Citizens Project

Citizens Project Volunteer Open House

9th November, 2011

Make a difference!
Join Citizens Project at our Open House

We are delighted to invite you to a volunteer open house at our office. Meet other supporters, hear about opportunities to get involved, and see where much of our work takes place! Please save the date and plan to join us!

Tuesday, December 13, 2011
5:00 until 6:30 pm
Citizens Project office at 4360 Montebello Drive, Ste 800
Colorado Springs, CO 80918
Map

If you’re interested in volunteering, but are unavailable to attend the open house, please email Kristy Milligan or call the office at (719) 520-9899.

Citizens Project a proud participant in Colorado Gives Day

8th November, 2011

We are busy getting ready for the 2nd Annual Colorado Gives Day – December 6, 2011! Our kickoff this week was an amazing success, thanks to the great agencies participating (and thanks to Glenn for photos)!

Colorado 2011 Election Recap

2nd November, 2011

More than 116,775 voters in El Paso County, Colorado turned out in the 2011 coordinated election on November 1, 2011, and the votes are in! Below, you’ll find the results for some of the top races in the region.

Colorado Springs School District 11 School Board:
Bob Null
Janet Tanner
Elaine Naleski
Nora Brown

Academy School District 20 School Board:
Glenn Strebe
Tracey Johnson

Falcon School District 49:
Charles Iron
Marie LaVere-Wright
Joan Johnson *2-year term

Proposition 103: This measure, which would have raised taxes to fund public education, failed by 63.9% statewide.
Measure 2B – Memorial Health System: This measure, which revokes Colorado Springs City Council’s ability to levy a tax in the event of a deficit at Memorial Health System, passed with 60.52% of the vote.

Check other election results at the El Paso County Clerk & Recorder’s website.

No matter how your issues and candidates fared, thank you for taking the time to get educated and make your voice heard at the ballot box, and thank you for supporting Citizens Project’s Election Education Forum, our Voter Guide, and our GOTV work. We’ll see you before the next election!

Citizens Project Heralded as Steady and Strong Champion of Diversity

24th October, 2011

The Colorado Springs Diversity Forum has honored Citizens Project with a Steady and Strong Award for Diversity and Inclusion.  This prestigious award is given to businesses and organizations in the Pikes Peak region that promote diversity and inclusion in both internal operations and external civic engagement. Citizens Project was chosen as a recipient because of its commitment to diversity training, education, and highly inclusive organizational policies and benefits.

“Receiving a Steady and Strong Award for Diversity and Inclusion award is a huge honor for us,” said Kristy Milligan, executive director of Citizens Project. “It demonstrates our ongoing commitment to best practices, public education and outreach. Diversity is more than a box you check. It’s not something you do once and then move on. It’s an ongoing commitment to ensuring that everyone has a voice.”

Citizens Project has been a voice of diversity and inclusion in Colorado Springs for 20 years. Milligan says the organization is dedicated to continuing to champion these values in the community. “No one is more committed to diversity and inclusion than the Citizens Project staff and board members,” she said. “These are the unsung heroes, the silent and steadfast champions who work tirelessly to ensure that everyone has a seat at the table.”

About Citizens Project: Citizens Project is a local grassroots organization dedicated to defending and promoting equality, religious freedom, and respect for diversity – the principles on which our nation was founded. We educate the community through our newsletter Freedom Watch and nonpartisan voter guides, we monitor local government and public schools to ensure that rights and freedoms are upheld, and we mobilize residents to make their voices heard.

Candidates and Issue Advocates Share Positions at October 20 Election Forum

19th October, 2011

Nearly 100 community members came out on October 18 to Stargazers Theater to hear from school board hopefuls and issue advocates for the November general election.

The event, which was presented by Citizens Project, the Colorado Springs Independent, the Pikes Peak Equality Coalition, and Inside/Out Youth Services, was moderated by Joe Cole from Fox21 and featured media panelists Andrea Chalfin of KRCC and Ralph Routon of the Independent. Attendees heard from city-wide school board candidates, and Colorado Springs School District 11 Board hopefuls were out in full force. The audience also asked questions of Bob Lally, who presented on the Memorial Health System question, and Victor Mitchell and Mark Neuman-Lee, who discussed statewide ballot measure Proposition 103.

