At this year’s national convening, the Local Progress communications team gathered more than 15 members from across our network to hear directly from them about how the second Trump administration is impacting their work, lives, and communities. In over a dozen wide-ranging conversations, Local Progress uncovered unique stories and insightful narratives on how local leaders are faring and fighting back against this harmful administration.
While our staff regularly communicates with our members to hear and share their stories, this was our first attempt at capturing these narratives on camera. From school board members to city auditors, we recruited a diverse array of members from a wide range of localities to capture the true breadth of experiences within the Local Progress network.
Today, we’re proud to share the first product of this effort in our #LocalStory series, highlighting our members and their narratives.
Across nearly 15 different geographies, the stories from our members tell the same tale with slight variations based on where they’re from. From tariff issues in North Carolina to the impact of ICE raids in Sacramento, the actions of the federal government may differ, but the impacts are strikingly similar. For the first time in our network’s history, local elected officials feel the weight of the federal government pressing down on their shoulders. The communities our members represent feel the strain on their local economies, neighborhoods, and work, all directed by a hostile federal government.
From hours of footage, we’ve begun to piece together nearly half a dozen videos, stringing together the cohesive narratives shared across our more than 1500 members. Our first video provides a broad introduction to how our members and local elected officials are feeling under the second Trump administration. Through the following videos in our series, our goal is to delve deeper into specific issues members are facing, understand their motivations for running for office, and hear how being part of the Local Progress network helps them in their important work.
This year, three Local Progress members were arrested by federal authorities. This is on top of the billions in cancelled federal funding, increased immigration raids, and the overall climate of fear and intimidation felt by local elected officials. More than any other time in our nation’s history, the front line of our nation’s democracy is under attack. Where local governments should be focused on affordability concerns, a hostile federal government is forcing them to make impossible budgeting decisions while protecting the most vulnerable in their communities from deportation. This video is a window into the narratives our members are creating every day on the ground in the communities they represent.
While the Trump administration would like to silence the voices of our members, Local Progress is proudly amplifying their narratives. Through this video series, Local Progress will bring the voices of school board members, county legislators, and city council members to the forefront of the national conversation on politics in the United States. Please share this with your networks and stay tuned for more!
You can share and watch our video on social media using the links below.