In case you missed our announcement last week, I wanted to share the news that we’ll be in the Motor City for Netroots Nation 2014.
We’ll be in the newly renovated Cobo Center, located along the waterfront in an area that’s the hub of much of the renovation taking place in the city. And there’s a lot of that happening! While the auto industry continues its resurgence, the city is in the midst of a reinvention, attracting a creative class of newcomers and engaging longtime residents in solutions for growth and recovery.
With an open Senate seat and a chance to unseat unpopular Gov. Rick Snyder, 2014 is a banner year in politics for Michigan. Progressives also have a chance to take back the State House and make gains in the State Senate.
These elections will be critical, because the decisions being made by GOP “leaders” in office are halting progress and hurting families all over the state.
The GOP-led legislature has slashed school funding statewide, leading to an unprecedented number of Michigan schools filing for bankruptcy. Michigan is at the top of the list of states with outrageous, regressive legislation on women’s health. Funding for public schools has been slashed, for-profit charter schools are proliferating, and the demonization of teachers is in full progress. Attacks on labor and collective bargaining continue to undermine workers, and the controversial hiring of an Emergency Manager with sweeping powers in Detroit and other cities along with a host of school districts is making waves all across the country.
Grassroots groups and labor organizers across Michigan are doing great work to fight back against these attacks. In going to Detroit, we have a big opportunity to make these issues more widely known nationally and lend even more support to the work already being done there.
I’m excited to join in this fight. I hope you are too.
Register now to join us for Netroots Nation 2014 next July 17-20 in the Motor City.
See you in Detroit!
About The Author
Mary
Communications director of Netroots Nation and Netroots Foundation.