Here are upcoming RPA meetings and events. Please note, most meetings are only open to RPA members, although allies and guests are often welcome. If you are interested in becoming a member, you may do so here. Dues may be waived if they are a barrier to you joining the RPA. If you have questions about joining the RPA, or are interested in attending a meeting as a non-member, please contact [email protected]   

Richmond Progressive Alliance (RPA) has launched an internship program. Doing so serves joint purposes of cultivating the talent of young Richmonders around short term, action-oriented projects and also increasing visibility of RPA among Richmond youth. We are simultaneously creating opportunities for youth to work on emerging issues in a progressive political environment while also expanding RPA’s capacity. This small employment opportunity will enhance the local workforce and re-circulate money back into our own community through the hiring of Richmond youth.

Check out this video of Councilmember Jiménez reflecting on her first seven months in office, and visioning ahead to the future.

Reimagining Public Safety was front and center at the Richmond Progressive Alliance (RPA) recent quarterly membership meeting. We hosted a panel with the intention of informing our members and opening up our conversation to the public. We also wanted to broaden the dialogue about how RPA can participate more actively in this critical campaign. 

This panel included seven speakers, followed by a Q&A. We brought different voices to the table to talk about public safety. The planners acknowledged there are many sides of this contentious issue so we aimed to get people thinking beyond the one perspective most often presented to the public, that is, “police = safety.” And since police and other city officials have dominated the narrative with that one equation, we chose to focus on other stakeholders whose safety needs urgently need to be heard and addressed.

Happy Pride Month! Richmond Progressive Alliance is a proud community partner of Richmond Rainbow Pride, a group of LGBTIQQ individuals who live, work and/or play in Richmond, CA, and who come together for the collective benefit of the LGBTIQQ community. They organize an annual pride event on the first Sunday in June, ordinarily in a Richmond park, however this year the ceremonies were conducted via zoom. This year's pride event, titled "Together We Rise" was hosted by Michelle Meow, featured panelists Amira Arov and Reverend Kamal Hasan and a range of performers. Richmond Rainbow Pride is active year round, check them out here.

By BK Williams, RPA Co-Chair

A few weeks ago, I logged onto a Zoom call with RPA colleagues and when I looked at the grid of friendly faces, something dawned on me. To my delight, I saw so much more than just the “old white retired people” that the classic stereotype might suggest.

Oh, they were there. Our veteran RPA members continue to fight the important battles they are bound to and believe in: the battle against Chevron, for Doctors’ Hospital, for the Richmond Municipal Identification program, for the Ban the Box ordinance and for the overturn of Costa Hawkins. Yes, our older members were still in the room. But all around them were fresh young faces that represent the next generation of progressives in Richmond.

Over the past several weeks, I took some time to connect one-on-one with these newer members. I wanted to understand what motivated them to get involved with our community and what would keep them motivated to stay involved.

What I found was that I myself was motivated by their vision, their boldness and their social awareness. They are the bright future of the RPA, and that future will be rooted in social justice.

Here are a few things I noticed about this next generation:

The Richmond Rainbow Pride community is putting the final touches on a pride celebration which will be held online on Sunday, June 6 at noon.

From RRP: "We’re not quite ready for in person events, but we wouldn’t miss a chance to gather together in PRIDE. Join us as we broadcast from the city of pride and purpose: Richmond, California. We’ll be updating you as we go and we want to get our community involved."

You can go to Richmond Rainbow Pride's website or Facebook page to learn more and find updates.

In the biennial elections held at the February membership meeting, Richmond Progressive Alliance (RPA) members re-elected twelve members to the Steering Committee (SC) and added four newcomers.  

Both the returning Steering Committee members and the newly elected can be characterized as bridge-builders. Collectively, the SC members actively engage with at least 24 city and/or community organizations on top of their work with RPA. Going beyond our core group of members to cultivate relationships with more people and organizations is a shared goal of this Steering Committee. That’s how political power grows.

All RPA members are encouraged to attend the online General Membership Meeting on Saturday, February 27th at 2 pm. A full agenda and links to the meeting will be emailed to members on Tuesday February 23rd. Participants will be given the opportunity to vote for members of the Steering Committee, the leadership body of the RPA. 

If you are not currently a member, join or renew your membership with the RPA today to receive an invitation.