July 26, 2021 01:57 PM UTC

What you can do to fight for progress this week (July 26)

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• by: ProgressNow Colorado

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After one of the hardest years of our lives, both individually and as a nation, we’ve got a chance to do something truly historic in President Biden’s Build Back Better plan.

Coloradans have come together over the last year across races, religions, and backgrounds to help each other through the pandemic and resulting economic crisis. It’s not over, but in Colorado where vaccination rates are much higher than the national average and working together to get through adversity comes naturally, we’re once again a model for the rest of the nation to follow.

In Colorado, we’ve passed policies in recent years that will make a real difference in working peoples’ lives: Paid Medical Family Leave, union voices for state employees, and strong protections for voting rights.

Now it’s time for Congress to take similarly bold action and pass President Biden’s Build Back Better plan without delay. This Wednesday, a coalition of leading progressive advocacy groups and individuals will gather in downtown Denver to urge Sens. John Hickenlooper and Michael Bennet to BE BOLD.

WHAT: Coalition Press Conference and Rally
WHEN: Wednesday, July 28th at 1PM
WHERE: 1961 Stout Street, Denver
VISUALS: Large signs and a three-foot-high balloon mosaic spelling out BE BOLD!

Click here to RSVP.

President Biden’s Build Back Better Plan is an historic investment in solving problems that affect every community in Colorado and across America. Now is the time for Colorado’s elected leaders to be bold and make a difference every voter in Colorado will see in their own lives.

Stop racial gerrymandering in Colorado. Our friends at Colorado Common Cause need your signature on a petition to the Colorado Independent Legislative and Congressional Commissions calling on the commissions to “honor the will of the voters and the constitution by prioritizing communities of interest, especially communities of color, throughout the rest of the process in order to draw maps that ensure equitable representation for all Coloradans.” Proposed draft maps could split vital communities of color and reduce fair representation in the Colorado General Assembly and in Congress. Click here to sign Common Cause’s petition today.

And remember, the redistricting commissions continue touring the state throughout July and August! This week, the commission is holding hearings in Denver and Aurora before heading to Salida, Grand Junction, and Montrose. Click here to sign up to be notified about upcoming redistricting hearings in your area.

Thanks for your dedication week after week to fighting for our shared progressive values. Here are a few more great ways to take action for the week of July 26:

SEIU Local 105: Denver Janitors Agreement Celebration Action!

Join us on Tuesday, July 27th at 11:30AM celebrate our historic contract victory! Join us in the heart of downtown at Republic Plaza for a music filled celebration! Despite being called heroes over the past year and a half of the pandemic, janitors were not being treated as such by our cleaning companies. In response, we united as a union across our differences, took to the streets in action, demanded respect and dignity for our sacrifices, and WON.

When: Tuesday, July 27 at 11:30am
Where: 303 16th St Mall, Denver

Click here to RSVP.

Electric Vehicle Development, Your Community, and You

As we become a greener Denver, electric vehicles will have more impact on our lives. We need to know what this change means to you. What are your hopes, concerns, and questions?

When: Tuesday, July 27 at 6:30pm

Click here to RSVP.

ACLU of Colorado: Reproductive Rights Roadshow is Back!

Join ACLU of Colorado and Elephant Circle on Wednesday, July 28 at 12 p.m. as we kick off the Reproductive Roadshow with a special virtual training. You’ll have the opportunity to learn about birth justice, which, like reproductive justice, is an intersectional approach to a range of issues and needs that determine how people give birth with a focus on human rights. In this workshop, Elephant Circle will tell you about the comprehensive birth justice policy passed this legislative session, its impact, implementation, and how to get involved.

When: Wednesday, July 28 at 12:00pm

Click here to RSVP.

Town Hall with Senator Tammy Story and Rep. Susan Lontine

Join your southwest Denver legislators, Senator Tammy Story and Representative Susan Lontine for an in-person town hall at Bear Creek Park. We’ll be discussing our accomplishments from this past session and what we’ve been working on this summer, including the interim committees we’re serving on, as well as looking forward to the next legislative session. We’re eager to hear your ideas, questions, and concerns.

When: Wednesday, July 28 at 6:00pm
Where: Bear Creek Park, Denver

Click here to RSVP.

Film Screening and Discussion: Ice on Fire

Join Defend our Future (virtually) for a film screening of the monumental film Ice on Fire, which explores the potential extinction level event caused by arctic methane release, and the newly developed technologies that could reverse global warming by sequestering carbon out of the atmosphere. Following the screening we will host a short Q&A session where participants can get involved in follow up involvement.

When: Wednesday, July 28 at 6:00pm

Click here to RSVP.

Cervezas for Causes: Rocky Mountain Immigrant Action Network

The Rocky Mountain Immigrant Advocacy Network – RMIAN provides free legal and social services to immigrants held in immigration detention in Colorado. RMIAN also provides free legal services to children throughout Colorado navigating the deportation system and children who have been the victims of crime. Because there is no access to court-appointed counsel in the immigration system, RMIAN is often the only line of defense for the many immigrants and asylum seekers who cannot afford to pay a private attorney.

When: Thursday, July 29 at 5:30pm
Where: Cervecería Colorado, 1635 Platte St., Denver

Click here to RSVP.

350 Colorado and Rocky Mountain Peace & Justice Center: Power in the Streets: Live Action Skills Workshop

During the worst of the pandemic, we were fortunate to have the ability to still connect and train virtually with hundreds of people from dozens of states, three counties and two continents! It has been an honor and an amazing opportunity that challenged us to adapt and grow as facilitators. While we look forward to bringing you more virtual training in the future, there is just nothing like the feeling of a live, in-person workshop experience. Now is our chance to reconnect with community, put our knowledge into practice, explore our edges and let loose with a fun, interactive training full of games, roleplays and all of the playfulness that we’ve missed over the last 18 months. We will be in the park with fresh air, sunshine, shade tents, snacks, refreshments and lots of good vibes!

When: Saturday, July 30 at 11:00am
Where: Sunken Gardens Park, Denver

Click here to RSVP.

We’ll see you next week with more ways to fight for progress. Thanks again!