Category: A Message From The Board - PACG - Progressive Action for the Common Good

Progressive calendars of events and actions in the QCA - What You Can Do Now

3/26/2025

Progressive calendars in the QCA

PACG Forums

Want to explore more ways you can get involved in progressive actions and events in the QCA? We are collecting calendars for our Community Events page! They are posted at the top of the website page, so if you are looking for information about a particular event, you will have to do some scrolling.

Here's the link for the PACG events calendar.

Our friends at One Human Family-QCA started the QC Activism calendar in 2024 and we have put it on our Community Events page. You may add events to this calendar here.

Activist Leslie DuPree, President of Quad Cities National Organization for Women (QC NOW), is single-handedly managing the QC Action Calendar as a Google Document. Her contact information is at the top of it.

Clock, Inc is dedicated to creating a safe and supportive community center, offering vital resources, mental health programs, empowerment, and advocacy for the LGBT+ community to thrive without fear of discrimination. The Clock, Inc Events calendar is here.

MainStream, formerly known as The Real Mainstream, is a progressive, intersectional, LGBTQ+ affirming publication serving Illinois and Iowa, and available online and in print. They have a number of calendars for eastern Iowa and northwest Illinois, including a filter for adults-only and spiritual Sunday gatherings. The MainStream calendar for Quad Cities Events is here.

If you know of other groups in our area who are compiling calendar events and actions, please contact us at [email protected].

Congratulations Abdur Howard! - A Message from the Board

3/17/2025

Congratulations to Abdur Howard!

A Message from the Board

(Abdur Howard and his mother Daneca)

We are happy to announce that AbdurRahmaan "Abdur" Howard is one of 20 Davenport Community School District students who were awarded the John Deere Scholarship from the University of Iowa! From Davenport Community Schools: This $6.6 million partnership between John Deere, the University of Iowa, and the Davenport Community School District is a testament to our community's commitment to making higher education accessible for all. Each scholarship covers 90% of the total cost to attend the University of Iowa. The remaining 10% will be covered by additional funding sources, such as work study.

Abdur acted as the moderator for the PACG Black History Month 2022 project, I Am the Future: Standing on the Shoulders of the Past. He was only 13 when we first met him and he did an incredible job with the entire project. Not only did he moderate the event but he participated in the numerous presentations that we held throughout the Quad Cities. Now he is off to the U of I to study neurobiology! Congratulations, Abdur!

5 Calls Action Alert! What You Can Do Now

2/25/2025

Remember 5 Calls? It's more important than ever. Action Alert

Board of Directors

In 2017 PACG introduced our community to 5Calls.org as an ongoing way that we can push back when our progressive values are at risk. We really need it now! You can download the app right to your phone or use the online version (https://5calls.org) on your computer.

From 5Calls.org: Calling your representative is the best way to make your voice heard.

Once your congressperson forms a public stance on an issue, it’s hard for them to walk it back. The earlier they hear your opinion, the more likely it is you’ll make an impact. Calling is by far the most effective way to ensure that your representative hears you before they take a public stance.

They even have a page called "Getting Started." By typing your Zip Code into the phone app you can be connected directly to your US legislators' offices. Choose one of the (presently) 29 topics and get a script to help you make an informed statement to those offices. The topics change as issues of concern change but as of today they include Protect your IRS data from DOGE, Protect medical funding, Protect the Mission of the EPA and many many more. Check it out!

David Anderson (he/him)

Action Alert - Contact your US Senator now!

12/16/2024

Contact your US Senator regarding Bill S. 4136 - Action Alert

Message from the Board

On November 21, the 118th US Congress passed bill H.R. 9495, which terminates the tax-exempt status of terrorist-supporting organizations. This bill is on its way to the Senate as Bill S. 4136.

We are concerned that this legislation would devastate our communities, our organizations, and the First Amendment freedoms that are essential to democracy. It would let the US Treasury Secretary (and by extension, any President) to unilaterally shut down any nonprofits they disagree with, requiring no evidence or a fair trial, and without a reasonable process for challenging the loss of nonprofit status. This would have the chilling effect of silencing organizations from using their Constitutionally granted freedoms of religion, press, speech, assembly, and the freedom to petition the government for a redress of grievances.

