Citizens Project

Vote for Art Creates Community Project Funding

24th February, 2010

We like anything that creates community in the Pikes Peak region, and here’s one:

Religious Right Offensive on Public Education in Texas

15th February, 2010

Citizens Project has been following the dangerous extremism on the Texas Board of Education over the last several months. It exploded in the national press yesterday with this cover story in The New York Times Magazine.

The injection of partisan politics into education went so far that at one point another Republican board member burst out in seemingly embarrassed exasperation, “Guys, you’re rewriting history now!”

Citizens Project will keep monitoring local schools to prevent this from happening here. Please let us know if you hear of any inappropriate politicizing we should be aware of.

Thanks to our friends at the Texas Freedom Network for fighting the Texas takeover.

Religious tolerance and public space: Jesus is Alive?

10th February, 2010

When local controversy erupts, we don’t have to take our cues from the partisan, uncivil tone dominating national policy debates. After all, Colorado Springs has learned a thing or two from Amendment 2, the Moo campaign, and the Ted Haggard scandal to name a few. We’ve learned that calling other people intolerant does not “Create Community”.

The “Jesus is Alive!” banners on city-owned light poles in downtown Colorado Springs raise high emotions among residents, whether Christian, Jewish or Atheist.   Some people see them as just another example of the city thumbing its nose at anyone who does not subscribe to the majority religion. Others view any objection to the banners as liberal intolerance of a positive Christian message. Are either of these really true? Rather than hunker down into our comfortable, adversarial positions, Citizens Project says let’s focus on finding our common ground. After all, our nation really is the global beacon of religious freedom, so let’s reach for our highest selves.

Surely, you may ask, doesn’t our community have more important issues to tackle right now, such as homelessness and drastic budget cuts? It’s a reasonable question, but don’t forget we are talking about the First Amendment; how our diverse residents share the public space together. And more practically, our city’s land use division is required to adopt a code to define who gets banners in the public right of way, since none currently exists.

As a dedicated local watchdog for religious freedom and separation of church and state, Citizens Project wants to lead the way in working with community members to find our common ground. We are reaching out to leaders representing diverse perspectives. Let’s listen respectfully to each others’ point of view, and try to put aside our preconceptions of each others’ motives. We may still disagree in the end, but we’ll understand one another more, and hopefully create real community. Who knows, we might even become a national model for how to have civil debate on core community values. Let’s bring together our Christian, Jewish, Atheist, and other faith communities to build bridges, and bury our national reputation as the “Gettysburg of the culture wars”.

We welcome your ideas! Please comment here or send an email to Citizens Project’s Executive Director Barb Van Hoy. Let the conversation begin.

Citizens Project raises $2,685.87 through Give! Campaign

28th January, 2010

Thanks to the generosity of supporters in this community and Give! Campaign partners, Citizens Project raised more than $2,500 in the inaugural Give! Campaign. Congratulations to all participating organizations on a tremendous success, and thank you to all the philanthropists who gave through the campaign! 

Photo courtesy of Cayton Photography

Pictured above: Executive Director Barb Van Hoy with Independent publisher John Weiss and a really, really big check!

City’s Light Pole Banner Story on KRDO

20th January, 2010

Here’s Tak Landrock’s story about the banner issue:

KRDO Banner Story

Citizens Project is working to ensure that the U.S. Constitution’s religious freedom guarantees are upheld in the new city’s code regulating such banners.

And the Divine Award goes to…

8th January, 2010

Citizens Project is delighted to announce that the recipient of the 2010 Divine Award is John Weiss!

Photo by Cayton Photography

Please join us as we celebrate John’s contributions to the Colorado Springs community at our sixth annual Divine Award event!

