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

After Action Report - Civil Rights Forum Met with Theresa Greenfield

2/20/2020

After Action Report - Crisis at the Border Visit with Theresa Greenfield
Tuesday, February 18th at noon

The PACG Civil Rights Forum organized a visit with Theresa Greenfield, who is running in the Democratic primary to be the candidate to run against Senator Joni Ernst. Immigration activists from the many organizations in the Quad Cities working on immigration issues met with Ms. Greenfield to deliver our message, beginning with: "Children do not belong in detention." At the PACG Blog you can read our complete "ask" and some proposed legislation.

We are trying to set up a similar meeting with Republican candidate, Mariannette Miller-Meeks, who is running in the Republican primary for the Congressional seat of retiring Representative Dave Loebsack. We will also visit with other candidates or elected officials in both Iowa and Illinois. Contact Alta if you want to participate.

Alta Price

African Americans in Davenport Struggled to Educate Their Children

2/16/2020

Did You Know About the Struggles of African Americans in Davenport to Educate Their Children?

Donate to Preserve Local Cultural and Ethnic History

As part of PACG's on-going fu ndraiser to pay for a large kiosk display at the MLK Interpretive Center, the struggle African Americans had to educate their children is the subject of this week's blog post about local cultural and ethnic history.

Local historian Craig Klein has gathered the following information from research in eastern Iowa.

The Colored School Controversy
As in other midwestern states, the struggle for equality in Iowa schools began long before the Civil War. Believing that blacks were inferior to whites, members of Iowa’s First Territorial Assembly enacted a general school law in January l839 that barred black children from attending school with their white peers. As a result, when Iowa gained admission to the Union in 1846, school laws already in place prevented black children from attending the “common schools” established in each county. Paralleling other “whites only” practices sanctioned by Iowa’s early constitution, this arrangement was supported by most Iowans in the late 1840s and 1850s. However, increasingly in the 1840s and 1850s, Iowans sympathetic to the plight of blacks began to question the wisdom and morality of this school law provision. Prompted by the passage of the Fugitive Slave Law of 1850, the debate over equality in Iowa schools became heated in the 1850s. At the constitutional convention of 1857 in Iowa City, delegates favoring open enrollment for all school children met fierce opposition from die-hard opponents of equality. But when it became obvious that neither side would prevail, the convention approved compromise language that mandated the creation of separate, state-supported schools for black children. In the school law of 1858, the state legislature enacted this provision into law.[1]

The debate over equality in Iowa schools also resonated at the local level. Charting the course of the debate over this issue in Davenport, Iowa, from 1858 to early 1860, the following news articles and minutes of Board of Education meetings shed light on the controversy that arose over the city’s early “Colored School.” Though Davenport only had a handful of school-aged black children in 1858, their presence became a contentious issue. Formed in May 1858, the city’s first Board of Education apparently sought to resolve the issue by quietly allowing several black children to attend School No. 3 at the southeast corner of Sixth and Warren streets. But in a disparaging June 26, 1858, editorial, the Daily Morning News, a local newspaper with decidedly Democratic and southern sympathies, called on concerned citizens to have these children expelled-a summons that soon bore results. On September 15, 1858, thirty-eight Davenport residents signed a petition asking the Board of Education to expel “some four or five Negroes” then attending the Stone School House at the corner of Seventh and Perry streets. Because the school law of 1858 only allowed for mixed schooling if there was unanimous consent for it in the community, the Board of Education had no choice but to comply: on September 18, 1858, it ordered the expulsion of these children from the city school system.

While most citizens acknowledged that the Board had no legal recourse, the decision to remove the children disturbed many Davenporters. Seeking a solution to the crisis, they heatedly debated the issue amongst themselves, arriving shortly thereafter at a consensus to establish a separate school for black children outside the school system. Some residents favored this solution for pragmatic reasons as well: they feared opponents of tax-supported “free schools” would use the controversy to destroy the city school system. Apparently responding to public sentiment, the Board of Education moved on November 8,1858, to establish a separate school for black children in a room in the newly-constructed Baptist Church at the corner of Perry and Fourth streets. But it is unclear if this school ever opened. After failing to establish another separate school in April 1859 (whether it was in the Baptist Church or another location is unclear), the Board moved in late 1859 to establish a “Colored” school in a room in School No. 3 at the corner of Warren and Sixth streets. Opening in early December, this venture soon failed “for want of pupils.” Before mandating an open school system in the early 1860s, the Board reportedly tried one last time in l860 to establish a separate school for black school children in the Baptist Church. But this experiment was short-lived as well.

