A grassroots organizing fair held by the Progressive Directory of Western Michigan last night at the Wealthy Theatre drew forty groups. While the attendance by people who were not affiliated with one of the tables was fairly low, the organizing fair allowed the groups that make up the Progressive Directory a chance to get together and admire the work that others in town are doing.

In many ways, the event was a celebration of sorts, as it was a clear demonstration that Grand Rapids is not the bastion of conservative action that many defeatists proclaim it to be and highlighted the number of significant victories over the past two years. During the opening programs, John Kroondyk of Aquinas College’s Social Action Committee pointed out a considerable number of victories including the passage of an resolution against the USA PATRIOT Act, agreement by the various local officials to respect the rights of immigrants, and successes with clean water legislation, among many other successful organizing efforts (almost all of which have been reported on by Media Mouse during the past two years).

The organizing fair also spotlighted some campaigns that needed specific local attention, including the Michigan Wage Building Coalition’s efforts to increase the minimum wage from $5.15 an hour to $7.15 an hour (organizational endorsements are needed), the Michigan Organizing Project’s work on police, education, and legislative issues, the Community School Alliance’s efforts to increase education funding in Grand Rapids, and the Grand Rapids Community Media Center’s campaign to protect public access television.

It is hoped that the fair will facilitate greater networking between groups and an increased utilization of the resources available on the Progressive Directory's website. The Directory offers a space to to list their group and ongoing campaigns, a calendar of upcoming events, a repository for documents (petition sheets, organizational endorsements, etc), and a list of elected officials and their contact information.