Category: Civil Rights Forum - PACG - Progressive Action for the Common Good

Defending the Rule of Law After Action Report

8/14/2025

The Importance of Defending the Rule of Law Luncheon - After Action Report

Fifty-nine people attended the Importance of Defending the Rule of Law luncheon event at WIU's Riverfront Hall on Friday, August 8th, to hear Professor Sally Frank, Drake University Law School, explain in layman's terms how our rule of law is under attack and why it is important to recognize this and do what we can now to preserve our Democracy. Attendees asked many pertinent questions afterwards.

This event was part of the Quad Cities Civic Conversations series initiated by One Human Family and co-sponsored by Progressive Action for the Common Good, Iowa Citizen Action Network, and Quad Cities Interfaith. There will be pertinent events every three months, so watch for them in this Progressive Action Update and elsewhere.

Caryn Unsicker (she/her)

Announcing the PACG Trivia Contest! 20th Anniversary Gala PACG Event

7/29/2025

Announcing the PACG Trivia Contest!

Anniversary Planning Committee

As part of our upcoming 20th Anniversary Gala the evening of Sunday, October 19th, we will be playing PACG Trivia. To give you all a head start (as well as a nostalgic look back at some of our past events), we will have Progressive Action Update (PAU) posts about a past event, action or concern.

Here's the first in this series:
Question: The results of the US Presidential election of 2016 left most of us astonished and frustrated that the progressive efforts of the previous 8 years would be coming to an end. What grand event did PACG organize in March of 2017 to help us unite our community and continue our work under such difficult circumstances?

Answer: Taking Action 101 - Simple Ways You Can Change Your World.

Each attendee got an informative manual to take home after the event (see the pdf below). Read our After Action Report here. Over two hundred people showed up! Two hundred and twenty-two post cards were written! Each of our forums created a Power of 3 Action Plan to give our community members suggestions of things they could do to resist.

Civil Rights Forum Action Plan
Economic Justice Power of 3 Action Plan
Environmental Forum Power of 3 Action Plan
Healthcare Reform Forum Power of 3 Action Plan

If you wish to study ahead so that you can ace the Trivia Contest at the Gala in October, go to our Blog on our website here. You can use the Search Bar (window) to look for a past event or action, or you can scroll through our Archives to the right by date or topic.

pacg_taking_action_101_handbook.pdf
File Size:	1530 kb
File Type:	pdf

US views on immigration have changed - No Hate in Our States

7/29/2025

How US views of immigration have changed

Franciscan Peace Center

Months after President Donald Trump took office amid a wave of anti-immigrant sentiment, the share of U.S. adults saying immigration is a "good thing" has jumped substantially, including among Republicans, according to a new Gallup Poll. About eight in 10 Americans — 79 percent — say immigration is good for the country, an increase from the 64 percent a year ago and a high point in the nearly 25-year trend. Only about 2 in 10 U.S. adults say immigration is a bad thing right now, down from 32% last year. Read the Associated Press article here.

City Proclamations in support of Immigrant and Refugee - After Action Report

6/27/2025

Immigrant and Refugee Proclamation - After Action Report

Civil Rights Forum

The Immigration Coalition of the Quad Cities had two more successes! Both the cities of Bettendorf, Iowa and Silvis, Illinois graciously supported our Pro-Immigrant and Refugee proclamation!

Allison Ambrose

Anything for the Cause-After Action Report

6/10/2025

Anything for the Cause - After Action Report

Multi-Generational Community Building Speaker Series

Over 75 people attended our first Multi-Generational Community Building Speakers series, Anything for the Cause. We were honored to bring MacArthur “Mac” Cotton and Dr. Frank Smith, Jr as our guest speakers at the Martin Luther King Center in Rock Island, Illinois. Both of our speakers were involved during their college days with the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC). They worked as civil rights activists during the 1960’s to get black people in the South registered to vote, which at the time was dangerous. Mr. Cotton continues to focus on educational equity and getting people out to vote. He is the author of the book Mississippi Black Cotton about his time and struggles in the Civil Rights movement.