[1] Amie Cooper, “A Stony Road-Black Education in Iowa, 1838-1860,” Annals of Iowa 48(1986), 113-34

Source: Davenport’s Pioneer African American Community: A Sourcebook, p. 19

Citizen petition protesting the presence of black children in Davenport public schools. (Davenport Daily Gazette on Sept. 22, 1858) On September 15, 1858, thirty-eight Davenport citizens signed a petition protesting the presence of black children in city schools. Presented to the Davenport Board of Education, this petition appeared in the Davenport Daily Gazette on Sept. 22, 1858, along with copy of the Board’s September 18, 1858 decision to expel several black children from school. (The 1868 date on the petition is in error.)

The Stone School House - The school from which several black children were expelled in late September 1858. Bowing to demands from thirty-eight citizens, the Davenport School Board expelled several black students in late September 1858 who had been attending School No. 2, also known as the Stone School House, at the corner of Seventh and Perry Streets. Newly built in 1854, the Stone School House was later renamed Adams School.

The Baptist Church - The site of Davenport’s first colored school. Seeking to keep the controversy over racially mixed education out of the city school system, Davenport school officials moved to establish a separate school for black children in November 1858 in the newly-built Baptist Church at the southwest corner of Perry and Fourth Streets. However, it is unclear if this school opened at this time. After school officials failed to establish separate instruction for black children in School No. 3 (later known as Old Jefferson) in December 1859, black children were reportedly again placed in a segregated classroom in the Baptist Church. Probably operating in 1860, this school soon failed as well.

The Brick School House - The site of a segregated classroom for black children in late 1859. After Davenport’s first separate school for black children in the Baptist Church closed in the spring of 1859, school officials organized another "colored school" in the Brick School House at the southeast the corner of Sixth and Warren Streets. (Also known as School No. 3, the building was later renamed Jefferson School.) Though a woman named Mrs. M.A. Fearing was hired to teach this school for $20 per month, it soon closed because of low attendance.

You can help preserve this history like this by making a donation to purchase a display screen for the Martin Luther King Interactive Center.

For other Blogs in support of this project, see also:

Did You Know About African American Women's Clubs in Davenport During the Progressive Era?

Did You Know That Frederick Douglass Visited Davenport in April of 1866?

Did You Know That Aeronaut Professor John Byrd Piloted His Balloon from Davenport in August of 1883?

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Aeronaut Professor John Byrd Piloted His Balloon from Davenport in 1883

2/14/2020

Did You Know That Aeronaut Professor John Byrd Piloted His Balloon from Davenport in 1883?

Donate to Preserve Local Cultural and Ethnic History

As part of PACG's on-going fu ndraiser to pay for a large kiosk display at the MLK Interpretive Center, the Davenport visit of African American aeronaut [1] Professor John Byrd in 1883 is the subject of this week's blog post about local cultural and ethnic history.

Local historian Craig Klein has gathered the following information from newspaper articles in Davenport. We have decided to post them here in their original format because their colorful language and descriptions are an integral part of this rich history.

It should be noted that, as in all of our Blog posts on local cultural and ethnic history for the MLK Interpretive Center fund drive, PACG did its own quick search for Professor Byrd. Not surprisingly, there was no information available, including in the History of Ballooning. This online listing includes hundreds of aeronauts, dating back to the 1700s.

[Craing Klein note: This intriguing articles below were graciously contributed by Jack Martens of Winnetka, Illinois, who found them while doing research on Davenport’s German immigrant community.]

August 30, 1883 (Thursday)--Davenport Democrat--News article entitled “The Aeronaut's Flight”:
Between 4 and 5 o’clock yesterday afternoon the first balloon ascent that has been made from Davenport in a long time was accomplished by Prof. John Byrd, the colored aeronaut.  His balloon was filled at the gas works, and required 12,000 feet of gas to round it out to its full proportions of 25 in diameter and height of 30 feet.  It was then conveyed to the fair grounds and made ready for the ascent. The professor seated himself in the basket, gave the word, the ropes were loosened, and up the ship of air arose, gracefully, steadily, beautifully.  After reaching a height of a thousand feet it veered to the northwest a little, but as it mounted into a higher atmosphere, it was carried eastward, continually ascending until the professor says he was nearly two miles above the earth—so high, at any rate, that he became very cold. When over east Davenport, some of the ropes on the globe of the balloon became entangled and some broken and he clambered out of his basket and up to the cords, repaired the damage, and regained his basket for safety. People in East Davenport who were watching the balloon with glasses witnessed this hazardous feat. Having sailed in the high atmosphere until he was nearly benumbed, the professor began to descend, and between 6 and 7 o’clock he landed on the farm of Mr. E. R. Wright, about six miles north-east of the city, in safety, though the top of the balloon was rent some by bushes. His balloon stopped within about twenty feet of a hundred stand of bees; had it gone among them there would have been a sight worthy of the view of gods and men.