Thursday, February 18, 2010 from 5:30 – 7:30 p.m.
The Warehouse, 25 W. Cimarron St.,
Colorado Springs, Colorado
Open to the public, $10 suggested donation

Please RSVP by February 12 to: kristy@citizensproject.org or (719) 520-9899

View the electronic invitation

About the Divine Award: Citizens Project’s Divine Award is given annually to an individual in the Pikes Peak region who has worked tirelessly to create a vibrant democracy in which equal rights are protected and differences are respected. The award simultaneously recognizes the accomplishments of its recipient and honors the legacy of Amy Divine, the founder of Citizens Project, who dedicated her energy to championing traditional American values of equal rights, individual freedoms, separation of church and state, civic engagement and respect for diversity. This year’s recipient is activist John Weiss, founder and publisher of the Colorado Springs Independent. Previous recipients are Mary Lou Makepeace, Dr. Jim White, Pam Jones and Juliet Draper (shared award), Lorne Kramer, and Richard Skorman.

Photo by Catyon Photography

About John Weiss: John Weiss is a visionary entrepreneur, collaborator, and community activist whose leadership has created a more diverse, progressive and green Colorado Springs over the last 27 years.

As founder and publisher of the Colorado Springs Independent, John oversees the region’s only free weekly alternative newspaper, which reaches more than 100,000 readers in the region with local news, diverse thought and untold stories. Through this platform, Mr. Weiss has brought nationally renowned creative thinkers to Colorado Springs to build alliances and elevate discourse, co-sponsored more than 50 civic events annually to promote a vibrant democracy, and organized coalitions to bring positive change to the region.

John is an advocate for environmental sustainability who led successful initiatives to increase funding for open space and establish recycling programs. He has organized and supported campaigns to increase City Council pay, extend health benefits to domestic partners of municipal employees, and reform local tax policy. John recently launched the Independent’s Give! initiative which raised more than $150,000 for local nonprofits, and he produces the annual Fort Carson Town Hall meetings. In his spare time, John can be found volunteering at his sons’ schools, hiking with his dog, and vanquishing reptilian invaders when innocents are threatened.

There’s an app for that? HRC’s “Buying for Equality” iPhone app

6th January, 2010

Thanks Amy Gillentine at the Colorado Springs Business Journal for reporting:

The Human Rights Campaign released the first-ever “Buying for Equality” iPhone application. This guide will allow shoppers to access its guide for equality as they are shopping to see how hundreds of popular American brands are rated based on the businesses’ treatment of their LGBT employees.

Now let’s make the City of Colorado Springs eligible for inclusion on the “good list” by passing Plus One employee health benefits, which includes domestic partners (gay and straight)! Here is the latest Gazette Opinion piece in support.

Happy New Year!

31st December, 2009

I always work on the last day of the year. There are plenty of administrative details to see to, and there are usually several active projects for Citizens Project in late December, so there’s enough work to keep me busy. But there’s another reason I work on the last day of the year and I want to share it with you: gratitude.

December 31 always provides a great opportunity for reflecting on the previous year and looking at the things that went well for us:  in our personal lives, our professional lives, and our community lives. 2009 went really well for Citizens Project, in lots of ways.

• CP sent 12 editions of Freedom Watch Online to more than 1,500 subcribers and 41 Action Alerts to more than 1,000 activists
• We moved our office and held an open house
• Our fifth annual Divine Award Celebration honored Richard Skorman and our Creating Community Breakfast event rasied $40,000
• We published two comprehensive local voter guides and co-sponsored four election forums
• We completed a fantastic strategic plan, which will lead Citizens Project boldly into the next decade and maximize our ability to promote our values in the community
• Citizens Project mailed information about inclusive and legal practices at graduations and over the holiday season to all local schools
• We totally renovated our web site and electronic communications, created this blog, and tapped into the social networking sites Twitter and Facebook
• Citizens Project unveiled a proposal to extend Plus One health benefits to family members of City employees and advocated for the policy with elected representatives, the media, and our supporters
• We began planning our inaugural Citizens Religious Freedom Institute, a one-day symposium that will educate and empower students, parents, teachers, administrators and community leaders around religious freedom issues 
• We spoke out when injustices occured in our community, such as the appearance of Jesus Lives banners on city-owned lightpoles

In all truth, I know that these things were possible for only three reasons:

• We have the greatest volunteers on the planet.
• We have the greatest advocates on the planet.
• We have the greatest donors on the planet.

