We hope you all had a joyous Juneteenth weekend, celebrating the resilience, liberation, and unity of our Black communities. Tomorrow marks the official start of summer—a season filled with endless possibilities and opportunities for change.

Today, on World Refugee Day, we stand in solidarity with those who have sought refuge and survived unimaginable hardships. It is a reminder of our shared responsibility to uplift the voices of the marginalized and build a more inclusive society. This summer, let us reaffirm our commitment to creating welcoming spaces for all, fostering inclusivity, and amplifying the voices of those seeking refuge.

Additionally, as Pride Month draws to a close, let us continue to celebrate and support our LGBTQ+ community. Be sure to explore our Pride Events section to catch the final events and festivities of the month, as we stand together in solidarity and recognition of love, acceptance, and equality for all.

This summer, we encourage you to get involved and make a difference. Keep an eye on our upcoming initiatives that we will be launching in the coming weeks. We have exciting projects on the horizon, aimed at promoting progressive policies, advancing social justice, and empowering grassroots activism. They will provide numerous avenues for you to get involved and make a significant impact in your community. Let's harness the energy of the season and channel it into transformative action

Read on for more updates, events, state news and opportunities to make a difference!

In Solidarity,

The Progressive Maryland Team

Here’s what’s in today’s memo:

• PM Updates
• PM task forces & issue campaigns: HCTF, RCTF & EJTF
• Pride Events
• State & National news

PM UPDATES:

Maryland People's Leadership Institute (MPLI): Applications Now Open!

With the backing of Progressive Maryland, MPLI is committed to empowering individuals to become influential community leaders in politics and campaign management. Join us in shaping Maryland's political landscape by acquiring indispensable knowledge and skills in economic and social justice, organizing, advocacy, and more. Seize this opportunity and make a lasting impact in your community! Application deadline is July 7th. Take action today and apply now to kick-start your journey. Click here to submit your application!

Updates: PM Task Forces & Issue Campaigns 

Environmental Justice Task Force

Since the beginning of the year, after learning of a nearby toxic incinerator, community members from the Cherry Hill neighborhood in South Baltimore have taken action to put a stop to this slow-death machine by joining Progressive Maryland's Environmental Justice Task Force (EJTF).

This past weekend the EJTF launched its Summer 2023 Petition Canvass Drive to amplify the call to elected officials to make shutting down the Baltimore incinerator a priority. This is a juggernaut petition campaign and in the next two months, the EJTF will procure 1,000 petition signatures with a larger goal of reaching 10,000 signatures by the end of the year. It's time to put up or shut up, and make stopping the Baltimore incinerator a priority. 

If you would like to support the EJTF‘s petition canvass by knocking doors please reach out to SirJames.

Healthcare Justice Campaign: What a Great Week For Healthcare Organizing!

Our Care Over Cost campaign is exposing the greed and serious shortcomings in this country’s private for profit health insurance system–we’re working to help patients with claim denials and to make a strong case for Medicare For All. Please join hundreds of Marylanders who are demanding accountability from the industry: Sign our petition 

Aija Nemer-Anerud, People’s Action Health Care for All Campaign Director, published a guest blog on our Care Over Cost campaign on Wendell Potter’s Health Care Uncovered: Doctors said "it was a matter of life or death." But their health insurer denied the claim: The story of how a claim denial was fought and won against a health insurance giant with help from the Care Over Cost campaign.. 

Help us build the case in Maryland: answer a few questions about your experience with health insurance coverage in a short survey here. Drop Patty a note to get involved with our community outreach and to help us organize upcoming events in July and August. If your local group or association is looking for speakers, let us know! We can send someone to talk about the critical healthcare issues facing our communities and what folks can do about it. Thank you for taking action! 

Returning Citizens Task Force

We had a smaller than usual RCTF meeting on June 13; we discussed ways of developing concrete activity that would be small in scope but meaningfully for individuals. The key will be to find ways to engage in community activity that could help give returning citizens a sense of purpose and connect them to services. 

As for working on our legislative priorities, we will continue to develop our network of coalition partners so that the various groups in Prince George’s and around the state working to support people after release from prison can pool our resources. 

RCTF’s next meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, June 20 from 6:30 – 7:30 pm.  For more information about our bi-weekly meetings or about any aspect of our work, please contact Kurt.

PRIDE EVENTS:

☆ Baltimore Pride June 16-23 

☆ Frederick Pride June 24 3-10pm

☆ Salisbury Pride June 24 11am- 9pm

☆ Ocean City Inaugural Pride Parade June 24 9-11am

☆ Montgomery Pride June 25 12-8pm

*pride events will continue to be added in this section throughout the month of June

State and National News:

After the third official federal holiday for Juneteenth, where does America stand? Where does Maryland stand? Here are some snapshots in News You Can Use. Inequality in the US persists and may even be growing -- across classes and ethnicities. It reflects itself in data on incomes, on health care, on education and on housing affordability. And there's, as always, a gap within the gap. More on that below, in our progressive News You Can Use.

It's enough to get you mad. It's enough to get you mad enough to organize and fight. For that, join Progressive Maryland.

Progressive Maryland BlogSpace:

We value creating space for our members to express their thoughts on any issues related to our campaigns. Have an idea for a blog post? You can submit writing, film, graphic design, etc. to be published on our website to the blog moderator Woody.

• New Today-The state of America -- and Maryland -- after Juneteenth 2023

• House in disarray, DOJ indicts, Maryland looks around after hazy week

• Gas prices, cars and their care, and power are all themes this week: Maryland's News You Can Use

• A Poem For Pride
• Response to Washington Post article

• How the compromise on debt default avoidance worked out; plus Maryland roundup: News You Can Use
  

>>Read more on the homepage of progressivemaryland.org

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Progressive Maryland
P.O. Box 6988
Largo, MD 20792