Blog Archives - PACG - Progressive Action for the Common Good

"People of Power" Puppet Performances - No Hate In Our States

7/28/2020

People of Power - Puppetry Performances

Online Viewing

Many artists have had to change their performance options because of the quarantine. Some puppetry companies have found creative ways to share their art and messages.

Wonderspark Puppets is partnering with ShakesBEARS to create a series of short performances on People of Power.

These are well worth your time - and are perfect for sharing with children.

Watch People of Power on Facebook or YouTube.

Julie Ross

"Come Hell or High Water" - Viewing and Discussion

7/28/2020

Come Hell or High Water - The Battle for Turkey Creek
Wednesday, August 5th at 7:00 pm

Online Viewing and Discussion

Environmental Forum

Learn about the unjust impact of climate change on Turkey Creek, a historic black community in coastal Mississippi.

Join us for a viewing of this award-winning film online anytime between August 2nd and August 4th. Then join the filmmakers at 7 pm on Wednesday, August 5th for a discussion on the disproportionate impacts of climate change on communities of color.

Visit InterFaith Power and Light for more information and a preview of the film.

Login is limited to 150 viewers. Please contact Lori McCollum to register. You’ll be sent a link and password to view the film, and access the webinar.

The event host is Interfaith Power and Light and is sponsored by UUCQC and PACG.

Lori McCollum

Informed Voter Series Town Hall

7/28/2020

Informed Voter Series: Medicare Anniversary Town Hall
via Zoom
Thursday, July 30th at 4:00 pm

Voter Information

Medicare was signed into law on July 30, 1965. We will be celebrating the anniversary of Medicare with a town hall. We have invited both Senator Joni Ernst and Senatorial Democratic Candidate Theresa Greenfield to attend and address voters' concerns about Medicare, the Affordable Care Act, prescription drug policies and health care.

Theresa Greenfield has accepted our invitation and will be present to discuss her health care policies. Senator Joni Ernst has not yet responded to our request.

The Iowa Alliance for Retired Americans, American Association of University Women, Americans for Democratic Action Iowa, Iowa Lower Drug Prices Now, National Organization for Women, Progressive Action for the Common Good, and Iowa Citizen Action Network are partnering to bring you this Informed Voter Series.

An RSVP to this event is required.

Allison Ambrose, President

PACG Book Club for August and September 2020

7/26/2020

PACG Book Club for August and September 2020

Monday, August 17th at 5:30 pm via Zoom: The Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America by Richard Rothstein

This is an important book for those concerned about racial equality to read and discuss. If you don't have time to read the book and join our discussion, we suggest you listen to the interview with the author described below.

In an 8 minute interview, NPR's Ari Shapiro speaks with author Richard Rothstein about his new book, The Color of Law, which details how federal housing policies in the 1940s and '50s mandated segregation and undermined the ability of black families to own homes and build wealth.

Note: We will skip the October Book Club discussion. We want to choose a book for November at our October discussion. Please come with suggestions!

Monday, September 21st at 5:30 pm via Zoom: Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe

Things Fall Apart by Nigerian author Chinua Achebe was published in 1958. Considered his masterpiece, it is the most widely read novel in modern African literature.

Quoting from a teaching guide at Penguin Random House:

"Things Fall Apart tells two overlapping, intertwining stories, both of which center around Okonkwo, a "strong man" of an Ibo village in Nigeria. The first story traces Okonkwo’s fall from grace with the tribal world in which he lives. It provides us with a powerful fable about the immemorial conflict between the individual and society. The second story, which is as modern as the first is ancient, concerns the clash of cultures and the destruction of Okonkwo’s world through the arrival of aggressive, proselytizing European missionaries.

These twin dramas are perfectly harmonized and they are modulated by an awareness capable of encompassing the life of nature, history, and the mysterious compulsions of the soul. Things Fall Apart is the most illuminating and permanent monument we have to the modern African experience as seen from within."

Sounds good, doesn't it?

Click on my name here Alta Price for a link to the Zoom meeting. Please tell me whether it is the August or September discussion that you want to attend so I send you the correct link.

Alta Price

Support the Y15K Initiative - What You Can Do Now

7/25/2020

15 Years - Y15K - $15,000

Please help us celebrate our 15th Anniversary by supporting our Y15K fundraiser! Our goal is to raise $7,500 from donors, matched with PACG funds on hand, for a total of $15,000. We will donate the $15,000 raised to nonprofits in the community serving those in need. We especially want to help those negatively impacted by COVID-19.

Our funds will benefit:

The residents of Cobblestone Place which provides low-income housing;
Immigrants negatively impacted by COVID-19 through Quad Cities Alliance for Immigrants and Refugees (QCAIR);
Families experiencing hunger due to job losses through Heart of Hope;
Immigrants (and others) by providing food service job training and commercial kitchen support through Catalyst Kitchen.

To help you learn more, we are hosting Understand the Need Zoom webinars where representatives from each group will explain how they function to benefit our community and why they are in additional need today.

Please click on one of the links below to register.

If you try to register before the event and the registration says it is closed, please contact our Office Manager at (563) 676-7580. She will send you a webinar link.