Citizens Project is the perfect name for our scrappy organization, because we truly are by the citizens and for the citizens of the Pikes Peak region. It is your support, whether emotional support, volunteer support, monetary support, or advocacy support, that makes what we do important and possible.

Earlier today, I prepared the last deposit of the year (and by the way, CP exceeded our individual income goals this year, thanks to people like you), and I was struck by the largest donation ($5,000) and the smallest donation ($4). For each person making these gifts, that amount represented a “stretch” for them – a real commitment to our values and our community - and I like to think that they are equal partners in this thing we call Citizens Project. We all do what we can, when we can, but at the end of the day – and the end of the year – one thing is true: we believe in a vibrant community that values diversity, equality and religious freedom.

Happy New Year!

Extra! Extra! Read our most recent Freedom Watch Online!

28th December, 2009

Hear what Citizens Project executive director Barb Van Hoy has to say about our nation’s founding principles, read about religious freedom in the United States, and catch up on the latest Plus One news! Check out the December edition of Freedom Watch Online!

Take Action: Vote for Plus One in Colorado Springs!

18th December, 2009

Our Plus One city employee health benefits proposal is in the news again today and the Gazette has posted an online poll about it. A strong showing of support in the poll and on the letters page of the Gazette could make the difference in showing City Council that there is enough public support to pass the plan. PLEASE ACT NOW!

• Vote for Plus One in the Gazette’s online poll (click here and scroll down, in the right-hand column).

• Forward this and ask your friends and colleagues to do the same.

• Write to the City Council and ask them to pass Plus One. Click here for a list of City Council Members and contact information. You can also email all council members at allcouncil@springsgov.com.

• Write a letter to the editor and post on online comment voicing your support for the plan. Send to opinion@gazette.com.

City Council members pay attention to these, so your letters and vote MAKE A DIFFERENCE!

Read the story and take the poll here:  http://www.gazette.com/articles/city-90978-employees-href.html

You can find some talking points in Barb Van Hoy’s comment posted in the Gazette’s online comment section, reprinted here:

“The “Plus One” policy being proposed by Citizens Project would allow all city employees to buy into the city’s employee health insurance plan for one family member, if they are not already eligible for benefits for a spouse or dependent children. It is not really accurate to call this a “same-sex benefits” plan because that is only one of several types of qualifying family members. Employees could add an adult dependent child, a dependent parent, a domestic partner, or dependent grandparent. The employee would pay the full premium, rather than be subsidized by the city as current family members are (and as the 2003 policy did for same-sex couples that cost the cit $6,000). That’s one reason it is budget-neutral (the premium covers the full per-participant cost in the health plan.) The other reason it is cost-neutral is that the demographic population as a whole that is projected to buy in is not expected to increase the overall costs (based on the analyses of benefits experts).

Now is the time for Colorado Springs to begin catching up to the private sector, as well as the most successful cities across the country by adopting better, more inclusive employment practices. Whatever your personal opinion on same-sex couples, or single mothers or 35 year-old kids living with mom & dad, the fact is that our society includes a huge diversity of families. Competitive employers do right by their employees by adopting more inclusive plans, and our city should to. Attracting the best employees will get the best use out of our limited tax dollars. In addition, it is not government’s role to enforce a religious view of relationships on its employees, so arguments labeling some people’s families as “immoral” are moot. Government should treat all citizens equally. The Plus One plan doesn’t get all the way there, but it is an improvement, expands access to health care, treats all employees more equally, makes the city a more competitive employer, and won’t cost taxpayers a dime. Seems like a pretty good deal to me.”

Houston voters reject anti-gay message and elect city’s first gay mayor

13th December, 2009

Houston became the largest U.S. city to elect an openly gay mayor, with voters handing a solid victory to City Controller Annise Parker after a hotly contested runoff.

Houston Chronicle

The People Speak – Sunday Dec. 13

11th December, 2009

Teaching Tolerance invites you to watch The People Speak, a documentary film based on the works of social activist and educator Howard Zinn, A People’s History of the United States and Voices of a People’s History of the United States, co-authored with Anthony Arnove and reviewed by Teaching Tolerance magazine.