This article explains the two important parts of the bill that passed the House. We agree with Stop Tax Penalties on American Hostages Act portion of the bill. However, the addition of the Executive Branch’s authority to revoke nonprofit status is of grave concern.

Please take action to stop the bill. This Nonprofit Killer bill has dangerous consequences. The link gives you suggestions, including a script, to make contacting your legislators easy. It also includes lists of members of the House of Representatives who voted for the bill. If yours did, call them and ask why they voted the way they did.

Most importantly, contact your state's US Senators to oppose the bill, and encourage Senator Chuck Schumer to prevent it from coming up for a vote. Find your Senator's contact information here. And contact Senator Schumer here. Share this information with your friends and neighbors and urge them to take action as well.

Susan Leuthauser

PACG Holiday Party 2024 - Save the Date!

11/1/2024

Save the Date for our Annual Holiday Party!
Saturday, December 7th at 5:30 pm

German American Heritage Center
712 W 2nd ST
Davenport, IA (map)

A Message from the PACG Board of Directors

Save the date - Saturday, December 7th at 5:30 pm - for one of PACG's favorite annual events, our Holiday Party! We will publish more details as they become available.

Check that your ballot has been counted - What You Can Do Now

11/1/2024

Has your mail-in ballot been counted?
Tuesday, November 5th - General Election Day

PACG's Adopt a Precinct Initiative

With the 2024 General Election under way, many voters are unable to make it to their polling places and have to send in their mail-in absentee ballots. Do you know if yours arrived? Was it counted? There may be concerns about whether the mail-in ballots will reach the auditor's office. C heck the status of your mail-in ballot in any of the 50 states through this link.

Susan Leuthauser

Peoples Forum Series - A Message from the Board

10/10/2024

Peoples Forum Series
Saturday, October 12th starting at 12:30 pm

Eastern Avenue Branch
Davenport Public Library
6000 Eastern Ave
Davenport, IA (map)

Power in Our Numbers Coalition

Power in Our Numbers, a coalition group that is also working with Vision Leads to increase voting in Scott County, is holding a Peoples Forum Saturday, October 12th at the Eastern Avenue Branch of the Davenport Public Library. Congressional District 1 discussion begins at 12:30 and Scott County Supervisors at 1:30.

The Power in Our Numbers coalition includes the Davenport NAACP, LULAC, and the American Association of University Women.

Take this opportunity to learn more about Congressional and Board of Supervisor candidates up for election.

Alta Price

Register for the 12th Annual PACG Potluck and Pie Auction - PACG Event

8/5/2024

Announcing the 12th Annual PACG Potluck and Pie Auction
Sunday, September 8th from noon to 3:00 pm

Longview Park
1300 17th ST
Rock Island, IL (map)

A Message from the Board

We have decided to do a Potluck and Pie Auction in place of the Picnic and Pie Auction this year. We are looking for volunteers. It's a busy time for all but this is an important signature event and we would love to see you. Save the date and let us know how you will help make this fun gathering a reality this year. Please register here.

Please register here.

Chip in to support PACG in "Birdies for Charity 2024" - A Message from the Board

4/9/2024

**Support PACG as Birdies for Charity 2024 kicks off!**

A Message from the Board

Birdie 2363 - Donate Here

2024-simplified-pledge-form_onepage-1.pdf
File Size:	262 kb
File Type:	pdf

Chip in for a chance to win in 2024!

Once again, this year PACG is participating in the John Deere Birdies for Charity drive! The John Deere Classic runs from July 1st through 7th this year. Here is some information from the Birdies for Charity website about what this means for us:

When you chip in to help area charities, you could win! But your favorite charity will be the real winner. That’s because participating charities receive 100% of the donations pledged to them in this program, plus a bonus from the Birdies for Charity Bonus Fund which is a guaranteed 5% match.

John Deere Classic week is always exciting. Not just for the tournament, but also for what the tournament means for charities. Since 1971, the John Deere Classic has delivered over $159 million to regional charities, most of it through its innovative Birdies for Charity program. No other event on the PGA TOUR does it better - and it's the generous and hardworking nature of this area that makes it happen!

Progressive Action Update readers, you can win a two-year lease on a new car by submitting your pledge donation by June 26th!

And whatever you give to PACG through Birdies for Charity increases your donation by 5% through their generous matching offer.

