Progressives for Change

SPEAKERS HAVE INCLUDED:

• Faiyaz Hussain, board member at Muslim Advocates

• Jane Lombardi, Director of Immigration and Citizenship at Erie Neighborhood House

• Greg Bales, Community Outreach Coordinator for Senator Dick Durbin

• Ben Silver, Citizen Advocacy Center, and Ald. Marti Deuter (1st Ward, Elmhurst)

• Congressman Mike Quigley

• Jen Walling, Executive Director at Illinois Environmental Council

• J.B. Pritzker, Daniel Biss, and Chris Kennedy candidates for Governor of Illinois, and Jesse Ruiz, candidate for Attorney General of IL

• Juliana Stratton, then candidate/now elected Illinois Lt. Governor

• Jim Bennett, Director of Human Rights for the State of Illinois

• Gail Morse, attorney, and Lauren Verdich, founder of Open Hand Chicago; both LGBT Hall of Fame inductees in 2015

• Kristin Hartsaw, Public Benefits and Training Specialist for DuPage Federation on Human Resources Reform; Kathy Waligora, Health Reform Initiative Director from EverThrive Illinois; and Kara Murphy, President of DuPage Health Coalition/Access DuPage

• Rev. Jessica A. Harren, pastor in the Evangelical Lutheran Church

• How to Run for Office panel: Ald. Marti Deuter (Elmhurst 1st Ward), Liz Chaplin (DuPage County Board, District 2) and Joe Vosicky (attorney who ran for State Representative, District 46)

• Sisters of Mercy Pat Murphy and JoAnn Persch, advocates for immigrants, refugees and the homeless

• Kerri Kennedy and Joanna Spathis, authors of Wake, Rise, Resist: Empowering Teen Voices

ACTION HIGHLIGHTS SINCE NOVEMBER 2016:

• Sponsored the Love Lives Here vigil, commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Uprising and supporting our LGBTQ community

• Hosted Rapid Response Training, providing members the know-how to document ICE raids and collect information that can be used to organize, litigate, and end the criminalization and deportation of our families and community members

• Organized the Suburban Leaders Summit, gathering like-minded change-makers from politically progressive organizations to share best practices and organize for Nov. 2020

• Supported York High School student-led efforts to advocate for the environment at the 2019 Youth Climate Strike

• Sent letters of support to area mosques and synagogues

• Sent letters and calls of support to the Elmhurst YMCA for their inclusive bathroom & locker room policy

• Marched in the D.C. and Chicago Women's March, the March for Science, Climate March, Tax March, and others

• When the Travel Ban was enacted, members marched, worked as pro-bono attorneys and donated meals to onsite attorney teams

• Organized and promoted Know Your Rights trainings

• Hosted political activist trainings to understand how to be an advocate, how to engage elected leaders, and the "art of the argument,"presented by ABT President Georgia Logothetis

• Members ran in a World Relief charity 5k

• Members held an impromptu peace and inclusion vigil in Elmhurst after white supremacists marched in Charlottesville

• A P4C board member coordinated distribution of hundreds of "In Our America..." signs that now appear throughout Elmhurst and beyond

• Members have organized multiple letter-writing and postcard campaigns on issues ranging from support for climate change science to support for Doug Jones in Alabama's special election for U.S. Senate

• Members have organized and supported multiple efforts to collect items for refugees and refugee families

• Members have coordinated donation of items to DuPage PADS, the Elmhurst-Yorkfield Food Pantry, the First United Methodist Church's clothes closet, the Erie Neighborhood House preschool, and many others

• Members donated books to the Elmhurst Public Library Children's Section that focus on social justice, kindness and mental health issues

• Advocated for progressive issues at the national, state and local level through postcard writing

• Hosted candidates for the November 2018 elections