The People Speak features dramatic and musical performances of the letters, diaries and speeches of everyday Americans who spoke up for social change, equality and justice throughout U.S. history and helped form and protect the democracy we enjoy today.

The words of suffragists, civil rights leaders, anti-war proponents and labor leaders are brought to life by actors and singers like Matt Damon, Bob Dylan, Danny Glover, Bruce Springsteen, Morgan Freeman, Marisa Tomei and many others.

The film reminds all of us that we must remain active in our communities to promote and preserve social justice and equality. Clips of The People Speak and a classroom study guide for your students are available at History.com.

We welcome your feedback.
You can reach us online

or by mail:
Teaching Tolerance
c/o Southern Poverty Law Center
400 Washington Ave.
Montgomery, AL 36104

The December Dilemma – Inclusive Holiday Practices for Public Schools

5th December, 2009

Every year Citizens Project sends The December Dilemma to local public schools. It is a primer on inclusive holiday practices for public schools produced by the Anti-Defamation League.

The First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution protects religious freedom by not only guaranteeing “the free exercise thereof”, but also by prohibiting our government from endorsing religion (“respecting an establishment of religion”). The December Dilemma provides expert guidance to schools on how the courts have interpreted religious liberty protections for students and staff, to ensure school holiday activities are not only legal, but inclusive and respectful of the great diversity of our country.

Download a PDF of The December Dilemma here.

Religious freedom victory: Court rejects public school religious speech

17th November, 2009

ANOTHER victory for religious freedom!

“The Supreme Court has rejected an appeal from a student who complained that high school officials violated her constitutional rights when they turned off her microphone during her religion-tinged graduation speech.”

This ruling makes a very important distinction about how the Constitution protects religious freedom for ALL public school students. When they are a captive audience at an official school function such as graduation, it is not OK to preach to them. An Appeals Court deemed her speech to be “proselytizing.” Everyone, including this student, is free to hold their own beliefs and to preach to others, but not by co-opting a public school function. No one has that right. Taxpayers are funding the school and the graduation, so it is not appropriate or fair to turn it into a church service.  This would apply equally to a student attempting to give an Islamic, Buddhist or Atheist sermon at a public school event.

Not surprisingly, the Religious Right is calling this censorship and discrimination.

Citizens’ Religious Freedom Institute

12th November, 2009

Citizens Project is proud to present the first Citizens’ Religious Freedom Institute, a one day seminar on how the First Amendment to the US Constitution protects religious freedom in public schools. For teachers, students, parents, administrators, staff, school board members, and open to the public.

Saturday April 17, 2010

To be repeated on Sunday April 18 pending sufficient enrollment
Location TBD, Colorado Springs, CO

Participants will learn:

• How the courts have interpreted religious freedom in the public school setting,
• Best practices for respecting all students’ religious freedom, and
• How to be an advocate for religious freedom in your school.

May provide in-service credit for teachers. Please check back for details.

To receive information about the Citizens’ Religious Freedom Institute, join our email list for Freedom Watch Online, email Barb Van Hoy, or call us at (719) 520-9899.

Download the flier here.

New hate crimes law is hard-won progress for freedom and equality

29th October, 2009

Matthew Shepard

Today we celebrate a victory for the ideals of freedom and equality as promised in our United States Constitution.  After a 10-year fight, our nation at last has a hate crimes law that punishes the uniquely heinous nature of hate crimes, which have the chilling effect of creating fear among entire classes of people.  Thanks to Bruce DeBoskey of the Mountain States Anti-Defamation League for articulating this in an Op-Ed in Monday’s Gazette:

It has been 11 years since Matthew Shepard was beaten, tied to a lonely Wyoming fence, and left to die because his attackers hated gay men. That same year, James Byrd, Jr., was dragged to his death behind a pickup truck in Jasper, Texas, a victim of a racially motivated crime. One of Byrd’s attackers wore tattoos including the image of a black man hanging from a tree.