After relocating to Washington, D.C. Dr. Smith served four terms on the D.C. City Council. Dr. Smith is the founding director of the African American Civil War Memorial and Museum. He continues to be involved in his community to get out the vote.

The next project for the Multi-Generational Community Building group will be to raise money to send four youths from Thurgood Marshall school to Washington D.C. to the grand opening of the African American Civil War Memorial and Museum as Dr. Smith’s special guests. We are working with both Dr. Smith and Mr. Cotton to get a speaker for next year.

A nice dinner was served after the program. Thank you again PACG for your support!

Glenda Guster

Davenport Immigrant and Refuge Proclamation - After Action Report

6/3/2025

Immigrant and Refugee Proclamation presented to the City of Davenport - After Action Report

Civil Rights Forum

The Immigration Coalition of the Quad Cities presented a proclamation to the Davenport City Council affirming the value of immigrants and refugees in our community. Several coalition members were in attendance, and the proclamation was accepted with support!

Allison Ambrose

Afghan refugees told to leave Iowa - No Hate in Our States

5/6/2025

Afghan refugees told to leave Iowa

Civil Rights Forum

From Axios Des Moines

Afghan refugees in Iowa are receiving emails that appear to come from the federal government ordering them to leave the country immediately, a local advocacy group tells Axios.

Why it matters: The notices have sown fear and confusion among Iowa's Afghan community, many of whom believe that returning to Taliban-controlled Afghanistan would result in their torture and death, Shir Agha Safi, executive director of Afghan Partners in Iowa, tells Axios.

Driving the news: Afghan refugees began receiving emails from the Department of Homeland Security this month notifying them that their immigration status had been terminated and they must leave the U.S. immediately, Safi said. Read the full article here.

Know your protest rights - Of Interest to Our Community

5/6/2025

Know your protest rights

ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union)

The First Amendment protects your right to assemble and express your views through protest. However, police and other government officials are allowed to place certain narrow restrictions on the exercise of speech rights. Make sure you’re prepared by brushing up on your rights before heading out into the streets.

Are you going to continue to protest to stand up for your values? Are you organizing the protest or just planning to attend? What can you take pictures of when you are there? What if the police approach you during the protest? Know your rights! Read the article here.

Separation of church and state - Of Interest to Our Community

5/6/2025

Is Iowa saying bye-bye to the separation of church and state?

Bleeding Heartland

PACG's dear friend and co-founder of One Human Family-QCA, Rabbi Henry Karp, wrote this article for Bleeding Heartland. It's an important read.

As an Iowan, a Jew, and a rabbi who has served the Quad Cities Jewish community for nearly 40 years, I was beside myself when I read Dr. Thomas Lecaque’s guest column in Iowa Starting Line about the school chaplain bill moving through the Iowa legislature. Having made its way through the House and the Senate Education Committee, it is now eligible for floor debate in the Senate.

House File 884 is an offense of the highest degree to every non-Christian faith community in our state. It empowers school districts to hire chaplains “to provide support, services, and programs as assigned by the board of directors of the school district.”

If that sounds innocuous, think again, for the Senate Education Committee has already rejected an amendment that would restrict school chaplains from proselytizing students. So much for religious neutrality in our schools!

Such neutrality is dead when these school chaplains have been given the go-ahead to use their positions to promote their faith among the students. It should go without saying that doing so makes every non-Christian student in Iowa’s public schools—Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, Shinto, Sikhs, Atheists, and so on—vulnerable to the evangelizing efforts of these chaplains. That is simply not acceptable. Read the article here.

The Reality of Project 2025-Of Interest to Our Community

4/29/2025

The Reality of Project 2025

Red Wine and Blue

A grassroots organization Red Wine & Blue has been keeping track of the implementation of 2025 projects. They also provide recommendations on how we can fight back. For more information go here,

You can contact them or subscribe to their email update here,

Red Wine & Blue