March 08, 2021 02:05 PM UTC

What you can do to fight for progress this week (March 8)

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• by: ProgressNow Colorado

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Help is on the way.

On Saturday morning after an all-night obstruction campaign from the right, the U.S. Senate passed the American Rescue Plan. This legislation represents not just economic relief to Americans hard hit by a year of economic devastation brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, but also a new approach to economic recovery from the bottom up instead of the usual practice in Washington of tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans they hope will “trickle down,” which, of course, never happens.

Almost everyone in Colorado will see a direct benefit from this comprehensive economic relief plan. Working families will get direct payments and new child tax credits, enhanced unemployment benefits will be extended, and the massive cuts that were facing state and local governments after revenues plunged in the last year will be offset–meaning schools can begin to safely reopen, and emergency services, and other critical governmental services can continue to function.

Passage of the American Rescue Plan is an enormous achievement by the Senate’s progressive majority, and although it doesn’t contain everything we all wanted, Coloradans can be proud of both of our Senators for fighting to keep progressive priorities like a living wage in the bill. That’s the courage we’ll need both Michael Bennet and John Hickenlooper to show again when raising the minimum wage to $15 comes back up for a standalone vote. And let’s make no mistake, if Cory Gardner were the 50th vote in the US Senate, none of this would have happened.

Taking a pause from Amazon Prime for the week? Amazon workers in Alabama have voted to unionize, and to support them many have chosen to not purchase from or use Amazon services for one week beginning March 7. Here’s information via our friends at Indivisible Colorado on alternative places to shop and some background on the organizing effort at Amazon.

Here are a few more ways to take action for the week of March 8:

Development Roundtable | Women in Fundraising and Philanthropy

Join Colorado Nonprofit Association and AFP SOCO as we celebrate Women’s History Month with Colleen LaFontaine, Director of Development at The Women’s Foundation of Colorado as she shares her own story, insights on women in philanthropy, and women as the changing face of philanthropy. There will be time for Q & A and conversation, too.

When: Tuesday, March 9 at 9:00am

Click here to RSVP.

Together We Grow: Disability Inclusion

A FREE Zoom Webinar that will investigate agriculture and food industry initiatives with Antonio Paixao from ADM and Philomena Satre from Land O’Lakes. Sarafaith Pekor will talk about engaging the next generation of talent through innovative programming and partnerships with her nonprofit, Seeds of Inclusion, and Becky Curran Kekula will share resources and perspective from Disability:IN. Dr. Marty Blair, from the Rural Institute for Inclusive Communities at the University of Montana, is our moderator.

When: Tuesday, March 9 at 9:00am

Click here to RSVP.

One Colorado: Q&A with trans filmmaker, Tony Zosherafatain

Join One Colorado’s Youth Leadership Council for a live Q&A with filmmaker, Tony Zosherafatain on Tuesday, March 9th at 4PM MST! Tony Zosherafatain began directing and producing films in 2012 after realizing that there weren’t many movies exclusively about trans people. His latest project, Trans in Trumpland, was released on February 25th, 2021. It investigates the impact of anti-trans policies on the lives of four transgender Americans.

When: Tuesday, March 9 at 4:00pm

Click here to RSVP.

Accelerating the US Clean Energy Transformation: Challenges and Solutions

Join us in welcoming Dr. Chuck Kutscher for our March webinar event. Dr. Kutscher’s presentation will cover information contained in a recent Renewable and Sustainable Energy Institute (RASEI) report, “Accelerating the US Clean Energy Transformation: Challenges and Solutions by Sector.” The burning of fossil fuels accounts for 75% of US greenhouse gas emissions, and driving these emissions to zero must be our number one priority in addressing climate change.

When: Wednesday, March 10 at 7:00pm

Click here to RSVP.

Indivisible Colorado: Social Media for Advocacy! INSTAGRAM & CANVA

Want to learning more about using your social media for good? Join our workshop on the free online graphic design tool called Canva, and on using Instagram for advocacy, to become a better advocate online. These webinars have been created to help any activist, group members and leaders learn to effectively engage and use these platforms for information, inoculation, recruitment, and training.

When: Thursday, March 11 at 6:30pm

Click here to RSVP.

Virtual Town Hall with Sen. Moreno, Rep. Benavidez, & Rep. Michaelson Jenet

When: Saturday, March 13 at 2:00pm

Click here to RSVP.

Rep. Meg Froelich and Sen. Jeff Bridges: Green Town Hall

Join Rep. Meg Froelich and Sen. Jeff Bridges for a town hall meeting on plastic recycling and the Colorado Greenhouse Gas Roadmap.

When: Sunday, March 14 at 1:00pm

Click here to RSVP.

Colorado Immigrant Rights Coalition: 2021 Latino/a Advocacy Day

This year, Latino/a Advocacy Day will be a virtual event, providing advocacy trainings and briefings on policy issues that most impact Latinxs in Colorado. Over 200 Latinxs from across Colorado come together in Denver every year. Put it on your calendars and join us for our Quince!

When: March 14-15

Click here to RSVP.

Also, save the date for these great events coming up:

One Colorado Annual LGBTQ Lobby Day

While we may be unable to physically visit the Capitol like we normally would for Lobby Day, join us and learn how to remotely access the State Legislature to listen to hearings, submit testimony, follow the status of a bill, and more!

When: Tuesday, March 16 at 9:30am

Click here to RSVP.

Colorado Sierra Club: 100% Renewable: Pathways to Our Clean Energy Future

Join Sustainable Resilient Longmont and Colorado Sierra Club for an educational event about what’s ahead for Longmont’s transition to renewable energy.

When: Thursday, March 18 at 6:30pm

Click here to RSVP.

*VIRTUAL* Colorado Reproductive Freedom Lobby Day

Join the Colorado Reproductive Health, Rights, and Justice Coalition as we host our first ever *VIRTUAL* lobby day at the state capitol. We will hear from story-tellers and activists in our movement followed by a lobby training. We will then join breakout rooms to meet with legislators. The event will conclude with a very special guest!

Wednesday, March 24 at 9:00am

Click here to RSVP.

Thanks as always for your help making these events and campaigns successful. We’ll see you next week!