Y15K - Understand the Need - Tuesday, August 4th at 5:30 pm
Register: https://pacg.z2systems.com/eventReg.jsp?event=489&

Y15K - Understand the Need - Saturday, August 8th at 10:00 am
Register: https://pacg.z2systems.com/eventReg.jsp?event=494&

Download the flyer below to invite your friends!

y15k_flyer_.pdf
File Size:	527 kb
File Type:	pdf

A Message from the Board

Progressive Action for the Common Good (PACG) is celebrating 15 years of working tirelessly for liberty and justice in the Quad Cities! We organized out of the belief that bringing progressives together on the issues that matter to them is important for democracy to succeed. Your support has allowed us to defend and advance progressive causes. In celebration of our 15th Anniversary, we would like to give back to our community and, in particular, to those who have been negatively impacted by COVID-19.

On behalf of the Board, I would like to announce the Y15K (15 years/$15,000) initiative. We will match donations to PACG in the hopes of raising at least $7,500 from members so that we can infuse $15,000 into our community. These donations will be threefold:

to Cobblestone Place to help meet residents’ needs;
directly to immigrants who have been affected by COVID-19 (with the help of Quad Cities Alliance for Immigrants and Refugees - QCAIR);
to local non-profits that serve populations of interest to our Issue Forums.

You are someone who has supported PACG in the past. We ask you to consider donating to our Y15K initiative. Remember that PACG is a 501(c)(3) organization and your donations are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law.

We are hosting Zoom presentations so that members can learn more about who we will support with Y15K. I hope you can join us! Please see the flyer for more information about this fund drive and our presentations. Thank you for your continued support for progressive issues and for PACG.

Allison Ambrose

Earth Day 50th Anniversary Celebration! - After Action Report

7/21/2020

Earth Day 2020 - After Action Report

Freight House Farmers Market - Davenport

Environmental Forum

On Saturday, July 18th we celebrated Earth Day 2020 at the Freight House Farmers Market with the support of sponsors Quad City Earth Coalition, Living Lands and Waters, Sierra Club - Eagle View Chapter, the Freight House Farmers Market, and the Mark Schwiebert Grant for Environmental Studies. There were a small, but stellar group of exhibitors, musicians, and volunteers in attendance. Fun was had by all on this hot, but breezy summer day.

Safety was emphasized with masks and hand sanitizer, and tables were spaced for proper physical distancing. Several hundred people wandered through the exhibitor tables, learning about our wonderful planet, and the children enjoyed a number of family friendly activities.

We emphasized the importance of celebrating the 50th Anniversary of Earth Day by VOTING for candidates who endorse policies for a healthy planet.

Lori McCollum

Civil Rights Leaders News and Vivian Pass - No Hate In Our States

7/21/2020

Civil Rights Leaders Rep. John Lewis and Rev. CT Vivian Die on Same Day

View Online

Civil Rights Forum

Two Civil Rights icons, Rev. C.T. Vivian and Rep. John Lewis, passed away on July 17th. Both men were deeply involved with Rev. Martin Luther King’s nonviolent campaign in the 1960s and continued to fight for justice throughout their lives. Read more about them in their New York Times obituaries, which include many fascinating links to other relevant articles.

Rev. C.T. Vivian

Representative John Lewis

We recently suggested watching the PBS Finding Your Roots episode on John Lewis and Cory Booker.

Watch the new documentary John Lewis: Good Trouble.

Again, after reading these obits and watching these documentaries, you may also want to watch the movie Selma, which is available to rent on Amazon for as little as $2.99.

Julie Ross

After Action Report - Davenport Earth Month Proclamation

7/17/2020

City of Davenport Honors PACG With Earth Month Proclamation - After Action Report

From the City of Davenport Government Facebook page on Sunday, July 12th:

Earth Day is usually in April, but not in Davenport this year.

The Davenport City Council proclaimed July as Earth Month at its meeting Wednesday, July 8. The proclamation notes that the global community must step forward and take action to create positive environmental change.

The City is recognizing Earth Day during the whole month of July because of the nationwide closures that occurred in April. Alderwoman Judith Lee presented the proclamation to PJ Slobojan and members of Progressive Action for the Common Good (PACG).

View the proclamation.

Julie Meyerson-Ross

No Hate In Our States - Robert Smalls Podcast

7/17/2020

Podcast: Robert Smalls - Civil War Hero

Civil Rights Forum

I had never heard of Robert Smalls before I listened to this interesting podcast. Here's a bit of what Wikipedia says about him:

Robert Smalls (April 5, 1839 – February 23, 1915) was an American politician, publisher, and businessman. Born into slavery in Beaufort, South Carolina, he freed himself, his crew, and their families during the American Civil War by commandeering a Confederate transport ship, CSS Planter, in Charleston harbor, on May 13, 1862, and sailing it from Confederate-controlled waters of the harbor to the U.S. blockade that surrounded it. He then piloted the ship to the Union-controlled enclave in Beaufort-Port Royal-Hilton Head area, where it became a Union warship. His example and persuasion helped convince President Abraham Lincoln to accept African-American soldiers into the Union Army.

Listen to this story of a brave patriot. HIs great-great-grandson tells the story!

Episode 142: Robert Smalls

Julie Meyerson-Ross

What You Can Do Now - Save the Date for Y15K

7/17/2020

Save The Date!
Y15K via Zoom
Tuesday, August 4th at 5:30 pm and
Saturday, August 8th at 10:00 am

A Message from the Board

We will be holding two Zoom presentations to reveal our plans for PACG's 15th Anniversary celebration! Presentations will be held on both August 4th
at 5:30 pm and August 8th at 10:00 am. Choose whichever meeting best fits your schedule!

More details coming next week!

Allison Ambrose