Shepard and Byrd were not the only victims of those horrible crimes. In both cases, the murderers were not simply committing a crime against Shepard or Byrd; they were sending a chilling message to everyone who shared the characteristics of the victims — to every American who is gay or black. “You, and anyone like you, are not welcome here,” the perpetrators said through their hateful violence. “You, and anyone like you, are not safe here.” In fact, they were sending that message to all Americans.  Read more.

Signing the legislation yesterday, President Obama said,

“You understood that we must stand against crimes that are meant not only to break bones, but to break spirits — not only to inflict harm, but to instill fear,” Mr. Obama said. “You understand that the rights afforded every citizen under our Constitution mean nothing if we do not protect those rights — both from unjust laws and violent acts.” Read more.

This legislation does not punish thoughts, as conservative opponents of the legislation charge. It punishes a distinctive type of crime.  Focus on the Family earnestly opposed hate crimes legislation with the baffling claim that the bill would silence religious speech.  A July “CitizenLink” email states,

And, pastors who preach against homosexuality could end up prosecuted if they are found to have “induced” a hate-crime against a self-identified homosexual by preaching from the Bible.

It seems surprising that Focus would not understand the difference between preaching a belief and inciting violence.  In interpreting the First Amendment, our courts have made careful distinctions in this area.  With Neo-Nazis regularly demonstrating publicly without being prosecuted, can Focus really believe pastors will be arrested under this law for preaching that homosexuality is a sin? It sounds far fetched, but such rhetoric is consistent with their shrill denunciations of gay marriage as a threat to heterosexual marriage and their claims that equal rights laws threaten religious freedom (even with religious exemptions). Perhaps their supporters thought Focus went too far with these hate crimes statements, since this was the last such message they sent out. Regardless, in this case reason and fairness have won out.

Citizens Project thanks our elected representatives who supported this important legislation and will continue to fight locally for true religious freedom and equal rights for all.

Dear Focus, Please stop telling other people who they should love.

26th October, 2009

Focus on the Family is trying again to enforce their interpretation of the bible through public policy. This, from the Gazette:

Last year, Focus on the Family donated nearly $450,000 to support a California proposition outlawing gay marriage.

This year, the Colorado Springs-based organization is setting its sights on Maine, but the outlay is a lot smaller — both because Maine is a lot smaller, and because of the economy.

read more…

Support Equality in Maine here.

City Budget Cuts – by News Channel 13

15th October, 2009

Here’s a good story about city budget cuts.

(Moral of the story: Yes on 2C!)

Watch it here.

Ready, set, vote!!

8th October, 2009

That’s right!  Citizens Project staff and volunteers have been working day and night to bring you all the election information you could possibly want!

Start by reading our newest Freedom Watch Online, and don’t forget to check out our Voter Guide for the City of Colorado Springs and School Districts 11, 20 and 49, our candidate survey for School District 2, and our election information page!

Still have questions? Let us know!

Fall 2009 Election Info Page

1st October, 2009

Citizens Project’s

2009 Election Info Page

gives you everything including the kitchen sink about this election in the Pikes Peak region: ballot measures, sample ballot, school board candidates, news articles, election forums, and more.

Citizens Project's Kristy Milligan Tells All (about CP on the Better Business Bureau's radio program)

30th September, 2009

Kristy joined Katie Carrol, host of the Better Business Bureau’s INSIGHTS, a weekly public affairs radio show, to talk about Citizens Project.

Listen here!

Kristy Milligan

Katie Carrol

Action Alert: Election Forums

29th September, 2009

Get Informed and Get Your Vote On!

View and share our Action Alert featuring a huge list of opportunities to learn about:

• Colorado Springs & Manitou Springs Ballot Measures

• School Board Candidates in

Harrison District 2
Colorado Springs District 11
Manitou Springs District 14
Falcon District 49

• Manitou Mayor & City Council Candidates

And don’t miss our 2009 Election Info Page

Equal Opportunity Admissions Policy Upheld

29th September, 2009

Last year Colorado turned the tide on opponents of equal opportunity by rejecting a ballot measure that would have banned Affirmative Action. Here’s another bit of good news for equality, from the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights:

Federal District Court Upholds University of Texas Equal Opportunity Admissions Policy

September 25, 2009 – Posted by Whitney Gusby

In a major victory for equal opportunity, a federal district court ruled in favor of the University of Texas at Austin’s current admissions policy, in which race is only part of the consideration process for students’ admission to the university.

