DAVE SPECTER (vocals, guitar), SHERYL YOUNGBLOOD (vocals, drums) to perform along with Rodrigo Montovani on bass, and Roosevelt Purifoy on keys and the legendary harmonica ace, Corky Siegel! Dave Specter will be singing his powerful anti-Trump anthem, “HOW LOW CAN ONE MAN GO?!!!!!!!!”

Rally2Win

Meeting

Time

Monday, September 16

6 – 8:30pm CDT

Location

The Vic Theatre

3145 N Sheffield Ave, Chicago, IL 60657

About this event

Indivisible Chicago Alliance, Operation Swing State, Swing Left, and QForce invite you to join us to Rally2Win and officially launch our final push to election day.

Come at 6:00pm to mix and mingle with fellow volunteers and check out the volunteer opportunities over drinks (cash bar). Our show starts at 7:00pm. When it’s over you’ll have more opportunities to sign up for your chosen activities.

It’ll be a fun evening with a serious purpose. We’ll be hearing from speakers including Lavora Barnes, chair of the Michigan Dems, and Lt. Governor Juliana Stratton. And we’ll re-energize for the work ahead with blues musicians Dave Specter, Sheryl Youngblood, and Corky Siegel, and have fun with some of Chicago’s finest improv performers.

It’s a race to the finish line November 5. We’ll have information tables with plenty of ways to sign up for the campaign activities that will make the best use of your time and talent. With partners Indivisible Chicago, Operation Swing State, Swing Left, and Q-Force, we’ll show you when, where, and how to spend your time in these final weeks. Volunteer-hesitant? No worries: we provide training and support every step of the way.

Come and bring those friends you’ve been encouraging to volunteer–it’s free, but make sure they RSVP too, please. Let’s pack the room, then get to work.

About Us

Launched in January 2017, Indivisible Chicago is a progressive coalition of neighborhood chapters throughout the Chicago area, representing nearly 40,000 members. One presidential term later, Indivisible Chicago is recognized as a national leader in the grassroots movement to advance progressive values, candidates, and elected officials.

Indivisible Chicago’s proven track record includes helping rebuild the Midwest Blue Wall in 2020 as the largest independent, out-of-state phone bank operation for both Michigan and Wisconsin. In Illinois, we worked in support of Congressional incumbents, Marie Newman (IL03) and the Fair Tax Initiative. In 2018, Indivisible Chicago field operations helped elect Illinois Representatives Sean Casten (IL06) and Lauren Underwood (IL14), knocking on 20,000 doors in that campaign’s last weekend alone.

Indivisible Chicago also serves as a reliable partner for impacted communities seeking to elevate their cause. This includes support for the Black Lives Matter movement and coordinating logistics for the 2018 Families Belong Together rally, which drew 60,000 to Daley Plaza in support of immigrants seeking refuge at our southern border.

Please join us!

Our Mission

Indivisible Chicago, inspired by the Indivisible Guide, engages with public servants to create a just society by promoting progressive values and grassroots engagement.

Our Values and Guiding Principles

• Resist regressive policies and promote progressive politics
• Define and achieve long-term goals and strategies in support of Indivisible Chicago’s mission
• Engage in evidence-based research and education
• Support the development of experts on specific strategies and goals in order to maximize our success
• Partner and support other groups who have goals that are aligned with ours
• Provide rapid response to time sensitive issues
• Serve as respectful leaders and be responsive to our individual membership groups
• Seek out and include diverse voices in our strategies and goals
• Look at issues and strategies through a racially and economically just and equitable lens
• Hold public servants accountable when we interact with them
• Look for ways to amplify marginalized voices
• Act locally, regionally, and nationally
• Employ democratic principles in everything we do

Our Progressive Principles

Indivisible Chicago’s Progressive Principles

Indivisible Chicago seeks to create a just society and sustainable city. We’ll do this by promoting progressive values and grassroots engagement and by advancing the priorities of all communities across our city. We invite voters to use this list as a standard for evaluating the platforms of all candidates for public office, both citywide and at the ward level.

