Northern Progressive Updates

Member newsletter 2025.04.30

Happy May Day!!

Next Meeting!

When:
Wednesday, May 7, 6:30PM
Where:
Cook Community Center
510 Gopher Dr.
Cook, MN
(note location change due to Tower not being available)

What is to be done?

Burning questions in international and global affairs

Speaker:
Leslie Rogne Schumacher, PhD., Lecturer at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government
Topic:
“What Is to Be Done?: Burning Questions in International and Global Affairs”

In addition to his work in the Kennedy School, he is also an Associate in Harvard’s History Department and a Faculty Affiliate in the university’s Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs—one of the world’s leading international relations and public policy research centers.

Please see our website for more information on the speaker: https://northernprogressives.org

Read more

Action items or events

There are many May Day events across our region.

May Day in Virginia (May 1)

When
May 1, 3:00–5:00PM
Where
Hwy 53 and 12th Ave

A signing will take place in Virginia on May Day, Thursday, May 1st from 3 to 5 p.m. on Hwy 53 and 12th Ave (by the gas stations, KFC, and Super One) This is a traditional day for "labor" and the rally's theme is "Rally for our democracy."

Ideas for Signing: "Honor Your Oath" or "Our Health Care is Fed Funded"

poster for event

May Day in Ely (May 3)

When
May 3, 11:00AM–1:00PM
Where
Whiteside Park

May Day rally celebrating labor, the working class, and families. Working people built Ely and our nation, not billionaires. Support public services for the people including medicare, medicaid, social security, and public education. Support groups and individuals that are under attack.

Please see our webpage for more event information: https://northernprogressives.org

May Day in Grand Rapids (May 1)

May Day 2025 we are standing united. We're organizing for a world where every family has housing, healthcare, fair wages, union protection, and safety—regardless of race, zip code, or immigration status.

STOP THE BILLIONAIRE TAKEOVER. WE ARE THE MANY. THEY ARE THE FEW. THIS IS MAY DAY. JOIN US.

Please note: a core principle behind our May Day actions is a commitment to nonviolence in all we do. We expect all participants to seek to de-escalate any potential confrontation with those who disagree with our values. Follow all laws: Use crosswalks, do not block traffic, stay off streets, do not block sidewalks.

Register

HandsOff Wild Rice

Tell MPCA to Enforce Minnesota’s Wild Rice Sulfate Standard

Not again! The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) is now proposing a “multi-discharger variance” so that polluters won’t have to comply with the wild rice sulfate standard or meet the burdens of proof in existing case-by-case law.

MPCA is holding an “informational” Webex next week for “early public engagement.” Please join and give them a piece of your mind.

When
May 1, 2025, 3:00–4:30 pm
Where
Online

poster for event

Learn more

5th Annual National Day of Awareness for Missing & Murdered Indigenous Women & Relatives

5th Annual National Day of Awareness for Missing & Murdered Indigenous Women & Relatives

The City of Duluth will be lighting Enger Tower & Ariel Bridge "Red for MMIWR" May 5th 2025 in Honor of: National Day of Awareness Day & Week of Action for MMIWR

When
Monday, May 5, 2025, 1:00–5:00 pm
Where
Duluth City Hall

poster for event

Learn more

Signing/Resisting Events

Each Friday at noon at the following locations:

Cook
Hwy 53 and River Street
Ely
Whiteside Park (note location change)
Tower
Mainstreet by the locomotive

Signs should include issues common to everyone like good jobs, enough money for food and healthcare, and a good education.

Training & Support

5 Calls

5 Calls makes it easy for you to reach your members of Congress and make your voice heard.

They research issues, write scripts that clearly articulate a progressive position, figure out the most influential decision-makers, and collect phone numbers for their offices.

All you have to do is call."

Learn more

Tracking AG Keith Ellison’s suits against the Trump administration

The Star Tribune has a new dashboard keeping track of the various lawsuits the Minnesota Attorney General’s office has joined against the federal government since Pres. Donald Trump was inaugurated. There are currently 17 lawsuits in the tracker.

They are tracking every lawsuit Minnesota has joined, on everything from probationary worker firings to cuts for public health funding. This tracker will be updated weekly on Fridays.

Learn more

GovTrack.us

They track the activities of the United States Congress and the White House to make a more open and accountable government.

They are one of the oldest open government / government transparency websites in the world.

Learn more

Banned Together: The Fight Against Censorship

When
May 2, 6:30PM
Where
Virginia

"Banned Together is a must-watch film. At once inspiring, illuminating, enraging, and terrifying, the film captures the true threats of book banning and the power of young people and authors in fighting for the freedom to read."- Jonathan Friedman, PEN America

Following the film will be a discussion with guests you will recognise from the film, at the forefront of the fight for free access to ideas and equal education in the United States. Join us then for pizza and banned book bingo and continue to learn about book banning in the United States. Free copies of Fahrenheit 451 will be given away at the event (1 per family, please).

Register

Inspirations

Room for mild optimism

Judge orders Trump administration to restore $12 million for pro-democracy Radio Free Europe

A federal judge has ordered the Trump administration to restore $12 million that Congress appropriated for Radio Free Europe, a pro-democracy media outlet at risk of going dark for the first time in 75 years.

Read more

Pritzker in New Hampshire

Gov. J.B. Pritzker delivered a fiery keynote at the Democratic fundraiser in New Hampshire on Sunday, taking aim at both Republicans and fellow Democrats, with his speech already fueling more presidential campaign speculation for 2028.

Watch his full speech

Ongoing Northern Progressives Structure

NP Group meetings:
1st Wednesday in Tower
3rd Wednesday in Cook
Breakfast Club:
Pattenn’s Café in Orr at 10 am on 2nd and 4th Wednesdays.

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Northern Progressives Communication Committee

Betty Firth
bfirth88@gmail.com
Beth Peterson
edithepeterson@gmail.com
Judith Ulseth
jgtulseth@gmail.com

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