our advisory group

IT’S TIME TO REIMAGINE OUR FUTURE

2020 was the most challenging year we’ve faced in recent memory—with a pandemic that has taken more than 400,000 of our loved ones, a subsequent economic crisis that has exacerbated every one of our existing inequities, uprisings that triggered a groundswell of public and political will to stop the continual assault on Black lives, and an exhausting election season that forced us to confront and grapple with who we are as a country.

As we begin the new year under a new federal administration, we recognize that, though our problems are not new, our answers to these problems must be.

Moving forward, we cannot and will not build a more just and equitable society by doing more of the same. This moment demands a movement that thinks bigger and acts bolder than ever before. We must pull ourselves from the grips of austerity and inertia and reject every attempt to maintain the status quo. Now is the time to be aspirational and courageous; now is the time to govern and lead with the audacity to do more than we ever thought possible. 

Our communities—Black, Indigenous, people of color, queer, transgender, non-binary, people with disabilities—are forced to survive on the bare minimum. We must take what’s been described for far too long as the ceiling and turn it into the floor. Our communities deserve everything they need to thrive.

Dare to Reimagine: A Vision for Transformative Change is a framework for building a better future from the ground up—created collectively by over 300 local elected officials across the Local Progress network, movement allies, and community partners. Recognizing that our counties, cities and schoolboards are sparking the progressive evolution, this framework outlines the transformative change we aspire to and showcases the work of Local Progress members to move us toward this north star. 

Let’s reimagine our public budgets.

Let’s reimagine what thriving communities look like.

Let’s reimagine how we design and develop our neighborhoods.

Let’s reimagine our economy.

Let’s reimagine our democracy. 

As local leaders who represent the undeniable power of the people, this agenda is our commitment to do exactly that. This moment is your invitation to join us.

In solidarity,

The Reimagine Advisory Group

ABOUT THE REIMAGINE ADVISORY GROUP

This work was anchored by the Reimagine advisory group -- 15 Local Progress member leaders who co-chaired five working groups, one for each of the framework's pillars. The advisory group is representative of the diversity of the LP network and each co-chair is a local elected official with demonstrated commitment to equity, access, and justice. Their expertise and guidance were crucial in grounding and shaping the Reimagine framework.