1. Chicago must be a welcoming city for everyone who lives here. No one should be forced to leave our city in search of safety, economic opportunity, affordable housing, or good schools
2. The city must invest in all neighborhoods and residents by providing and supporting quality neighborhood public schools, public health services (including mental health), accessible public transportation, and economic opportunity.
3. City government at all levels must act with transparency, honesty, accountability, and openness; placing a priority on upfront and ongoing dialogue with community residents.

Applying these principles, these are the issues that we believe all candidates for office in the City of Chicago should support to build a progressive and just Chicago for everyone who lives here.

Be a welcoming city

• Adopt a comprehensive plan to reduce violence focused on communities where violence is greatest with input from residents of those communities. Innovative and comprehensive solutions must include economic and social investment, sensible gun control measures, civilian oversight of police, and police accountability to all communities.
• Support immigrants and valued residents by strengthening Chicago’s Welcoming City Ordinance and eliminating exceptions that allow police to work with ICE to deport city residents. This includes eliminating the CPD gang database and prioritizing fair and equitable policies and services that protect everyone who makes Chicago their home.
• Increase the minimum wage to $15 and improve enforcement of policies that boost wages and improve working conditions.

Invest in all neighborhoods

• Make inclusion Chicago’s guiding investment strategy through creative and equitable programs, projects, and services. Use Community Benefit Agreements and other tools as part of a commitment to early and continued input and participation by residents of impacted communities.
• Guarantee access to high-quality public education for every student. Invest in all our public schools and develop a comprehensive strategic plan for all levels of education, including City Colleges. With transparency and public input, create an elected school board. Move towards ending the privatization of public education through charters by increasingly limiting their access to public funds.
• Expand affordable and accessible housing throughout the city. Prioritize housing projects and policies that foster economic, racial, and ethnic integration. Commit to expanded choice, managed growth, and safeguards to ensure residents are not displaced.
• Make Chicago a climate change leader by adopting innovative energy, transportation, sustainability, and recycling practices. Ensure every resident has access to safe water and a healthy environment.
• Reform the City’s revenue structure with the goal of reducing reliance on regressive tax structures and policies.

Act with transparency

• Establish and enforce policies to improve transparency, honesty, and accountability in all aspects of city government and from all public officials. Stop elected officials from profiting from public service and promote an open dialogue around term limits and other reforms. Make it a priority to seek input before plans, policies, and budgets are developed and increase opportunities for ongoing public input and participation in all phases of government.
• Reform the TIF program to return it to its purpose of supporting economic development in communities where it is needed most. Ensure transparency, equity and accountability in how funds are managed.

Dave Specter – Blues From The Inside Out
Delmark DE 859 (2019)

Blues From The Inside Out is the most expressive project of Dave Specter’s 35-year career. Featuring his debut as a vocalist, the album is an exciting and timely celebration of blues, soul, jazz, funk and gospel. These are fine times to hear Specter, an evolving artist who embraces growth and discovery.

I was always content focusing on guitar as my instrument and voice as a musician,” Specter explained. “I’ve worked my entire career on the art of backing up singers and writing/playing instrumentals and never felt a desire to sing until fairly recently. People have always said nice things about my voice when I’m emceeing a show or doing my (“Blues From The Inside Out”) podcast. I’m getting inspired to write more songs that I sing, as I’m honestly more comfortable singing my own words than somebody else’s. I’m looking forward to seeing where this road takes me.
–Dave Specter

Blues From The Inside Out includes a guest appearance on guitar by Jorma Kaukonen of Jefferson Airplane/Hot Tuna fame, who also co-wrote one of the album’s 12 original tunes. Specter wrote the uplifting soul anthem for change “March Through the Darkness,” he takes a deep dive into Meters-Neville Brothers inspired rhythms with the instrumental “Sanctifunkious” and sings on the blues shuffle title track. Besides Kaukonen, Specter recruited the Chicago-based Liquid Soul horns and Latin-percussion ace Ruben Alvarez, each playing on three tracks.