The forum format included traditional Q&A from media and audience members, and also encouraged candidates and advocates to think outside the box by handing them props and asking them to explain how they related to their campaign.

Citizens Project offers special thanks to the volunteers who made the event possible: Mel, Victoria, Kelly, Mark and Rob.

We thank our co-sponsors: 9to5, National Association of Working Women, ACLU, Artemis Women, Center for Nonprofit Excellence, Freethinkers of Colorado Springs, League of Women Voters – Pikes Peak Region, NAACP Colorado Springs Branch, One Colorado, and Women’s Resource Agency

Who is simply Divine? You tell us.

21st September, 2011

Nominate someone deserving for the 2012 Divine Award!

Citizens Project invites you to submit nominations for this prestigious award that recognizes a person in the Pikes Peak region who has worked tirelessly to create a vibrant democracy in which equal rights are protected, individual freedoms are secure, differences are respected and people fully participate in civic life.

Tell us in 300 words or fewer why your nominee should be recognized. Please provide specific information about your nominee’s roles in the community – both officially and informally – and how you believe your nominee has made a lasting impact on the community. Please include your name and daytime phone number with your nomination. Email nominations to info@CitizensProject.org by November 1.

The event will take place on February 2, 2012 at Stargazers Theater.

Previous recipients include: Mary Lou Makepeace, Dr. Jim White, Pam Jones and Juliet Draper (shared award), Lorne Kramer, Richard Skorman, John Weiss and Mary Ellen McNally.

Love Thy Neighbor (Conditionally, Of Course)

3rd August, 2011

Love thy neighbor.

A simple enough phrase, but apparently it is more complex than it seems. In the early hours of July 2^nd a group of five friends, two of whom are Fort Carson soldiers, were brutally assaulted right outside of a local restaurant. Why, you may ask? Because four of the five were gay.

Discrimination against the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community in Colorado Springs is nothing new, but the ramifications of intolerance reach new heights when two of your friends have to be rushed to the hospital, one with an eye swollen shut, and another to emergency oral surgery for a shattered jaw. Can you say excessive?!

Fortunately, police have already taken suspects into custody and are filing charges. But what has the city done about this demonstrable hate crime? Nothing, absolutely nothing. Mayor Bach citied that anything further than a cursory comment about intolerance would be “unnecessary”. So its necessary for the two soldiers to risk their lives fighting for this country, to make sure that people are able to live safe and secure lives here, yet it is apparently “unnecessary” to protect our citizens when back home? They should be shown the respect of  heroes and not scorned like second class citizens. (Here is a link to a news report with video showing exactly how violent this hate crime was.)

Now as police work to file hate crime charges here is my question: what should be done at the municipal level to ensure nothing like this happens again? Should the city promote LGBT acceptance? Should they make a more publicized denouncement of hate crimes? What should be done to protect ALL of our citizens regardless of race, gender, ethnicity, ability, social class, age, religion, political affiliation, gender identity, and especially sexual orientation?

Written by Ian Adams, Citizens Project Intern and UCCS undergraduate student

The Colorado Springs Human Relations Commission —- 2011 — A New Page

15th June, 2011

by Tom Strand, Interim HRC Chair

The Human Relations Commission in Colorado Springs is back after an absence of almost 17 years.   In June of 2010 the Colorado Springs City Council passed Ordinance 10-48.  In early 2011, over 35 volunteer candidates were interviewed and on March 8th nine commissioners were selected for 2-4 year service terms along with three alternate Commissioners.  This Commission met for the first time in City Hall on April 28th. After a brief orientation, the 12 person Commission selected an Interim Chair, Tom Strand, Interim Vice Chair, Ernest House and Interim Secretary, Teressa Hill. The interim officers are designated to serve until September 2011 when a slate of permanent officers are elected. Since the initial April 28th meeting the Colorado Springs HRC has met on the third Wednesday of each month, as well as on May 21st for a general team building and organizational half -day session.

