Events - Month View

Join us for a powerful conversation with Jax Gonzalez of One Colorado on how we can shift the public narrative toward true equality for trans communities.

LWVPPR Administrative Team meets to discuss LWVPPR business on the first Thursday of each month; except for December 2025 and January 2026 when the Admin Team will meet on the second Thursday.

All members and team chairs are welcome to attend. The team meets via Zoom. For more information, email LWVPPR@gmail.com.

LWVPPR is working on creating a Youth Council. Join us for our monthly planning meeting if you are interested in hearing about advocacy priorities, ways you can get involved and meet other passionate young people.

If you are interested in being on the LWVPPR Youth Council, please email lwvppr@gmail.com with your name, age (ages 15-24), school (if applicable and your areas of interest.

Join us as presenter Grace Lynch, NEA Organizing Fellow, Colorado Education Association, gives us a statewide perspective of the Colorado Public School Education by a local educator.

Topics include:
- Privatization Efforts
- Statewide Funding
- Teacher Union‘s Perspective

Grace Lynch earned her Master of Education from Regis University. She began her career in Westminster Public Schools, where she student-taught and then spent three years teaching middle-school English Language Arts. After moving to Grand Junction, she taught middle-school English as a Second Language for another three years. This year, she was selected as an NEA Organizing Fellow, a national program that releases educators from the classroom for a year to train as union organizers.

The Voter Service Team encourages informed voting and provides unbiased educational and informational services to voters, e.g. ballot-issues pamphlets, forums, etc.

Questions? Email us at VoterService@LWVPPR.org.

Join the monthly Voter Service Team meeting and volunteer for upcoming voter registration events (high schools & naturalization ceremonies), community events (PRIDE, Juneteenth, etc.), educate voters when upcoming elections are happening (municipal elections, off-cycle elections for school, etc.).

League meetings are open to the public. Please join us if you are interested in being a more active and engaged citizen.

Join us for a dynamic conversation exploring how power is shaped, checked, and challenged in a healthy democracy. This panel brings together leaders from law, government oversight, and the arts to examine how institutions and individuals hold authority to account.

• Justice Richard Gabriel, Colorado Supreme Court
Justice Gabriel offers a front-row view of how judicial decisions uphold constitutional principles, protect individual rights, and serve as a critical check within our system of separated powers.

• Donald K. Sherman, Executive Director & Chief Counsel, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW)
A national expert on government ethics, corruption, and accountability, Sherman brings deep insight into how watchdog organizations confront abuses of power and defend democratic norms at the federal level.

• Ravi Zupa, Artist & Cultural Commentator
Through provocative, cross-disciplinary work, Zupa explores themes of authority, resistance, and civic responsibility. His artistic perspective adds a crucial dimension to how culture can reveal — and rebalance — power.

Together, they will examine how legal, civic, and creative forces shape our shared understanding of power in a democracy — and what it means to safeguard it.

Join our News Access and Literacy (NAL) Task Force for a Panel Discussion on the Future of Local Journalism and Democracy.

We will examine the future of local journalism and its essential role in a healthy democracy.

Our Education, J.E.D.I., and Religious Freedom Task Forces have joined forces to present a program exploring inclusivity in the UPK Program, the resulting conflict between religious rights and anti-discrimination laws, and how courts are resolving the conflict.

OUR PANELISTS WILL BE:

• Deborah Whitehead, Chair of the Department of Religious Studies and Associate Director of the Center for Media, Religion and Culture at the University of Colorado Boulder.

• Scott Skinner-Thompson, J.D., LL.M., Dean’s Scholar – Affiliate Faculty, LGBTQ Studies Program, University of Colorado Law School.

• Dr. Jean D. Kirshner, Assistant Professor and EDEC Program Coordinator, School of Teacher Education, College of Education and Behavior Sciences at the University of Northern Colorado.

As part of the continuing series from the Climate Emergency and News Access & Literacy Task Forces, Immunology Research Scientist Dr. Kathleen Gilbert will discuss PFAS "forever chemicals" in Colorado and why they may truly be living up to their name.

This session examines the pressures, vulnerabilities, and shifting conditions that put democratic systems at risk. Join us for a timely conversation on political violence, public trust, governance challenges, and the institutional safeguards that help uphold a functioning democracy.

• Shannon Hiller, Executive Director, Bridging Divides Initiative at Princeton University
Hiller brings deep expertise on political violence trends, democratic stress indicators, and community-level strategies to mitigate conflict and polarization.

• Bonnie Stabile, Ph.D., Associate Professor & Associate Dean, Schar School of Policy and Government, George Mason University
A respected scholar of public policy, governance, and gender equity, Stabile offers insight into how institutional pressures, weakened guardrails, and declining trust strain democratic norms.

Michelle Mills, CEO of Colorado Rural Health Center will talk about the current state of rural healthcare and hospitals, and how federal cuts to Medicaid, Medicare, and the ACA premium subsidies affect CO‘s healthcare.

Featuring U.S. Congressman Joe Neguse on ending corruption in DC; Sen. Cathy Kipp on AI data centers; Reps. Garcia and Mabrey on ending Citizens United in Colorado, and more!

LWVPPR members will meet to review and discuss national and local positions. A social will follow! Guests welcome. Please RSVP so we can contact you in the event of weather cancellations.

Be prepared for the meeting - Review the Positions for Action review process and League‘s local and national positions at http://lwvppr.org/positionsforaction; be prepared to discuss whether changes are needed.

Finger food snacks and dessert contributions are welcome for the social.

Team members will plan for LWVPPR communication needs for the next month, including website, social media, media and newsletter.

Help plan advocacy efforts and events for LWVPPR!

What Pagosa Students Know About Democracy

Join Linda Corchado, Vice President of State and Local Advocacy, for an in-depth discussion on the realities faced by migrant children at the U.S.-Mexico border and across the country. Learn how policies impact their lives and explore actionable ways communities can support and advocate for these vulnerable children

This session looks at where civic power truly resides: in institutions, communities, and the stories that shape our public understanding. Hear from leaders in independent media, local journalism, and transparency advocacy as they unpack how information, narrative, and access drive democratic participation.

• Stacy Feldman, Founder & Editor-in-Chief, Boulder Reporting Lab
Feldman brings a deep commitment to accountability journalism and local news ecosystems, highlighting how trusted reporting influences public understanding and community decision-making.

• Chris Fresquez, Publisher, The Weekly Issue El Semanario
Representing independent community media, Fresquez speaks to the power of culturally grounded journalism, the community he serves, and the importance of “speaking your language” in shaping civic identity.

• Jeff Roberts, Executive Director, Colorado Freedom of Information Coalition
Roberts offers a transparency and open-government perspective, examining how public access to information reinforces institutional accountability and strengthens civic power.