The professor makes another flight this afternoon, and to-morrow afternoon. Had his exhibition been known abroad, it would have been a great attraction to hundreds of people, and increased the attendance at the fair.

August 30, 1883--Davenport Daily Gazette--Excerpt from a long news article entitled “The Fair”:
A very popular feature of yesterday’s programme was the BALLOON ASCENSION
which occurred at 4:30 from the space just north of the Floral Hall. The balloon had been filled at the Gas works, and was brought to the grounds through the streets inflated, avoiding the telegraph wires by an ingenious way of handling the ropes. The ascension was entirely successful in every respect, the balloon with its captain, Prof. Byrd, rising gently from the ground, and starting first in a northwesterly direction. After reaching a considerable height it struck a current of air going in an opposite direction, and was carried slowly to the southwest, finally disappearing from sight about 6 o’clock. A team was sent in the direction, and brought the aeronaut safely back to the city.

August 31, 1883 (Friday)--Davenport Democrat--News article entitled “Up In The Balloon”:
Why didn’t you make another ascension yesterday? was the question addressed to Prof. John Byrd, the colored aeronaut, this forenoon, by one of the directors of the county agricultural association. "We had an immense crowd on the ground, and you would have made money.”

“Well, sir,” replied the professor, “in the first place, all we got for the ascension on Wednesday was four dollars, and that was discouraging enough for it didn’t pay for the gas; besides, nobody encouraged us to make an ascension yesterday; and besides, too, when we were filling the balloon yesterday at the gas works, the bag tore open at the top and let the gas out, and every foot of gas had to escape before we could mend it.  There was another loss. The next time we go up in that balloon it will be because money is held out to us before we go.”

Professor Byrd is a slightly built colored boy of mulatto-tinge, and looks as if his weight would not balance more than a hundred pounds.

As he was talking a group twenty to thirty persons had gathered about him, all expressing a wish that he would make an ascension in the afternoon.  “Well, gentlemen,” replied the professor after listening patiently to their urgings, “business is business. How much will this crowd give to see us go up in the balloon?”  And that crowd dwindled to a very small group in less than ten minutes.

“Why on earth did you leave your basket and climb up on the outside of your balloon to fool with those ropes for, as I saw in last evening’s 'Democrat,'” asked one of the gents who remained.

“It wasn’t 'on earth' at all,” replied the professor with a laugh in which the group joined; “if it had been we would have been safe enough without it; but we were a mile and a half above the earth, and we saw the ropes flying loose, and then saw a rip in the canvas which bid fair to let the gas all out pretty soon.  Now you know it wouldn’t do to let that balloon collapse and fall with us clear down to the ground from more than a mile high; you know that yourself; just fall eight or ten feet once, and you’ll be mighty careful how you fall that little distance again.  Suppose we had come down on a fall for mile and a half.  We is a small man anyhow, but by the time we got to the ground we’d be so little nobody could find us.  We had to get up and mend that rip, had to do it, and tie the flying ropes, too.  And we climbed up, and first took some sticking plaster and covered the holes, and then tied the ropes.  Had to shift the ballast though to even up the other side of the balloon, and then when we came down had to even up the ballast before we could settle down again.  It was skaery getting out there, but we had to do it or die, and any man will take mighty big risks rather than die, and you know that yourself!”

The professor has the habit of speaking of himself in the plural.  It is “we” all the time with him.  In answer to other questions he said the balloon was made of cambric, and that it cost him $160 [2].  The ascension on Wednesday was the sixteenth that he had made, and about the “prettiest,” he believed.   When he was at the highest, the earth looked all alike, save the Mississippi river was like a narrow ribbon.  He went on up until he couldn’t see the river for the great clouds that were moving beneath him like “great rolling hills of snow”; and, what was strange, people on the ground could see the balloon all the time, notwithstanding the clouds, while he could see nothing but clouds beneath him.  He couldn’t understand it.  One can have a very interesting talk with the professor about his ascension.


