March 13, 2023 04:38 PM UTC

What you can do to fight for progress this week (March 13)

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• by: ProgressNow Colorado

If you’re like me, you probably know someone who is employed in the “gig economy.”

What you might not know is that many rideshare and delivery drivers we count on every day are getting a raw deal. Drivers tell us that every year they feel squeezed for every last drop of profit for big shareholders while they struggle to provide for their families.

This year, Colorado progressive lawmakers are trying to help gig economy workers with new legislation to provide transparency in the fares charged and the amount withheld by the gig application companies. This crucial disclosure of basic information about their work will empower gig workers to make better decisions about their schedule and app provider, and give customers more information about where their money is going. The bill also provides for an accountable process for drivers subject to deactivation to ensure fairness and safety for everyone.

Action item #1 this week: contact your state senator and urge them to vote YES on Senate Bill 23-098, Gig Worker Transparency.

Next up: Help protect local governments from unnecessary costs associated with federal immigration enforcement. While immigration enforcement is a federal responsibility administered by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the agency has expanded their immigration jail infrastructure, surveillance programs, and enforcement agent body in part through the use of Intergovernmental Service Agreements (IGSAs) with local government agencies and by spending valuable taxpayer dollars. Under House Bill 23-1100, Dignity not Detention, Colorado taxpayers can be assured that resources are invested in their own communities, rather than carrying out the Federal Government’s civil immigration detention activities.

Contact your lawmakers today and urge them to vote YES on House Bill 23-1100, Dignity not Detention.

Thanks for your help moving this important legislation forward! Here are a few more ways to make a difference for the week of March 13, 2023:

History Colorado: The Once and Future Hope of Dearfield: Colorado’s African American Colony in the Early 20th Century

This talk examines the past, present, and future of Dearfield and its historical relationship with other Black homesteader communities from 1877 through the early 20th Century. Black homesteaders were able to realize their dream of owning land and building their own community when Boulder businessman O.T. Jackson founded the African American farm colony of Dearfield in 1910. The colony grew and thrived through World War I, but hard times for farming in the late 1920s caused it to fade away. Dearfield’s story is now emerging from the shadows of history through the decade-long Dearfield Dream Project, an integrated research and historic site preservation initiative.

When: Wednesday, March 15 at 1:00pm
Where: History Colorado, 1200 Broadway, Denver

Click here to RSVP.

Political Psychedelic Activism in Colorado

Our psychedelic rights are at risk! What’s the current legislative situation with the implementation of Proposition 122 in Colorado? Why is it critical for Colorado psychedelic community members to tell their stories? How can we defend our rights as citizen advocates? Join us for a mini-workshop on psychedelic activism. We will review the impact of civic participation on local political institutions and public policy, describe best practices for citizen advocacy, identify online tools for psychedelic activism, explain how to be a volunteer lobbyist, and provide an overview of the testifying process. Participants will also practice telling their psychedelic stories to advocate for support.

When: Wednesday, March 15 at 7:00pm
Where: Mercury Cafe Denver, 2199 California St., Denver

Click here to RSVP.

Where Water is Working: Global Lessons for Managing Colorado’s Water

On March 16, 2023, the Denver Council on Foreign Affairs’ Young Professionals Committee (YPC) will be hosting Where Water is Working: Global Lessons for Managing Colorado’s Water, a panel discussion and networking event. This event is part of our Global Insights Local Results speaker series, taking lessons learned from the international community and trying to increase dialogue in Colorado about potential solutions to some of the state’s biggest issues. We will explore issues including the overuse of water, the tension between commercial use and agricultural use, inequality in access to clean water, the loss of the Colorado Water Basin, and the Colorado River Compact. Speakers will include Sarah Nelson, the founder of Protect Our Rivers, Tim Steele, President of TDS Consulting, and Tom Romero of DU’s Sturm College of Law.

When: Thursday, March 16 at 5:30pm
Where: Posner Center for International Development, 1031 33rd St., Denver

Click here to RSVP.

Pint’s Peak: Reproductive Rights Fundraiser

Support reproductive rights! Join women-owned small businesses for a one-night-only fundraiser supporting National Abortion Funds! Registration at link is encouraged but not required. 100% of vendor and raffle proceeds will be donated to National Abortion Funds. The National Network of Abortion Funds builds power with members to remove financial and logistical barriers to abortion access by organizing at the intersections of racial, economic, and reproductive justice.

When: Saturday, March 18 at 6:00pm
Where: Town Hall Collaborative, 525 N Sante Fe Dr., Denver

Click here to RSVP.

Save the date: Together Colorado: Lobby Day: Faith and Justice at the Capitol

Join Together Colorado for an organization-wide lobby day! We have an ambitious human dignity agenda for this legislative session. Together, we will show up powerfully at the legislature to support affordable housing and renters’ rights, protecting youth who come into contact with the criminal justice system, clean air for all in Colorado, and keeping families together.

When: Monday, March 27 at 8:00am
Where: First Baptist Church, 1373 Grant St., Denver

Click here to RSVP.

We’ll see you next week with more ways to take action. Thanks again!