Welcome to the first 2025 edition of the LPNC State Download! I’m Chad Radock, Local Progress’ Associate Organizing Director and LPNC Chapter Manager. I will be working with the North Carolina Organizing Committee to plan a great year of programming for our state chapter. We just held the NC Progressive Governance Academy in Greensboro on February 7 & 8, , where we learned how to manage our time in office to govern effectively with 6 LP members in attendance. This is just the beginning of our work in NC this year. I will keep you posted on what we have coming up in the next few months!
As always, please feel free to reach out to me with any questions on how I can support your time in office!
Do you know what your leadership style is? A group of 13 local elected officials and state legislators met in Greensboro the weekend of February 7-8 to explore how to govern, set agendas, power map, find your people, and self care. “The work we do to represent our neighbors in our offices can be isolating, but you are never alone in the work to advance racial & economic justice!” said LPNC Co-Chairs, Mario Benavente, Fayetteville Councilmember, and Kim Roney, Asheville Councilmember.
Local Progress members from Alamance County, East Spencer, Guilford County School Board, and the city council and school board of Durham joined members of the NC legislature to be trained on agenda setting, power mapping, self care, and governing styles. Helping to recruit members to the PGA, partner organizations Down Home NC, Lead NC, Pro-Choice NC, NC League of Conservation Voters, NC Association of Educators, NC Black Alliance, and Lillian’s List, helped to plan the event alongside our sister organization, the State Innovation Exchange (SiX).Â
Local Progress North Carolina members and NC members of the State Innovation Exchange met at the former Woolworth Building, where on February 1, 1960, local college and high school students began the sit-ins at the lunch counters in the city, propelling the fight for civil rights in the south. The building is now the International Civil Rights Center and Museum, making history come alive for the tens of thousands of visitors each year.
Shawn Rush has been a member of Local Progress for the past three years. He serves as an Alderman in the Town of East Spencer located in Rowan County, Northeast of Charlotte. He recently attended our 2025 Progressive Governance Academy in Greensboro on February 7 & 8, where he shared about his love for theater and how it impacted his life. He still even remembers his opening line from senior year!!Â
Shawn, a deacon, also serves as the second vice chair of the Rowan County Democrats, and has recently become a board member for the Rowan County Meals on Wheels program, having many years of experience volunteering and leading his congregation’s volunteers. He sees community as an important part of his life, and finds joy in helping others. In his official town capacity, he has been appointed commissioner of the East Spencer Housing Authority.Â
❤️ Fund our Communities. Protect our Neighbors.
Congress is soon expected to consider H.R. 32 – the “No Bailout for Sanctuary Cities” Act – a bill that would force localities and states to choose between facilitating mass deportations or losing otherwise unrelated health, education, transportation, and other local funding. This bill is a blatant attempt to scapegoat immigrant communities and punish localities that stand up for them. We need local electeds to take bold action—this means speaking out, rallying your communities, and holding your members of Congress accountable. Check out our Fund Our Communities Digital Toolkit and accompanying talking points.
Please also add your name to our sign-on letter for state and local officials to demand Congress reject this harmful and divisive bill.
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💪🏾 Public School Strong Training Series
Our partners at HEAL Together have kicked off Solidarity 2025 – an eight-week training series designed to equip activist parents, educators, school board members, students, and allies to unite against the attacks on public education outlined in Project 2025. The training series is part of the Public School Strong campaign and is designed to empower participants to advocate for students, schools, and communities at local school boards and beyond. Participants will gain critical insights into federal policy proposals, actionable strategies for mobilizing around shared values, and tools like model policies, school board resolutions, and organizing lessons. Register here.
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đź“Ł Communications Resources for YOU
Need a quick brush up on interviewing best practices before an interview? Want to engage with your community on social media, but not sure what platform is best for you? Check out LP’s new Communications Tools & Guides!Â
From the full-time city council member to the part-time school board member, every local elected official uses communication tools. But not all members and staff have the same resources and knowledge at their disposal to take advantage of news cycles, viral moments, or respond to bad faith attacks. The above resources are now live, so you can build confidence and skill using communications tools at your own pace!
Have additional questions or need 1:1 comms support? Reach out to helpdesk@localprogress.org to get in touch with the comms team!
🏡 Your New Caucus Home
Introducing our one stop shop for caucus events! Trying to remember when that next Women’s Caucus meeting is? Looking for the link to complete your Pride Caucus Survey? Look no further! This link will continuously be updated with all upcoming Caucus events and asks so that you can constantly refer to it and make sure you’re up to date on when your next caucus meetings are.
On the calendar for March
- 📆 Pride Caucus Listening Session – Tuesday, March 4 at 12pm ET/9am PT
- 📆 Black Caucus general membership meeting: Wednesday, March 12 at 7pm ET/4pm PT
- 📆 Nuestro Caucus general membership meeting: Monday, March 24 at 5pm ET/2pm PT
- 📆 Women’s Caucus general membership meeting: Thursday, March 27 at 5pm ET/2pm PT
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⚡️ National Convening Registration OPEN for Members & Alumni!
Join us in Chicago on July 10-12! We’re bringing together Local Progress members, partners, and movement allies from across the country for a weekend of strategy building, peer learning, and leadership development – complete with dozens of workshops, sharing sessions, community spaces, and site visits! As local elected leaders in this moment, we must continue organizing in our communities and across the country. And in the face of hostile state and federal actors that have shown us they will only govern for the wealthy few, it is our moral responsibility and democratic duty to govern for everyone. That’s why we are proud to share the theme for this year’s convening: Organize Together. Govern for All. Members, check your email for your invite and register by March 3 for an Early Bird Discount!
We are organizing a partners pipeline briefing to connect the existing movement pipeline to support the transition from candidate to elected as they step in these new roles to lead and govern. During this briefing, partners will:
- Learn about LP and the Impact Lab’s network and our strategic framework.
- Learn about the impact of LP and the Impact Lab’s work.Â
- Gain an understanding of how they can support the movement pipeline from candidate to governance.