August 31, 1883--Davenport Daily Gazette--News note in “Davenport Briefs”:
Prof. Byrd, the colored aeronaut, goes from here in a few days to Macomb, Ill., where he will make two ascensions, and from there he will go to Iowa City.  His ascension here was a success in every particular.

You can help preserve this history like this by making a donation to purchase a display screen for the Martin Luther King Interactive Center.

For other Blogs in support of this project, see also:

Did You Know About African American Women's Clubs in Davenport During the Progressive Era?

Did You Know That Frederick Douglass Visited Davenport in April of 1866?

[1] aeronaut: one who operates or travels in an airship or balloon
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/aeronaut
[2] If purchased today, the balloon would cost about $4000.

Donate to Preserve Local Cultural and Ethnic History

Iowa Voting Rights Restoration Lobby Day in Des Moines

2/12/2020

Iowa Voting Rights Restoration Lobby Day
Monday, February 17th at 2:00 pm in Des Moines

Civil Rights Forum

Our Forum is part of a statewide coalition that is working to pass HJR14 in Iowa. This House Joint Resolution would amend the Constitution to restore voting rights to people once they are off parole or probation. Iowa is currently the only state that permanently bans voting rights for these individuals. People can presently appeal through the governor, but that option may change with a new governor.

Our coalition is having a Lobby Day at the State Capitol in Des Moines on Monday, February 17th at 2:00 pm. We will provide transportation to and from this event.

Pastor Dwayne Hodges is leading the local efforts to organize people who are directly impacted by this issue. EXPO (Ex-incarcerated People Organizing) is a group being established for this purpose.

It is important that we show up to let our legislators know that we want everyone to have the right to vote.

If you are interested in participating in this fun event, please contact Amber Bordolo.

Alta Price

Donate to Preserve Local Cultural & Ethnic History

2/10/2020

PACG Fund Drive to Buy a Large Kiosk Display Screen at
the MLK Interpretive Center

Donate to Help Preserve Local Cultural and Ethnic History

In honor of African American History month, and in support of the Friends of the MLK Interpretive Center’s efforts to preserve local African American history, the Civil Rights Forum of Progressive Action for the Common Good is holding a fund drive. Our goal is to raise $2,200 to donate to the Friends of the MLK Interpretive Center to purchase a large interactive screen (one of seven needed) to share this history with the public.

Another goal is to make people aware of the MLK Interpretive Center and of the rich local history of the African American community in Davenport. Local historian Craig Klein, a University of Iowa graduate student, has researched the first three generations of Davenport's pioneer African American community, from the late 1840s to the mid-1920s. His work is documented in a 900-page manuscript titled Davenport's Pioneer African-American Community: A Sourcebook. His Sourcebook will provide material for many of the display screens at the MKL Interpretive Center.

We will share some of this history with you over the month in the Weekly Email Update (WEU) and our PACG Blog.

After Action Report - Crisis at the Border Visit with Bobby Schilling

2/6/2020

After Action Report - Crisis at the Border Visit with
Bobby Schilling

Civil Rights Forum

The PACG Civil Rights Forum organized a visit with Bobby Schilling, who is running in the Republican primary for the Congressional seat of retiring Congressman Dave Loebsack. Immigration activists from the many organizations in the Quad Cities working on immigration issues met with Mr. Schilling to deliver our message, beginning with: "Children do not belong in detention." You can read our complete "ask" and some proposed legislation at our PACG Blog post.

We are trying to set up a similar meeting with Republican candidate Mariannette Miller-Meeks. We will also visit with other candidates or elected officials in both Iowa and Illinois. Contact Alta if you want to participate.

Alta Price

Civil Rights Forum - A Message to Members

2/6/2020

Message to Our Members from the Civil Rights Forum - Update

The anti-immigration rally at the Pleasant View Baptist Church in Bettendorf and the subsequent protests have contributed to polarization in our community. We want to use Restorative Justice practices to bring people together and promote healing.

The Civil Rights Forum has used these negative events to take action promoting dialogue and education about immigration issues. We are also bringing people with different viewpoints together to bring healing to those who have been hurt by the controversy.

We have done a Peace Circle bringing immigration activists together with members of the Pleasant View Baptist church. It was very successful. We hope to work together with them on future social justice projects.
Both Republican candidates for Dave Loebsack's seat in Congress, Bobby Schilling and Mariannette Miller-Meeks, attended the anti-immigration rally at the church. We have already met with Bobby Schilling to talk about the crisis on the southern border (see After Action report). We will try to set up a similar meeting with Dr. Miller-Meeks.
We still intend to approach the City of Bettendorf about the problems with racial profiling in Bettendorf. Bringing Nick Fuentes (an avowed white nationalist) to speak in Bettendorf, and the recent distribution of hate flyers, make addressing the issue of racial profiling more urgent.

