PACG - Progressive Action for the Common Good - Blog

PBS Newshour Podcast on "The 1619 Project" - No Hate

1/25/2022

PBS Newshour: How ‘The 1619 Project’ underscores connection between slavery and modern America

No Hate In Our States

From PBS Newshour: "Journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones's 1619 Project has become a topic of much debate in recent years.

"For our Bookshelf tonight, Amna Nawaz spoke with her about expanding upon that original work, the importance of looking back at how our nation's history unfolded, and its relevance to today."
Watch here: www.pbs.org/newshour/show/how-the-1619-project-underscores-connection-between-slavery-and-modern-america

Julie Ross

Action Alert - Repeal 2021 Iowa Election Law Changes

1/25/2022

Petition to Repeal the 2021 Iowa Election Law Changes - Action Alert
Tuesday, February 1st

League of Women Voters Johnson County

In November, the League of Women Voters Johnson County (LWVJC) initiated a campaign to collect signatures to repeal the changes in the 2021 Iowa Election Law. At this time, they're short 5,000 signatures and are extending this campaign to Tuesday, February 1st. If you have already participated, thank you. If you haven't, and would like to be part of it, please provide your electronic signature at www.lwvia.org/anti-voter-laws. For more information about this campaign, visit www.lwvia.org/petitions.

See a summary of the 2021 Iowa election law changes published by the Iowa State Association of County Auditors.

Susan Leuthauser

PACG Book Club for March 2022

1/23/2022

**PACG Book Club for March 2022 - Empire of Pain: The Secret History of the Sackler Dynasty by Patrick Radden Keefe**

After reading and discussing War on Us by Colleen Cowles, we decided we wanted to learn more about drug policy and problems. Our March book will be Empire of Pain: The Secret History of the Sackler Dynasty by Patrick Radden Keefe.

We plan to meet via Zoom on Monday, March 21st at 5:30 pm. At this point we are planning to meet by Zoom. This could change if things go well with the pandemic. We'll let you know after the February meeting if we decide to meet in person somewhere.

Click on my name for an invitation to the Zoom meeting.

Alta Price

Here is more about Empire of Pain from Goodreads:

"The Sackler name adorns the walls of many storied institutions: Harvard, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Oxford, the Louvre. They are one of the richest families in the world, known for their lavish donations to the arts and sciences. The source of the family fortune was vague, however, until it emerged that the Sacklers were responsible for making and marketing OxyContin, a blockbuster painkiller that was a catalyst for the opioid crisis.

"Empire of Pain is a masterpiece of narrative reporting and writing, exhaustively documented and ferociously compelling."

PACG Book Club for February 2022

1/23/2022

**PACG Book Club for February 2022 - Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel**

Our February book will be Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel. I'll not be giving anything away to tell you this book is about a pandemic. When I realized that early in the book, I immediately looked to see when it was written. I was surprised to see it was written in 2014! Anyway, it makes you realize our pandemic could have been so much worse! Even though this fits into the category of post-apocalyptic dystopian fiction, most of the action takes place well before and well after the actual pandemic. It was a quick read and not nearly as disturbing as you might expect.

The book is also the basis of a mini series of the same name at HBO Max.

Here is some information about the book from Goodreads:

"Set in the days of civilization's collapse, Station Eleven tells the story of a Hollywood star, his would-be savior, and a nomadic group of actors roaming the scattered outposts of the Great Lakes region, risking everything for art and humanity.

"One snowy night a famous Hollywood actor slumps over and dies onstage during a production of King Lear. Hours later, the world as we know it begins to dissolve. Moving back and forth in time—from the actor's early days as a film star to fifteen years in the future, when a theater troupe known as the Traveling Symphony roams the wasteland of what remains—this suspenseful, elegiac, spellbinding novel charts the strange twists of fate that connect five people: the actor, the man who tried to save him, the actor's first wife, his oldest friend, and a young actress with the Traveling Symphony, caught in the crosshairs of a dangerous self-proclaimed prophet."

Click on my name for a link to the meeting.

