Unifying Progressives For 2024. Steve Williamson and Karen McClelland welcome Aubrey Sonderegger of PORT (Progressive Organizers Round Table), a group created to unify progressive organizations in northern Arizona. Sonderegger is a mother who says she got involved in politics after Trump got elected and wondered how she could ever look her 3-year-old daughter in the eye again if she didn’t do something to protect our democracy.
In addition to her leadership role in PORT, Sonderegger is building a council to promote ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) for the investment of taxpayer money. As you may know, ESG is under attack by the political right as part of its “War on Woke.” Indeed, Sonderegger notes that, at CPAC, ESG was the number one agenda item. Never mind that most experienced investment managers believe that considering the future impact of environmental, societal, and governmental issues only makes sense as a way of protecting investments. And more than 80 percent of companies voluntarily report on ESG.
All of these companies would be excluded from Arizona.
Yet, in a display of stunning Republican hypocrisy, the Republican-led Arizona legislature wants to prohibit state contracts with any group that talks about abortion or that boycotts Israel.
Asked what the most important issues are for 2024, Sonderegger says, “The things I think are probably the most important that cover everybody’s interests are going to be making sure that we stay on top of voters’ rights and making sure that people are aware of the ESG issues that affect so many of the things we’re working on. Outside of that, of course, education…the voucher issue is going to blow up in a big way here in the next few months. And the energy around the abortion restrictions is going to stay. That’s a long-term energy,” she adds.
To learn more about PORT, you can contact Sonderegger through her email: aubrey.sonderegger@gmail.com.