Click this link or the button to donate online to PACG! Our "Bird" is #2363
https://birdiesforcharity.com/donate?charity=2363 Then click Donate Now.

If you want to send a check, use a pledge form (or download the 2024 Simplified Pledge Form at the top of this page). Make your check out to Birdies for Charity and send it to 15623 Coaltown Rd, East Moline, IL 61244. Make sure to fill in Progressive Action for the Common Good as the Charity Solicited For and 2363 as the Bird Number.

Important dates:
Friday, June 26th: Pledges and Guesses for the Grand Prize Contest are due.
July 1st through July 7th: John Deere Classic Tournament Week

Ann McCluskey
Treasurer, PACG

Chip in for PACG here.

"I Am the Future" at the Figge - After Action Report

1/17/2024

I Am the Future showing at the Figge - After Action Report

PACG Board

On Thursday, January 11, 2024, over 80 people braved the cold evening to see our civil rights film I Am the Future: Standing on the Shoulders of the Past and to hear our Legacy Panel. The Figge Art Museum in Davenport was the perfect host for our event!

We were honored to have MacArthur Cotton from Kosciusko, Mississippi, a veteran of the civil rights movement in Mississippi, as our guest. He was one of the young organizers to help with the Freedom Riders campaign in 1961. Avery Pearl, Assistant Director of TMBC at the Lincoln Center and our young film star Abdur Howard, who stepped in to fill in for Aubrey Barnes, were also part of our Legacy panel. We were so proud to have such a diverse group across multiple generations to discuss civil rights!

Allison Ambrose did a wonderful job as facilitator for the panel discussion and question and answers. Each of our younger panelists did a great job of suggesting how to get young people involved in civil rights issues and voting. Mr. Cotton made the point that what they did in the 1960s to pass the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965 won’t work today. But our country is faced with some of the same threats to our democracy as the 60s and those will affect us all. Today we need to empower people to vote at every level of government, treat each other with respect and work together for change. What a great lead off for the Dr. Martin Luther King celebrations in the following days.

Read all about our I Am the Future film stars here. Read the details of our Legacy Panel here.

We were also happy to have youth from Project Renewal and the Youth Advocate Program (YAP) of the NAACP Davenport.

Ann McCluskey, PACG Treasurer reported, "I asked people what they thought about the event as they walked out. To a person, they were moved by it. It was a special night."

PACG Board Member Loxi Hopkins said, "People I talked to thought it was amazing. I felt sure the whole line of people sitting in front of me were principles or teachers. People spent a lot of time at the displays."

Reflecting on the event over the past few days, attendee (and mother of Legacy Panel member Abdur Howard), Daneca Walker said, "The response to a question directed to the Legacy Panel pointed out that activism needs to start with the young people. We can’t allow the normalization of unfair and inequitable treatment. We must teach our children to guard against this. Inequitable treatment begins to desensitize them to the issue of humans being treated humanly. Larger cities have more opportunities for the exposure. In smaller areas like ours the opportunities exist, one just has to be more intentional in their search. As adults, we move about this unforgiving world praying that each of our interactions are genuine and filled with positivity, but we are also smart enough to know that that notion isn’t realistic. Children interact with adults believing that whether the interaction was good or bad it must be okay because they are adults. The trust factor plays such a huge role. Diversity, equity, equality and inclusion are terms that young people can easily comprehend as individual terms, but society has difficulty understanding them collectively as they apply to humanity. They all equate to activism and civil rights - to Human Rights."

Thank you to our committee members Allison Ambrose, Ann McCluskey, Caryn Unsicker, Loxi Hopkins, Susan Leuthauser, Rael Slavensky, and Alta Price. PJ Slobojan for helped with registration and Jeannie Price worked on our graphics. Thanks to Rael and Glenda for the pictures.

Thanks to our co-sponsors Figge Art Museum, WQPT-Quad Cities PBS and WVIK-Quad Cities NPR. Our event was also made possible by the generosity of the following organizations, individual and anonymous donors:

100 Black Men of the Quad Cities, ASWAS, Inc, Diocese of Davenport, Friends of MLK Interpretive Center, Iowa State Representative Ken Croken, Metrocom NAACP #4019, Northwest Bank and Trust, One Human Family-QCA, Quad Cities Interfaith, Tracy and Ben Singleton and Smart Lexus of the Quad Cities.

Glenda Guster