Sheila Leslie

Be the Alliance that you wish to see

“You’re loud, proud and progressive!” With those words Congressman Steven Horsford pumped up the Las Vegas crowd at the 20th Anniversary Gala celebrating the Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada (PLAN). Last month’s event was sold by out and attracted a diverse group Sheila Leslie unlike the audience at any other fundraiser in Nevada. Almost half were Latino, black or Asian, and it seemed at least that many were under 30. As Congresswoman Dina Titus proclaimed: “This is Nevada. This is America.” Nevada has evolved in many ways over the past 20 years. While the tea party still has influence and the cowboy freeloader continues to embarrass us on a national stage, the overall trend politically has been towards progress. Consider the Republican Party’s removal of anti-choice and anti-gay planks from the platform at their recent convention. I hardly recognize the Nevada I migrated to in 1977. It’s a given that the population explosion changed everything. Urban Las Vegans are now flexing their political muscle, demanding that resources be shared more equitably through population-based formulas that recognize their greater needs. They rightly question why their tax dollars subsidize rural jobs in the mining industry.

But population growth alone doesn’t account for the leftward political trend that has brought more attention to social, racial, environmental and economic justice issues. Those victories can be linked directly to the work of PLAN, a non-profit coalition organized around a kitchen table in Washoe Valley, at the home of legendary activist and philanthropist, Maya Miller.

Bob Fulkerson and Jan Gilbert, the co-founders of PLAN, persevered in the early years, bringing together diverse groups and organizations to show them where their interests overlapped and convince them more could be accomplished by working together than struggling alone. Labor unions, gay and lesbian groups, human services agencies, Native American Tribes and others were wary at first but learned to work through their conflicts and stand together when it mattered.

At the 20th Planiversary Gala, the nation’s most powerful politician, U.S. Sen. Harry Reid, sat quietly on stage until it was his turn to talk. He spoke at length, name-checking young activists like Dreamer Astrid Silva, just back from Washington, D.C., where she received the American Immigration Council’s Immigrant Youth Achievement Award.

Progressive politicians, Clark County Commissioner Chris Giunchiliani and Sen. David Parks, were celebrated for their groundbreaking work with PLAN on the minimum wage and ex-felon voting rights, repealing sodomy laws and creating domestic partnerships, and hopefully soon, achieving marriage equality.

But it was the young people who inspired hope that progressive victories will continue. They organized and energized the event, while seamlessly posting on social media. When Reid’s “domestic terrorists” comments incited the Twitter trolls on the PLAN feed, they complained good naturedly, but with a seasoned activist’s understanding that there’s always some things you can’t control.

No one wanted to leave at the conclusion of the speeches, despite the lack of alcohol and live music, or the promise of more fun to be had elsewhere. A week later, PLAN was still receiving emails of congratulations from those unable to attend. One former staffer, now in his late-20s, wrote about his experience working at PLAN: “I was just a kid searching to find his way. I found my voice in the opportunities that you provided me. I don’t know if you remember but the first time we met was at the tent city. I testified and found my voice and ability to make change. … I was supposed to just be another statistic but you helped me on my journey to become the man I am today.”

Perhaps PLAN’s most important legacy is this young man and others, full of confidence that their involvement and dedication to an issue can indeed change the world, or at least change Nevada. Ω

For the next 20 years, check out www.planevada.org.

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