Ready, Set, Action: Rally for Reproductive Freedom March 16

The Colorado Legislature is halfway through its session, so action inside the State Capitol will heat up this week. But the action will heat up outside, too, with rallies and protests. Keep reading for twelve ways to get active at political and educational events this week.

Thursday, March 16, and Friday, March 17, 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Stakeouts to Save Our Health Care
1125 17th Street
Members of MoveOn.Org and allied activists will stage two twelve-hour "Stakeouts to Save Our Health Care" outside Senator Cory Gardner's downtown Denver office. Similar actions will be held outside political offices around the country; for a complete list, go to moveon.org/stakeouts.

Thursday, March 16, 10 a.m. to noon
Reproductive Health, Reproductive Rights and Reproductive Justice Coalition Lobby Day
Colorado State Capitol
Join Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains, NARAL Pro-Choice Colorado, Colorado Organization for Latina Opportunity and Reproductive Rights, Boulder Valley Women's Health, Colorado Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice, the Freedom Fund, AAUW and the ACLU of Colorado as they join forces at the Colorado State Capitol to fight for abortion and birth-control access. RSVP here.

Thursday, March 16, 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Senator Michael Bennet Town Hall
Tesla Education Center, 2560 International CIR, Colorado Springs
Senator Michael Bennet is holding a town hall in Colorado Springs to listen to Coloradan's questions and concerns; space is limited. After his Colorado Springs town hall, he'll host one in Pueblo; on Friday, he'll be in Grand Junciton. Go to Bennet's Facebook page for updates.

Thursday, March 16, noon
Freedom Defense Act
Colorado State Capitol
The Ralph Carr Freedom Defense Act goes before the Judiciary committee at 1:30 p.m.; representatives Joe Salazar and Daneya Esgar, who are sponsoring the bill, will be at a rally to support the proposal at noon. For more information, go to the Facebook event page or e-mail [email protected].

Thursday, March 16, 4 to 10 p.m.
Cerebral Brewing: Planned Parenthood Fundraiser
1477 Monroe Street
Between 4 and 10 p.m., $1 of every beer purchased at Cerebral Brewing will be donated to Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains. In addition to beer for a cause, Cerebral will have raffles, prizes and cake to honor the occasion.

Keep reading for more events this week.
Friday, March 17, to Sunday, March 19
Women of All Nations Retreat
Snow Mountain Ranch, Granby
"This is a women's movement that began in Standing Rock, and the women in our community will continue this powerful movement to reclaim our voices and to take back what has been stolen for hundreds of years," organizers say. "All peoples, all nations, all women have suffered from memories of our ancestors and own traumas. By coming together, we will learn each woman's story. We will learn that compassion that each individual needs, and we will learn to grow these strong bonds that have become so fractured with the genocide and the continual colonization." Find out more here.

Saturday, March 18, to Sunday, March 19
Denver Transformative Justice Collective Spring Training
"Denver Transformative Justice Collective is a queer collective supporting community-centered solutions to violence within our queer/trans* communities, families and organizations," according to the group. "We are a resource for people experiencing violence in relationships and community spaces who seek support in identifying and pursuing empowering solutions that do not rely on police." On March 18 and 19, the organization will be offering free training series for trans*, Two Spirit, queer, LGB, and same-gender-loving people of color. For more details, including location, go to the Facebook event page.

Saturday, March 18, to Sunday, March 19
Turning Point USA Regional Conference
Grand Hyatt Denver, 1750 Welton Street
Turning Point USA, a nonprofit dedicated to engaging students on political issues, is hosting its first Mountain West regional conference for activists between the ages of 16 and 24. Find out more here.

Saturday, March 18, 9:30 to 11:30 a.m.
Colorado People's Alliance Community Meeting
Join COPA members and allies for their March community meeting. "We will do some exciting planning for collaborative and interactive actions as we finish out the 100 days of Action, organizers say, "and will learn together during our Direct Action Training, during the community meeting." Find out more, including location, on the COPA Facebook event page.

Saturday, March 18, noon to 3 p.m.
Demand Russia-Trump Ties Investigation
Civic Center Park
Queen Phoenix has organized another action, this one to demand that Congress open a full, non-partisan, independent investigation into President Donald Trump's connections to Russia. Find out more on the Facebook event page.

Sunday, March 19, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Latino/a Advocacy Day
North High School
The eleventh annual Latino/a Advocacy Day provides advocacy trainings and briefings on policy issues that most impact Latinos in Colorado; the programs continue on March 20. Find out more on the Facebook event page.

Monday, March 20, 6:30 p.m.
Town Hall with the Colorado Democratic Latino Caucus
Denver Pipefitters Local 208, 6350 Broadway
Nine members of the Colorado Democratic Latino Caucus — Senate Democratic Leader Lucia Guzman, Assistant Minority Leader Leroy Garcia, Senator Irene Aguilar, Senator Dominick Moreno, Speaker of the House Crisanta Duran, Representative Adrienne Benavidez, Representative Donald Valdez, Representative Joe Salazar and Representative Dan Pabon — will meet at a town hall to discuss Trump's executive actions on immigration. This is part of the Colorado Democratic Latino Caucus Outreach program; the event is open to the public. to visit with constituents and listen to their concerns.

Know of an event that belongs in this calendar? Send information to [email protected].