Alta Price

Black History Month Podcasts - No Hate In Our States

1/18/2022

10 podcasts to listen to during Black History Month and beyond

No Hate In Our States

According to the Digital Trends website, “[Here] are some fantastic podcasts… that take a deep dive into topics ranging from empowerment to adversity and racial disparity, some set in the present day and others covering important aspects of history.”

www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/podcasts-to-listen-to-during-black-history-month-and-beyond/

Julie Ross

February Green Drinks - PACG Event

1/18/2022

February Green Drinks - Mississippi River Plastic Pollution Initiative
Tuesday, February 1st at 5:00 pm

Environmental Forum

Join us on Tuesday, February 1st from 5 - 7 pm for our February Green Drinks. You will hear from Jennifer Wendt, Mississippi River Cities & Town Initiative (MRCTI), Plastic Waste Reduction Campaign Manager.

In October 2021, many Quad Cities residents participated in this initiative by tracking litter collected along our waterways. Jennifer will summarize the data collected and share the next step for this initiative with us.

Please register in advance at: us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/

Susan Leuthauser

January Environmental Celebration - National Bird Day

1/18/2022

January Environmental Celebration - National Bird Day
Wednesday, January 5th

Environmental Forum

January 5th was National Bird Day. The Environmental forum is celebrating birds for the entire month of January. North America lost 3 billion birds in the past 50 years and we need to take action to protect them.

Susan Leuthauser

Support Afghan Refugees - What You Can Do Now

1/18/2022

Furniture Donation for Afghan Refugees - Action Alert
Drop off Monday through Friday 9 am to 3pm

World Relief Quad Cities
1852 16th Street, Moline, IL (map)

World Relief and PACG Civil Rights Forum

The PACG Civil Rights Forum works in coalition with other groups aiding immigrants and refugees. World Relief is in the process of resettling 175 Afghan refugees who will be arriving in the Quad Cities by February. The relief volunteers have been impacted by the surge in Covid cases and could use our help.

Initially, most of the refugees are temporarily housed in area hotels while permanent living quarters are being set up. World Relief is requesting donations of furniture, household appliances and other supplies to help these people start their new lives in our area.

Susan Leuthauser

Green Drinks in 2021 - After Action Report

1/17/2022

Green Drinks 2021 - After Action Report

Environmental Forum

The Environmental Forum held 11 Green Drinks events in 2021. Since March 2019, we have met monthly to network and listen to a presentation by a subject matter expert. In spite of the pandemic, Green Drinks continues to meet virtually on the first Tuesday of each month from 5 to 7 pm. Watch this space for our 2022 gatherings, we have exciting programs coming up.

In January of 2022 the Executive Director of Citizen Climate International Joseph Robertson gave an inspiring talk about what happened at COP26. He gave us hope and motivated us to continue to do our advocacy work.

Susan Leuthauser

After Action Report - the Environmental Forum in 2021

1/17/2022

2021 Environmental Forum Activities - After Action Report

Environmental Forum

The Environmental Forum had a busy 2021. Here's summary of our activities:

Held ten Green Drinks virtual events and one Green Drinks in-person gathering.
Celebrated one specific environmental day/issue each month and published an informational and take-action flier (images and flyers below).
Held a weekly outreach table at the Farmers' Market during the market season.
The theme for the 2021 Earth Day was “Restore the Earth” and we celebrated this occasion with 2 events:
- Screened the film “Kiss the Ground,” followed by a panel discussion on the topic by soil conservation experts.
- Hosted an Earth Day Fair at the Farmers Market.
Supported City Council woman Judith Lee’s effort to pass the Davenport Resolution in support of a policy for Energy, Environmental, and Climate Change Sustainability and Resiliency.
Participated in the St. Ambrose University Sustainability Fest.
Supported the NAACP Environmental Justice Committee Events.
Participated in several local cleanup efforts.
Participated in the Mississippi River Cities & Towns Initiative to collect plastic waste data.
Worked with Rock Island County residents to address the issue of the closing of the recycling centers.
Worked with the Davenport North High School Environmental Club students on their environmental projects.
Actively participated as a member of the QC Earth Coalition and River Action Steering Committee.
Supported NAACP Environmental Justice Group events.
Initiated the QC Voter Turnout/Voter information project.

We have made our 2021 Monthly Environmental Celebrations into two flyers. They print off nicely back-to-back to make a perfect placemat for the family. We have attached the flyers here as pdfs of Side 1 and Side 2.

Susan Leuthauser

2021_monthly_celebration_placemat_side_1.pdf
File Size:	1489 kb
File Type:	pdf

2021_monthly_celebration_placemat_side_2.pdf
File Size:	1271 kb
File Type:	pdf