Progressive town hall meeting scheduled for Feb. 17

from Robin Beck

Thank you all who attended the January Progressive Town Hall meeting on Cool Cities. We had a wonderful turnout. Many people appeared to walk away thinking that this would be wonderful for South Bend and Mishawaka to sign on to. Please, contact the mayor and city councilmembers of each city. It’s very easy to do. Just follow the links to the City of South Bend and the City of Mishawaka and email them your concern, your concern of the need for a sustainable community. Not onlywill we reduce our carbon footprint but we’ll save money by implementing changes throughout our city and city government center.

If you would like more information, please check out the Cool Cities website. Take the time to send an email. Even if you don’t live in the city, you shopor work in the city and your voice needs to be heard.

The next Progressive Town Hall Meeting will takeplace February 17th at 4pm in the Fiddlers Hearth Pub downtown SouthBend. We will be discussing becoming a “Human Rights City” with Jackie Smith, Sociology Professor at Notre Dame.

Eugene, Oregon is a great example of a Human Rights City and you can check out their website for information on how they did it. Basically, a human rights city propelshuman rights to the forefront of daily work.

(From the Peoples Movement for Human Rights Learning) “What are human rights cities?

Imagine living in a society where all citizens have made a pledge to build a community based on equality and nondiscrimination; --where all women and men are actively participatingin the decisions that affect their daily lives guided by the human rights framework; where people have consciously internalized the holistic vision of human rights to overcome fear and impoverishment, a society that provides human security, access to food, clean water,housing, education, healthcare and work at livable wages, sharing theseresources with all citizens-- not as a gift, but as a realization of human rights. A Human Rights city is a practical viable model that demonstrates that living in such a society is possible!”

I hope you can all attend!

A few announcements:From Charlotte Pfeiffer at the Indiana University South Bend:

Midwest Black Man's Think Tank Friday, February 15, 2008; 5:30 p.m.; Wiekamp Hall 1001
Saturday, February 16, 2008; 8 a.m.; Northside Hall 158, IUSB campusIU South Bend Math/Science Education Conference Next Steps in Scienceand Math Education: Our Community's Future Friday, April 18, 2008; 8a.m. - 2 p.m.; Administration Building, The Grille, IUSB campus

I look forward to seeing you at the next Progressive Town Hall meeting!

Sincerely,Robin Beck
Facilitator