The mission statement and objectives of the HRC are still under development but are generally set out in the ordinance. The draft mission statement is:  ”To promote understanding and respect for all Colorado Springs residents by facilitating constructive communications through referrals, conflict resolution and proactive outreach.” The purpose of the HRC is to help guard against mal-treatment and discrimination in all parts of life for our residents, including housing, transportation, employment and day-to-day activities.

The HRC has created two sub-committees, Education and Structure, in order to accomplish the background work to properly launch the HRC later this fall. These committees have met 2 to 3 times to establish educational and training requirements (such as mediation skills) and to ensure the Commission is fully prepared to assist residents with a myriad of potential issues/problems. The Structure Subcommittee has drafted by-laws and other operating documents which are currently being reviewed and are pending Commission adoption.

The committees are working with members of City Council and other city offices, such as Legal and HR, to start up a program, a website, and public contact information for the HRC.

Stand by for the official announcement of the activation of your new HRC later this year!

The Equal Rights Amendment: the time is now!

16th May, 2011

by Cynthia Nimerichter

Several weeks ago, the Denver Post ran an article about the Equal Rights Amendment and the fact that it has never been ratified. In the 1970s, I marched in the streets in support of this measure but to date only 35 states ratified the proposed constitutional amendment. To become part of the U.S. Constitution, three more states would need to vote in favor of it.

I mentioned to a young friend that I had not given much thought to the ERA in many years. My 30-something friend’s response? “What is the ERA?” My friend is very politically savvy and more up-to-date than I am on legislation dealing with discrimination. But her response brought home to me that if the ERA is to ever pass, members of the old guard, including me, need to educate a new generation.

The ERA is fairly simple. Here is the proposal in full:
Section 1. Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of sex.
Section 2. The Congress shall have the power to enforce, by appropriate legislation, the provisions of this article.
Section 3. This amendment shall take effect two years after the date of ratification.

This language would guarantee that the rights affirmed by the U.S. Constitution are held equally by all citizens without regard to sex. Sex would be considered a suspect classification, as race currently is.

The Equal Rights Amendment was written in 1923 by Alice Paul, a leader of the woman suffrage movement and a lawyer. It was introduced in Congress in the same year and subsequently reintroduced in every Congressional session for half a century. In 1972 it was finally sent to the states. The deadline for ratification has long passed but a bill is in Congress now, introduced in March of 2011, which would remove the deadline and allow the amendment to be accepted when three more states pass it.

Women have made great strides in recent decades. Yet women earned just 75 percent of men’s earnings in 2009. As stated in the article in the Denver Post, “In 1920, the 19th Amendment finally gave women the vote. Ninety years later, women still have to fight to prove we deserve the basic rights men simply inherit at birth.”

This was reinforced when U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia said in September, 2010 in a speech at the University of California’s Hastings College of the Law that the Constitution does not guarantee equal rights for women.

Colorado has a state ERA and we are one of the states to have ratified the national ERA.  An Opinion Research Corporation poll commissioned in 2001 by the ERA Campaign Network shows that nearly all U.S. adults – 96% – believe that male and female citizens should have equal rights. The vast majority – 88% – also believe that the U.S. Constitution should make it clear that these rights are supposed to be equal. However, nearly three-quarters of the respondents – 72% – mistakenly assume that the Constitution already includes such a guarantee.

It is clear that the citizens of the United States overwhelmingly support a constitutional guarantee of equal rights on the basis of sex, and ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment will achieve that goal.

After all, this is 2011. Can any reasonable person be against full equal rights for women? It does not seem possible but consider this:  recently the Virginia Senate voted to become the 36th state to ratify the ERA. Days later, the bill died in the House of Delegates-in a subcommittee of seven men.

Cynthia Nimerichter is a motivational speaker, author and recovering attorney. She lives in Colorado Springs.

States which have not ratified the Equal Rights Amendment include:

Alabama
Arizona
Arkansas
Florida
Georgia
Illinois
Louisiana
Mississippi
Missouri
Nevada
North Carolina
Oklahoma
South Carolina
Utah
Virginia