June 07, 2021 03:10 PM UTC

What you can do to fight for progress this week (June 7)

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• by: ProgressNow Colorado

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Every ten years, the time comes again to redraw the lines of Colorado’s state legislative and congressional districts. In some states the redistricting process is fraught with partisan conflict with the majority party in the state legislature hoping to draw maps tilted in their favor: the age-old form of political treachery known as “gerrymandering.”

But that’s not how we do it in Colorado. In 2018, the voters overwhelmingly passed Amendment Y&Z to establish balanced commissions to draw fair maps that fairly represent the unique communities that make up our state. It’s a process designed from the ground up to involve you.

Starting this week, you have the chance to make your voice heard in the redistricting process. Click here to visit the Colorado Independent Redistricting Commission website and sign up to comment and participate at upcoming hearings. This is your chance to make sure the important issues facing your community are addressed—and to ensure the districts drawn to represent us fairly reflect our communities’ shared interests and policy goals.

This week, the legislative session in Colorado comes to a close. It’s been a legislative session like no other with challenges imposed by the pandemic that no one could have predicted, but some amazing things have been accomplished that we’ll all be celebrating in just a few days. We’re grateful to everyone who took time to contact their lawmakers and testify both virtually and in person to help pass good bills and stop bad bills in 2021.

Watch this space for our post-session wrap-up, and in the meantime here are a few more ways to fight for progress for the week of June 7:

Metro Caring: Caring Voices in Action: Affordable Housing | Vivienda Asequible

Join with others to share housing experiences and work to identify policy solutions to address affordable housing in Colorado. While we address the immediate need for nutritious food at Metro Caring, we must also look at the root causes of hunger. Housing instability creates financial barriers that affect people’s access to basic needs such as healthy food. Metro Caring understands that Coloradans are not going hungry because there’s a scarcity of food in the state, they are going hungry because they spend most of their money paying rent. Coloradans need more accessible and fair housing! All are welcome to join.

When: Tuesday, June 8 at 5:30pm

Click here to RSVP.

COLOR Action Fund: Latinx Health Disparities Policy Briefing

Join COLOR Action Fund and Health Policy expert Elizabeth Baskett on the current state of Latinx access to healthcare in Colorado. Learn about how many Latinx folks have access to services, where the gaps to coverage are and what we can do next!

When: Wednesday, June 9 at 6:00pm

Click here to RSVP.

Interfaith Alliance of Colorado: Trivia Night: LGBTQIA & Two-Spirit

There is so much to learn about the LGBTQ+ community. What are the identities that fall under the “plus?” What do the colors on the rainbow flag represent? Can you match the flag to the sexual orientation? How long has the term spirit been around? What other terms are used by indigenous communities throughout the world? Does gender identity align with gender expression? You’ll find out the answer to these questions and many more at Interfaith Alliance of Colorado’s Trivia Night. It’ll be a night of competition, education, and prizes. Use this Facebook event to invite your friends!

When: Wednesday, June 9 at 6:00pm

Click here to RSVP.

Americans for Tax Fairness State Groups Poll Presentation

ATF has a new poll that shows how much the public supports Joe Biden’s tax fairness agenda, which is central to financing his bold $4 trillion jobs and investment agenda. This is what’s at stake. The more revenue we can raise the bigger the investment package will be. The webinar will also review the best messages to use to win this debate.

When: Thursday, Jun 10 at 11:00am

Click here to RSVP.

Housing Justice: A State for Everyone

In Colorado, we make the way for a better and brighter future for all Coloradans, no exceptions. Join us for a Rent Control Campaign kickoff. Broaden your awareness of the housing crisis in Colorado by
– Hearing power testimonies from renters and small landlords
– Learning what the data says
– Taking action and using your voice to create change

When: Sunday, June 13 at 1:00pm

Click here to RSVP.

Thanks again! We’ll be back next week with more ways to take action.