J20
Shared visions — shared pledges
The following piece is a collaborative work of our members’ ideas and thoughts on how to move forward. Each paragraph, a collaborative vision; each sentence, a shared idea. If you want to add on to this document, we’d love to hear your thoughts. If you want to change, delete, or add something — feel free to do so. We will keep the document alive, for you to peruse, add on, vandalize, whathaveyou. (We will keep this updated as best we can)
Today, Donald Trump became the 45th President of the United States. As he assumes office, it’s critical that the progressive revolution continues to grow. Already, we have seen damaging statements from cabinet nominees directly opposed to our Progressive values. As an organization with a key role in helping grassroots activists affect elections, build movements, and — as a result — affect policy, the Progressive Coders Network must continue to do all we can to lessen the influence of money in politics through the use of technology. Our goal is to build, strengthen, and utilize a network that can realize a just and equitable society.
Labels have been used to define and divide us. Polarizing labels that scratch the surface without digging into issues–broad labels like “liberal” or “conservative” that speak to litmus test issues but not the complexities of effective policy, shape the information we receive from media, political factions, and industries–on a continual basis. As a result, the general public has less factual, policy-related information at their fingertips.
The progressive movement, however, must base itself on issues, not labels. We must work for reform towards the greater good. We must seek opportunities to break down artificial divides, finding opportunities to work together for the betterment of all humanity. We must use objective observation, scientific method, and the exercise of common sense. We must create an open and collaborative culture, enabling the community we support to define their own path, rather than having their journey dictated from on high. These are the tools that will allow the movement to bring about positive change for all Americans, and for progressives around the world.
Goals Going Forward:
- Build partnerships with progressive groups both in America and around the globe
- Use free, open source, lightweight, or low cost technology to remove the influence of big money in politics
- Help build comprehensive tools for grassroots activists and the campaigns their communities wish to lead
- Become a ready support for the plight of the progressive movement
- Constantly and consistently adhere to progressive principles in our daily operation at the Progressive Coders Network
Thank you, fellow progcoder, for….
Thank you for your time, effort, enthusiasm, knowledge, skill, and passion. Thank you for your willingness to check your ego at the door in order to create a positive and productive culture that improves our community’s effectiveness and progress. Thank you for your willingness to amplify and evangelize our work and our collaborations. Thank you for your kindness, your skills, your political perspective. Thank you for your commitment to continually improve our network through shared knowledge, paired programming, and mentoring. Thank you for being amazing.
By the end of the Trump administration’s time in the Executive Branch, the progressive movement will be stronger, not weaker. By the end of his term, the wide network of progressive technologists will have created applications that have eradicated the influence of big money in politics. By the end of his term, we will live in a society that is more just and equitable not because of Trump–not because he is president–but because we demanded it to be just and equitable: we demanded a society that works for everyone, not just for those at the top.
As a network of technologists, we aim to be the ones that will amplify the capacity for the movement that will demand change. We are honored and excited to work with you to achieve this.