Read more here.

First openly gay city council candidate!

28th September, 2009

Ryan Acker

Citizens Project never endorses candidates, but we can’t contain our excitement that Colorado Springs has it’s first openly gay city council candidate!  Ryan Acker, executive director of the Pikes Peak Gay and Lesbian Community Center has applied for the District 3 seat being vacated by Councilman Jerry Heimlicher. It’s another sign of the changing climate of inclusiveness in Colorado Springs.

Read about all the other candidates here.

How Could Colorado Springs Rock?

25th September, 2009

Filed under things we like….

Listen to Citizens Project's Van Hoy on Jeff Crank's radio show

24th September, 2009

Barb Van Hoy, executive director of Citizens Project, appeared on the Jeff Crank Show on KVOR 740 AM on September 19, 2009 to talk about our school board candidate survey. The survey will be published in the Colorado Springs Independent on October 8th and will feature candidates in School Districts 11, 20, and 49 (with District 2 on the web) answering a questions about broad range of education issues. Join our email list to get it in your in-box the same day.

Listen here: BarbOnJeffCrankShow9-19-09

Jeff Crank

Barb Van Hoy

Federal nondiscrimination bill urged

24th September, 2009

The momentum toward greater equality is growing! Religious bias against gays and lesbians  has been the basis for unjust discrimination for too long.  Yes, people must have the right to their religious beliefs, but that does not extend to depriving others of equal treatment.  It’s high time for gays and lesbians to realize the promise of our nations founding principles.

In yesterday’s news:

Two openly gay members of Congress on Wednesday urged their colleagues to pass a sweeping job discrimination bill that would — for the first time — protect gays and transsexuals from workplace bias.The testimony from Reps. Barney Frank, D-Mass., and Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., comes as supporters of the measure believe Congress is closer than ever to banning discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation.

Read more….

Stop Religious Discrimination with Tax Dollars

17th September, 2009

A Coalition Of Religious And Public Policy Groups Says Legal Memo Threatens Core Civil Rights And Religious Freedom Protections

John J. DiIulio Jr. and Stephen Goldsmith, front left, look on as President George W. Bush announces the faith-based initiative on Jan. 29, 2001.

Americans United for Separation of Church and State today joined a coalition of 58 organizations urging Attorney General Eric Holder to revoke a Bush-era rule regarding “faith-based” funding that the groups say threatens civil rights and religious freedom.

In June of 2007, the Office of Legal Counsel (OLC) issued a legal memo asserting that a federal law called the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) gives religious organizations a blanket right to discriminate on religious grounds when hiring staff in taxpayer-funded programs.

In a joint letter to Holder today, a broad coalition of organizations said RFRA does no such thing.

“The Bush administration twisted federal law to buttress its misguided policies and allow religious discrimination in taxpayer-funded ‘faith-based’ programs,” said the Rev. Barry W. Lynn, executive director of Americans United. “It’s time for the Obama administration to correct this error.”

Read the whole press release at AU.ORG

City Deserves Worthy Successor to Heimlicher

15th September, 2009

2009 Colorado Springs City Council

The Colorado Springs  City Council will be selecting a replacement for Council Member Jerry Heimlicher, who is resigning to move home to Tennessee. Jerry has been a dedicated advocate for disenfranchised residents, and a voice for diversity and equality.  In choosing a successor, the City Council should honor the voters in District 3 who elected Jerry by picking a replacement who shares Jerry’s passion for making Colorado Springs a welcoming and accessible community for ALL residents.

Let them know you think so! You can send a message to all City Council members by clicking here.

Join CP at the Lavender Film Festival!

15th September, 2009

The Pikes Peak Lavender Film Festival is this weekend!

