FROM OUR PROGRESSIVE ALLIES

TONIGHT Monday, June 10 Reversing Global Warming: Introduction to Drawdown,  7:00 - 9:00 PM at the Connie Morella Library on Arlington Road, in Bethesda. The Environmental Sustainability Group at Bethesda Friends (Quaker) Meeting is sponsoring the workshop. Project Drawdown is a coalition of more than 200 researchers and other experts from 22 countries who have identified and modeled the 100 most substantive, already existing solutions for addressing global warming.

Tuesday, June 11 a Health Care Study Group with participants from Health Care is a Human Right MD and others meets at the New Deal Cafe in Greenbelt, at 5 pm.  This week we will discuss HR 1384 and its Senate companion bill, SB 1804.

Wednesday, June 12 --Annual "Zero Waste" Potluck & Discussion with Greenbelt Climate Action Network 7-9 PM, Greenbelt Community Center, Room 114, 15 Crescent Road, Greenbelt, MD. Come join us for our Annual “Zero-Waste” Potluck. Vegan dishes preferred.
https://www.facebook.com/events/408567703061427 For more info, contact Lore Rosenthal, Greenbelt Climate Action Network, [email protected]

Thursday, June 13 – Poor People’s Campaign regional monthly meeting --
The Poor People’s Campaign in Montgomery County will have its monthly meeting in Takoma Park 6:30-8:30 PM– more info here.

Saturday, June 15 Our Revolution MoCo OR MoCo Monthly Chapter Meeting. 1:00 PM at Kaldi's Social House, Rooftop Please RSVP here.

Saturday, June 15 United Democratic Women of Maryland Southern Region Luncheon -- Sartik's , 7670 Hawthorne Road La Plata, MD 20646. Guest speaker is Del. C.T. Wilson. Info and costs, email Karen Fennell.

Monday June 17 “Reel & Meal” film series features Purgatorio, 7 PM at New Deal Café, 113 Centerway. The Rodrigo Reyes 2014 documentary depicts the humanitarian crisis on our southern border, near Tijuana into southern Texas, with shots of beautiful scenery juxtaposed with images of desperate poverty on one side of the border and protectionism on the other side.  Prince George's County Peace & Justice Coalition presents program. Contact: Donna Hoffmeister, [email protected].  

Tuesday June 18 Get Money Out Maryland (GMOM) film show and discussion, 7 pm, Greenbelt Community Center Multi-Purpose Room.  Program features Dark Money, in cooperation with Point of View www.pbs.org/pov/, “the best film ever about money in politics,” which reveals vivid examples of corruption in election cycles and impact of big money on parties and policies. Susan Ogden will lead discussion on how to reclaim democracy so it works for all and thus serves as a foundation of peace.  By GMOM and Prince George’s County Peace & Justice Coalition. Contact Susan: [email protected].

 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:

June 06, 2019 Maryland to Alabama, a "secret sauce" for progressive organizing develops

MoCo activists will remember Justin Vest, one of the first organizers in the PMD Montgomery chapter, who relocated his growing family back to his home state of Alabama a few years ago to apply his insights to organizing there. “As Progressive Maryland expanded into more rural areas after 2016,” Vest relates here,  “I started to realize just how similar rural Maryland was to places I knew very well in Alabama.” Leigh Friedman of Progressive Breakfast has the story.

June 04, 2019 As Hogan interstate plan approaches vote, biggest local pushback yet

A proposal to privatize the building of new lanes on I-495 and I-270 in Maryland – to be paid for with tolls collected by the private companies – is facing big-time local opposition in advance of a vote tomorrow (Wednesday, June 5). Three officials, including swing vote Comptroller Peter Franchot, will rule on whether a mixed-mode transit plan or a cars-only congestion infusion is in our Beltway future. Read more here.

June 03, 2019 Progressive Maryland Weekly Memo for Monday, June 3, 2019

Public planning's importance, our next training (nearer the beach!) and activism in summer, when progressives get some fresh air. All in the Weekly Memo... check it out.

>>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