Contact Margie Mejia-Caraballo or Alta to get more involved.

Alta Price

After Action Report - Civil Rights Forum Met with Bobby Schilling

2/1/2020

After Action Report - Crisis at the Border
Visit with Bobby Schilling
Monday, January 27th at 5 pm

The PACG Civil Rights Forum organized a visit with Bobby Schilling, who is running in the Republican primary for the Congressional seat of retiring Congressman, Dave Loebsack. Immigration activists from the many organizations in the Quad Cities working on immigration issues met with Mr. Schilling to deliver our message, beginning with: "Children do not belong in detention." At the PACG Blog you can read our complete "ask" and some proposed legislation.

We are trying to set up a similar meeting with Republican candidate, Mariannette Miller-Meeks. We will also visit with other candidates or elected officials in both Iowa and Illinois. Contact Alta if you want to participate.

Alta Price

The Crisis at the Southern Border: Principles and Proposed Legislation - Updated

2/1/2020

The Crisis at the Southern Border:
Principles and Proposed Legislation

Representatives from various organizations in the Quad Cities have been meeting to address immigration issues. Our organizations include Progressive Action for the Common Good (Civil Rights Forum), One Human Family (Immigration Task Force), the Quad Cities Sanctuary Coalition, the Sanctuary Project of the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of the Quad Cities, Quad Cities Interfaith (Immigration Task Force), Quad Cities Alliance for Immigrants and Refugees (QCAIR), the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), and the Catholic Diocese of Davenport. Many of us are concerned about the humanitarian crisis at the border. We are opposed to locking up children and separating them from their adult family members.

Principles

Although we may differ on the problems we address and our proposed solutions, we agree on the following principles regarding the treatment of asylum seekers and refugees who come across our southern border. We call upon all members of Congress and candidates for Congress to consider these principles when devising legislative approaches to fixing the humanitarian crisis at the southern border.

Children should not be locked up in detention centers.

Children should not be separated from their adult family members, or used as bait in immigration enforcement actions.

For-profit private prisons or detention centers should not be used to detain asylum seekers or refugees. Any immigrant in a detention facility should receive adequate food, water, medical care, soap, toothpaste, bedding and access to legal representation.

Asylum seekers and refugees should be protected from sexual abuse.

Alternatives to incarceration should be prioritized for families and other asylum seekers who pose no risk to the community. Bring back and expand the Family Case Management program started as a pilot program under the Obama administration.

Develop new ways to streamline processing of asylum seekers and refugees. Follow international and U.S. laws on treatment of asylum seekers and refugees, and ensure they are treated fairly and receive due process.

Provide aid to countries like Guatemala and Honduras to help them address the problems that cause their citizens to flee their homes.

Proposed legislation on the crisis at the southern border:

Immigration Court Improvement Act of 2019 - Would establish immigration judges as independent judges so that they are not under the Department of Justice, which prosecutes immigration cases. https://www.aila.org/advo-media/press-releases/2019/aila-joins-senators-in-call-for-immigration-court

Fair Day in Court for Kids Act of 2019 - Would require legal counsel for indigent asylum seekers, children and other vulnerable groups who cannot afford a lawyer.
https://www.aila.org/advo-media/press-releases/2019/aila-joins-senators-in-call-for-immigration-court

Other legislative approaches to help resolve the crisis at the border:

Many problems combine to create what we call the border crisis. So, there is neither one cause nor one solution. Political attacks focused on fear of the other interfere with finding solutions. Attempts to enforce a narrow vision in response to the border crisis add to the complexity of the problem and may result in long-term undesired consequences. Legislative approaches to immigration must consider U.S. labor and security needs, the vast differences in the standard of living between the U.S. and other nations, and the level of violence in those nations.

Immigration and Refugee Policies that Reflect U.S. Labor Needs
U.S. labor needs are the main reason that our nation supports a population of ten million undocumented immigrants, many of whom have been here for 20 years or more. Legislative approaches that provide a measured response to labor needs, while also protecting our security needs, would be a start for addressing the crisis at the border. Iowa needs immigrant workers to address workforce shortages. Nationally, immigrant workers are needed to address the nation’s aging population and the decline in workers paying into our Social Security and Medicare programs.

Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) - A good place to start the movement to a sane immigration policy is Congressional establishment of a form of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. DACA was started by the Obama Administration by executive order and ended by the Trump Administration by executive order. ICE is preparing now to deport these 700,000 young workers if the courts rule against them. DACA recipients were brought to this country as children and in the U.S. we do not punish children for the actions of their parents. And, the U.S. needs these young people in the workforce.

Farm Workforce Modernization Act - This bill, passed by the House with bi-partisan support, is significant because it is the first Congressional response to the labor needs of farmers and ranchers, including dairy and vegetable growers. It is not perfect legislation, and the American Farm Bureau wants to modify some provisions of it as it passes through the Senate; however, it reflects America’s need for workers. Meatpacking plants, which are vital to Iowa’s Ag sector and economy, continually advertise for workers with a starting salary of $16-17 per hour. Nationally, hand-planted and hand-harvested crop work pays two to three times the minimum wage. Even with such high wages, farmers and ranchers struggle to fill these difficult jobs in the absence of immigrant workers.

For further information:

National Immigration Forum: Working Paper: Addressing the Increase of Central American Migrants, updated May 2, 2019
https://immigrationforum.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Border-Solutions_Revised_Final.pdf

Migration Policy Institute: Policy Solutions to Address Crisis at Border Exist, But Require Will and Staying Power to Execute, April 2019
https://www.migrationpolicy.org/news/policy-solutions-address-crisis-border-exist-require-will-staying-power

Bipartisan Policy Center: Policy Proposals to Address the Central American Migration Challenge, July 26, 2019
https://bipartisanpolicy.org/report/policy-proposals-to-address-the-central-american-migration-challenge/

Human Rights First: Testimony of Michael Breen, President and CEO, Human Rights First at the Hearing Entitled: “Kids in Cages: Inhumane Treatment at the Border” before the House of Representatives, Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, Subcommittee on Civil Rights and Civil Liberties
https://www.humanrightsfirst.org/sites/default/files/MB-Written-Testimony-House-Kids-In-Cages.pdf

Note: There are many other pertinent articles at Human Rights First. https://www.humanrightsfirst.org/

American Civil Liberties Union: Immigrants’ Rights and Detention
https://www.aclu.org/issues/immigrants-rights/immigrants-rights-and-detention

NPR: ACLU: Administration Is Still Separating Migrant Families Despite Court Order to Stop,
July 30, 2019
https://www.npr.org/2019/07/30/746746147/aclu-administration-is-still-separating-migrant-families-despite-court-order-to-

Southern Poverty Law Center: No End in Sight, October 3, 2018
https://www.splcenter.org/20181003/no-end-sight

WOLA: Beyond the Wall: A Campaign Defending Human Rights and Migrants in the Trump Era and Migration & Border Security
https://www.wola.org/beyondthewall/
https://www.wola.org/program/migration-border-security/

Note: There are many useful resources at WOLA (Washington Office on Latin America), with up-to-date analyses of new Trump Administration policies. WOLA advocates for human rights in the Americas. https://www.wola.org/

Farm Progress: https://www.farmprogress.com/farm-policy/farmworker-bill-clears-house-way-senate
A brief, but balanced report on the Farm Workforce Modernization Act.

Iowa Caucus Monday, February 3rd at 7:00 pm

1/28/2020

The Iowa Caucus Is Less Than A Week Away!
Monday, February 3rd at 7:00 pm

Message from the President

Hello Progressives,

Can you believe that, after all these months, the Iowa Caucus is less than a week away? I encourage you all to attend and participate in our democracy!

If you want to know more about the process for your party's caucus, please see Iowa Democratic Caucuses or Iowa Republican Caucuses Blog posts on our website.

In addition, the PACG Forum Facilitators have written resolutions that they would like to see in both parties' platforms. You can access these from our website through the Resolution Blog post links below. I encourage you to download these resolutions and take them to your caucus site where they will be gathered. The more that are turned in, the better the chance of getting them into the platform.

If you are passionate about an issue, volunteer for the Platform Committee. Inquire at the caucus about this.

We look forward to gathering with our members and neighbors at the caucuses on Monday, February 3rd!

Note: These resolutions express the position of our forums and not necessarily of PACG as a whole.

Civil Rights Forum Platform Resolutions
Drug Policy Forum Platform Resolutions
Environmental Forum Platform Resolutions
Health Care Reform Forum Platform Resolutions

Allison Ambrose