Dear friends,

Early voting for Dallas City Council

April 27 through May 5

Election day is May 9

Encourage your friends to vote.

And don't miss our event on April 22 -- it's all about the city.

Wednesday, April 22 - 7 to 8:30 pm.

Voter Education and the City of Dallas

$3 entry fee

Did you know that our city council representatives are typically elected with fewer than 5000 people per district going to the polls?  We have an election for the Dallas City Council on May 9, 2009, yet many of us don't know enough about how our city government works and how, as citizens, we can influence what happens in our city.

Libbie Lee, President of League of Women Voters of Dallas, will lead a conversation on voting education.  Tracy Clinton will present "Dallas City Council 101"

RSVP at http://tinyurl.com/PCTVoterEd20090422

THE PROGRESSIVE CENTER OF TEXAS

On March 2, 2009, The Progressive Center moved down the hall from our old ObamaDallas office in South Side on Lamar. Our new home (and yours) is warm and inviting with room for our community classroom series.

The Progressive Center is a grassroots-driven, issues-oriented, non-profit enterprise with a local focus here in North Texas. The mission of The Progressive Center is to bridge the gap between community and government by educating ourselves on issues and institutions and creating pathways to activism.

Simply put, if we learn more about the issues that affect our lives and understand how our city, county and state governments work, we can be better informed, collaborate to affect change, develop emerging leaders, and be active in whatever areas fit our passion.

It will deliver services to the community in Dallas County, North Texas and beyond including, but not limited to these:

• Voter registration
• Voter education
• Voter protection
• Provide analysis of city, county, and state government
• Issues research
• Collective action on community issues
• Training for community organizers, activists, and leaders
• Educational conferences and forums
• Provide a home for progressives
• Be a clearing house and resource center

THE COMMUNITY CLASSROOM

We will learn answers to these kinds of questions:

• What's that brown haze in the air over Dallas and where is it coming from?
• Is there any hope for affordable housing?
• What's working best in the environmental movement in Dallas County?
• How might we best educate new voters?
• If the voter ID law passes, how will those affected be reached so they can easily vote?
• What public health issues are most important?
• How can we all participate in southern sector economic development?
• Why does Texas lead the nation in the number of children at risk of hunger?
• Who is successful in transforming the lives of troubled teens?

Major topics like ecology, economic development, voter education, community development, poverty, education all warrant a series of discussions and we will host these around once a month - same topic, different expert, additional information.  And in each event, we will ask now that we know, what do we do - how can we collaborate - how can we organize? 

 Our April/May schedule is just the beginning. 

All events are held at The Progressive Center in South Side on Lamar.
In some cases a small fee is charge to cover costs of refreshments and printing. 

Thursday, April 23 - 7 to 8:30 pm. 

Pot Luck Open House. 

Join old friends.  Meet new friends.  Open discussion.

RSVP athttp://tinyurl.com/PCTPotLuck20090423

Saturday, April 25 - 10 am to noon.

What You Need to Know About Environmental Action in Dallas

Elizabeth Walley will introduce Robin Sowton and Molly Rooke of the Sierra club who will bring us up to date on critical local environmental issues.  The timing is perfect as activity in the state legislature will peak in Austin in late April and May, and there is no better time for those who wish to make a difference to be involved.

RSVP at http://tinyurl.com/PCTEnviro20090425

Wednesday, May 6 - 7 to 8:30 pm

Forum on Poverty

$3 entry fee

Texas leads the nation in the number of children at risk of hunger.  In North Texas alone, 80,000 or more seniors choose daily between food and medicine.

Larry James of Central Dallas Ministries, one of Texas' leading experts on poverty, will kick off the first in the series on poverty in North Texas.  Join this small, interactive group discussion on poverty, examined from both the humanitarian and economic perspective. 

RSVP at http://tinyurl.com/PCTPoverty20090506

PARTING MESSAGE

To create the kind of world we want in North Texas, we must have more organizations that attract, educate, network, and inspire leadership in our community and government. With your involvement, The Progressive Center will be the center of change in North Texas. 

If you wish to join our mailing list, follow this link - Progressive Center email sign-up
 

ONE LAST THING

If you're interested in helping out or joining the discussion of what topics you think deserve attention over the next year, contact us at frontdesk@progressivecenteroftexas.org or call us at 214.485.2720.  We're at South Side on Lamar, 1409 South Lamar, Dallas 75215.

 Warmest regards,

Molly Hanchey & Tracy Clinton

P.S. - The link below to the League of Women Voters of Dallas 2009 Voter's Guide is broken, but you can get the guide at http://lwvdallas.org/files/2009_VG.pdf