Thanks to generous designated donations, Citizens Project is the sponsor of:

HANNAH FREE
Directed by Wendy Jo Carlton 2009, USA, 90 min.
Sunday September 20, 2009 ~ 7:45 pm
Armstrong Hall on the CC Campus,  14 E Cache La Poudre

Adapted from Claudia Allen’s award winning play, romantic, touching and poignant, Hannah Free eloquently depicts a lifelong love affair between two very different women.

See the whole Lavender Film Festival Program here!

Study Finds Discrimination Against Immigrants

14th September, 2009

Some social conservatives want to put their heads in the sand and claim that our nation has reached the ideal of pure meritocracy, where people are judged by their abilities and where discrimination does not rob some of equal opportunity. But facts belie that myth. The the research organization Public Agenda has released A Place to Call Home: What Immigrants Say Now About Life in America, the follow-up to their pioneering 2002 survey of immigrants. Among many findings, it contains an important reminder that our society and culture have more work to do in eradicating bigotry and prejudice.

In an interview on NPR, one of the authors of this study, Scott Bittle, said:

Overall, about six in 10 immigrants say that there is at least some discrimination against immigrants in the United States. And that’s very consistent from the last time we surveyed them in 2002. About a quarter say they’ve experienced at least some discrimination personally. But when you look at it by different groups, you get very different results. For example, Mexican immigrants are much more likely to say there’s discrimination against immigrants in the United States, three-quarters say that, but they’re no more likely to experience it personally. Muslim immigrants, by contrast, are less likely to perceive discrimination in the broader society and just as likely to see it – to experience it personally.

Regardless of how much people SAY there is discrimination, it remains a fact of life for many immigrants, and non-immigrants.

If you believe in equal opportunity and want to fight discrimination, there are many ways to get involved.  In addition to supporting Citizens Project, here are other local and national organizations fighting to make the promise of America’s founding documents a reality for us all:

Pikes Peak Gay and Lesbian Community Center

NAACP, Colorado Springs Branch

Pikes Peak Immigrant and Refugee Collaborative

9to5 National Association of Working Women

Leadership Conference on Civil Rights

Colorado Progressive Coalition

Equality Colorado

Who did I forget? Please support these organizations and help make equal opportunity a reality!

Where Is Civil Discourse?

11th September, 2009

This morning’s Gazette featured an article about Council Member Jerry Heimlicher’s resignation from Colorado Springs City Council, in which Mr. Heimlicher asked his interviewer: ”Did you read the blogs on the first story about me leaving? Eighty-nine as of last night, and 86 of them were ‘Glad he’s going,’ ‘About time,’ ‘Jumping rat leaving ship,’ ‘Now it’s time to get the other eight.’”

Earlier this week, during an emotional outburst on the House floor, a lawmaker shouted “You lie!” during a presidential address to congress.

Health care town halls across the nation have been met with unruly protests, and some have even resulted in violence.

These events leave me cold, and they make me wonder: where is civil discourse?

I am proud to be involved with Citizens Project because I believe strongly that mutual respect, especially among people with differing views and beliefs, should be the bare-minimum standard for political and civic interaction.  And I believe that Citizens Project helps to advance this standard through our programs and by creating a safe space for people to courteously disagree and – hopefully – find things that we can all agree on.

What do you think?  How can CP help to create an atmosphere of decorum in the Pikes Peak region?

NYT Article: New Impetus for Bill Banning Anti-Gay Bias at Work

9th September, 2009

Momentum is building for Congress to pass the first major civil rights act protecting gays and transsexuals, supporters say, and one of the stars in the debate is a barrier-breaking transgender staffer on Capitol Hill.

Read more…

Here is a ruling that truly protects religious freedom!

9th September, 2009

A federal appeals court ruled today that officials at an Everett, Wash., school district were within their rights to omit religious music from a graduation ceremony.

Read all about it at the Americans United web site!

Defending Plus One

9th July, 2009

Citizens Project’s Beth Payne clarifies “Plus One” in the Gazette editorial pages! Read her letter!