We were barely done celebrating a successful, secure and accurate election, where more voters turned out than ever before, when Michigan’s Senate Republicans started attacking our voting rights. Unfortunately for them, Progress Michigan is working with partners across the state to oppose these bad bills. And fortunately for us, you’ve been right there with us taking action and making donations so that we can do the work that needs to be done to defend our voting rights. Your support has allowed us to constantly create and test messaging on a variety of issues so that we’re as effective as possible, develop and staff our new research program and provide communications support to dozens of groups across Michigan. We couldn’t do what we do without your support, we appreciate you!
- We hit the ground running into 2021 with several new programs. We launched a texting program to keep supporters updated with the most urgent issues. The program has been growing exponentially and we’re gearing up to launch our Digital Action Team for supporters that want to help amplify progressive messages on social media. We launched our new monthly giving table – the Power Bank – and this new quarterly update for Power Bank members and annual donors.
- Supporting Rural Communities through Communications. We work with rural communities across the state to lift up their stories. Protecting Michigan’s water resources is important to Progress Michigan. We work with our partners in rural communities to fight corporate polluters seeking to influence lawmakers in Lansing by uplifting stories from impacted communities and communicating the harmful impact of corporate power. We are working with groups in the Oil & Water Don’t Mix coalition to shut down Line 5 by providing communications support.
Progress Michigan is also supporting partners in Northern Michigan who are working to derail proposed legislation that would retain third and fourth graders that aren’t reading at grade level. We are advocating for a policy solution that results in better outcomes for children that have already struggled to learn during these challenging times.
- Defending our democracy every day. Progress Michigan is playing a central role in the fight for voting rights. Michigan is one of the many battlegrounds in a right-wing, nationally coordinated attack on voting rights. We have been working with partners to coordinate messaging and to push back against bad bills in the legislature since the bills were introduced in March. We are on the front lines of preparing for a potential Republican ballot initiative to try to push anti-voter policies in Michigan.
- We’re working to hold corporations accountable. As Michigan’s Senate Republicans try to pass anti-voter legislation, Michigan’s business leaders have come out in support of voting rights. But in the past two years, corporate donors have given over $3-million to Senate Republicans. As part of our effort to hold corporations accountable, we rounded up the top 30 corporate donors so you can ask them if they plan to continue giving to elected officials who want to make voting harder.
- Challenging Michigan’s lack of government transparency laws. Progress Michigan worked to get over two dozen organizations and lawmakers to stand together against severely flawed financial disclosure bills moving through the legislature. Government transparency has always been one of Progress Michigan’s main issues and while we’re glad there’s bipartisan conversation happening on this important topic, there are some serious issues with the bills that will only create more secrecy in Lansing.
- The Lake Effect, it’s a Michigan thing. For over a year now, Progress Michigan has been putting out the Lake Effect, a monthly research newsletter in partnership with Public Policy Polling. The Lake Effect shows how Michiganders are responding to major issues in the state and nationally.
- The Great Lakes Beacon (GLB) is getting shaken up! The GLB, our source for progressive news and storytelling is changing formats. Instead of weekly updates, we will be producing a handful of mini-documentaries a year. The first topic we’re tackling is prison gerrymandering, which will be released later this summer.
- Gun violence has increased as result of the pandemic. We are working to bring together groups representing impacted community members and people that work with victims of gun violence to pass progressive gun violence prevention laws and save lives.
Getting back to normal. We’re not sure what our new normal will look like as an organization. As much as we’ve enjoyed working from home with our pets and other loved ones, we definitely miss the magic that happens when we’re in our office spaces. For now, we’re just thrilled that we were able to meet, in-person, for the first time in over a year!
Our amazing design team produced these awesome posters…
We made a limited run of these prints especially for donors. They are our gift to you for becoming a NEW monthly donor at $5 a month or more, or for any NEW donation of $60 or more. Yes, you’ll get all three lovely posters for supporting the work that we do to keep our Great Lakes great! Get yours while they last!
