| Metro Organizer November 6, 2009 |
Event I Strengthening Our Regional Equity Movement Featuring Angela Glover Blackwell 3 - 5 pm If you're involved in working for racial, economic or environmental justice, you probably already know who Angela Glover Blackwell is. As the president and CEO of PolicyLink, Angela works to bring equity issues into mainstream discussion every day. Angela will be the keynote speaker at the Alliance's final 2009 Regional Equity Series forum on Strengthening Our Regional Equity Movement. The event will take a look at how the Twin Cities can build on our existing strengths and networks to place racial justice and equity issues at the center of regional priorities. A local panel will discuss the trends emerging in the Twin Cities that will contribute to -- as well as those that are barriers to -- a stronger regional equity movement. Panelists will include State Representative Jeff Hayden, Andriana Abariotes of Local Initiatives Support Corporation, Ed Goetz of the Center for Urban and Regional Affairs and Louis King of Summit Academy OIC. The forum is free, but please RSVP. Event I Celebrate the Alliance's 15th Anniversary at our in/stability photo exhibit! 5 - 7:30 pm Immediately following our Strengthening Our Regional Equity Movement forum, the Alliance will be celebrating our 15th anniversary with a reception and in/stability photo exhibit!! Please join us for food, drinks, good conversation and community art! Everyone is invited to help us celebrate 15 years of working in coalition for racial, economic and environmental justice. The reception is free, but please help us plan by registering online. Event I The Art of Organizing 9 am - noon Organize, organize, organize! From building sector-wide power to running an effective issue campaign, any effort will have more impact when it employs established and effective organizing skills, tools and models. The Art of Organizing workshop, presented by the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits, will examine the basics of organizing strategies and dissect the components of a successful advocacy campaign. You will gain a broader framework for understanding power, politics and the cycle of advocacy. Regardless of your experience level, or position in your organization, you will learn effective tools for advancing your cause. Event I Planning for Affordable Housing in the Suburbs: Perspectives on Comp Plan Updates Noon - 1:30 pm What are communities throughout the Twin Cities metro area planning to do to meet the region's need for low- and moderate-income housing? December 2008 was the deadline for communities to submit their comprehensive plan updates to the Metropolitan Council. Our speakers this month provide their perspectives on the housing plans that have been submitted by communities throughout the region. Speakers will include Guy Peterson of the Metropolitan Council, Jodi Nelson of MICAH and Ed Goetz of the Center for Urban and Regional Affairs. Please RSVP by November 18 to to (612) 625-9040 or curahf@umn.edu. Resource I Organizer Roundtable Resource: Lobbying for Policy Decisions with Community Accountability On October 21, regional organizers came together at the Alliance for Metropolitan Stability to discuss their strategies and experiences in advocating for public policy change while remaining accountable to the communities they represent. This Organizer Roundtable Resource (PDF) summarizes the rich conversation held at the roundtable, and points organizers to resources that can help them learn new skills to promote citizen lobbying. Resource I How Social Movements for Regional Equity are Reshaping Metropolitan America For nearly two decades, progressives have been dismayed by the steady rise of the right in U.S. politics. Often lost in the gloom and doom about American politics is a striking and sometimes underanalyzed phenomenon: the resurgence of progressive politics and movements at a local level. Across the country, urban coalitions, including labor, faith groups, and community-based organizations, have come together to support living-wage laws and to fight for transit policies that can move the needle on issues of working poverty. Article I Less Government? We Tried That. It Didn't Work. A front-page story in the Star Tribune last week found that "less government'' was the overwhelming consensus "vision'' for Repubican gubernatorial candidates. Many Minnesotans want to know: Is that all there is? Read more from Dane Smith in the Growth & Justice blog, republished in the Twin Cities Daily Planet. Article I How the Green Economy Can Help Low-Income Women This past week Maria Shriver and the Center for American Progress released a seminal report on the emergence of women as primary wage earners for millions of families. The Shriver Report: A Woman’s Nation Changes Everything, marks a promising step forward in the evolution of a society that for too long has failed to adjust policies and practices to women’s growing presence in the workplace. Left in the shadows of this otherwise comprehensive report, however, were the unique obstacles faced by those struggling most to make ends meet -- low-income single mothers trying to support their families on paltry wages in jobs that offer no prospects for a better future. But with the emergence of a green jobs sector, we have an opportunity to advance women’s economic security in a bigger and better way than ever before, providing low-income women with a rare chance to get in on the ground floor of a growth industry and learn the skills to compete for stable, higher-paying jobs. Read more from Grist. Article I Problems Seen in Energy Stimulus Programs State energy officials need to do a better job of ensuring that minority and low-income workers are included in weatherization and other stimulus projects, one lawmaker argues. During a hearing on the status of energy programs funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, Sen. Ellen Anderson (DFL-St. Paul) said state officials are not doing enough to ensure that the stimulus funds are benefiting workers from economically disadvantaged communities. Read more from Session Daily. Other I Vote for HIRE Minnesota in the Twin Cities Compass 1-Minute Video Contest Twin Cities Compass is holding an Inspiring Action video contest featuring one-minute videos submitted by nonprofits and coalitions showing why the Twin Cities is a great place to live and work. Help HIRE Minnesota become a contest finalist by giving us a four- or five-star vote on the video we submitted!
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