Name: Sarala Morusupalli
Gender: Female
Candidate: Chair
Member Since: 2012
Residence: India
Biography:
I am the proud daughter of Indian-American immigrants, an advocate for human-rights, and a lifelong democrat. Originally from Montevideo Minnesota, where my family operates a small business. I moved to India in 2009, where I founded EmpowerLife, an organization that works on promoting gender-equality and educational-access across India and the U.S.
In 2016, I was honored to represent Minnesota and EmpowerLife at the White House USOW Summit hosted by President Barrack Obama in D.C as a nominated-changemaker.
Experience;
1)Research Assistant with Minnesota-Democratic-Party (DFL).
2)Al-Franken for Senator and the Dayton for Governor Campaigns.
3)Part of the Hillary Clinton presidential campaign.
4)Legal Division of an organization to promote LGBTQ and Disability rights in India and internationally.
5)1-year teaching and creating educational resources for children in rural India.
6)Board of Epilepsy Foundation of America Awareness Group.
7)Research Assistant with THE Advocates for Human Rights (Minneapolis).
8)International Council of Jurists Ambassador.(London)
9) DA-India ExecCom/Counsel.
Links to MYC video.
Links to any Website/Blog/Facebook/YouTube sites.
https://www.facebook.com/Sarala-Morusupalli-for-Democrats-Abroad-Chair-1336391503112886/
Describe your volunteer work with DA and cite your greatest DA accomplishment.
I joined DA in 2012 and presently serve on the DA-IN ExCom as Counsel. Before that I had been a member of the Minnesota-Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party where I worked with Senator Al-Franken/Mark Dayton campaigns, and later the Hillary Clinton Presidential campaign. My greatest achievement is connecting and reaching out to expats, especially youth, and conducting voter awareness workshops to encourage them to participate and vote.
This may seem small, but it is a step that shows how much of potential we all have to make a difference.
From social media awareness to grassroots campaigning, thousands of DA members/volunteers globally have been instrumental in getting our message across and expanding not only our presence internationally, but transcending borders and promoting democratic values and leadership within the U.S.
These are the steps that make DA what it is today, and I am committed towards ensuring that such steps are getting recognized and promoted.
Why are you running for this office?
November-8th-2016.The elections unfolded, and I was speechless. As a first-generation immigrant, I thought of how this would impact not just my family back home in Minnesota, but also people of color, disability, LGBTQ, religious-minorities, and millions of others globally.
I realized that that though we might have to accept the results, we didn’t have to accept defeat.
I’m running because we need to fight back.
We need to have a new inclusive outlook that allows us to progressively strengthen our voice, assess what went right and wrong and fight the hateful rhetoric/xenophobia that has been creeping its way into our political-discourse.
I am running, because I am passionate, hardworking, and determined. I am dedicated to contributing to DA’s growth and success, encourage diversity, have our voice influence policy, promote more involvement and participation from DA members, and ultimately elect more democrats into office.
I am convinced my skills and passion combined with a fresh and unique perspective will help me work with DA members and other leaders to give DA the change in direction and momentum we need.
Overall, I’m running because I have hope for a better future, and believe that we can achieve one by working together.
How will your skill sets and experience contribute to DA’s success?
1) Political/Leadership Experience: Grassroots, legislative issues (paid-sick-leave/health-care, LGBTQ rights/disability-rights.)
2) Organizational Skills: Leading/organizing EmpowerLife to make progress in the domains of gender equality/education in US/India.
3) Teamwork: Working with different people to achieve goals by effective communication/listening. Creating inclusive atmospheres to get results.
4) Communication: Connecting with different perspectives/ideas/experiences and understanding every person can bring value towards achieving goals.
5) Outreach: New and unique ways to achieve awareness. Launched several successful target specific/general campaigns. Focus on millennials, new and diverse ways to connect.
6) Perspective: As the daughter of immigrants, who has been a part of the struggle to achieve the American dream, my perspective of how hatred affects millions of different people is beyond personal.
As someone who has been a part of the political process from the outside as well as the inside, I am in the position to assess issues differently in a way that can connect to all members of DA.
If elected what are the three top issues within DA you will work to affect and how?
1)Voter Outreach:
a)Programs-New programs/campaigns to include more expats living abroad/encourage voting, especially in countries where the presence of American expats is dense.
-Personalizing/targeting programs to appeal to diversity, utilizing modern methods of social media and technology, motivating more people to be a part of the movement.
b)Youth/Minority Groups-Youth can make a huge difference, in the U.S and abroad. Involve youth and create more inclusive/diverse and youth and student target programs/incentives for millennials to get involved.
c)Connections-Creating new/meaningful ways to connect with groups and issues to not only help understand new perspectives, but share information/ideas.
-Ensure DA members are included in the political process in more ways than just voting.
2)Communication/Team Work:
-Improve within DA by ensuring leaders can communicate effectively with each other and other DA members. The goal is to create an atmosphere of teamwork and inclusiveness
-Further effective communication will help DA resist and speak out against detrimental policies/legislative decisions that affect us, and have our voice heard on a strengthened platform.
3)Accessibility/Transparency:
-Ensuring decisions/leadership processes are transparent/inclusive to DA members,
-Simplifying DA voting process and registration, website platforms, etc. for larger accessibility.
-Ensuring DA members have avenues to reach out and connect with leaders, and share concerns.
What three planks/issues are you most passionate about to include in the DA 2020 Platform and why?
1) Gender and Racial Equality:
Beyond my personal experiences both being affected by inequality and collectivizing with others in fighting to reduce it, these are issues that affect every single one of us, in the U.S and abroad. Every single one of us has a story, and in times like these, our stories are more important than ever.
-This issue represents larger goals of resistance to injustices on a global level, and is something I believe needs to be addressed.
2) Voter Representation:
-Ensuring there is fair and equal representation, including an electoral process that represents the desires of the voters.
-A system that takes into consideration the concerns of all Americans. One that has scope for more unity and inclusivity, so DA and other democrats across the world can come together and fight back in 2020.
3) Global/Regional Cooperation/Foreign Policy:
-With the present administration threatening to pull out/defund regional groups such as the UN, shift foreign policy without transparency/accountability and choosing to ignore sustainable development goals and other global issues such as climate-change/humanitarian-rights, this especially affects Americans living abroad.
Most importantly, we must fight for our issues together to ensure the present administration isn’t elected into a 2nd term.
What can Democrats Abroad do to increase its profile among voters globally and better work to elect Democrats?
In addition to the ideas highlighted in the above question, we must:
1)Encourage voter participation through unique programs/inclusive outreach ideas getting people to be a part of the movement as opposed to merely following it.
2)Work with DA members and the rest of the DA executive-board to understand perspectives and promote unity, strengthen our platform and improve organizational transparency and efficiency.
3)Reach out to Democrats in the U.S and continue connecting their platform with us to increase our profile among voters globally and encourage more democrats to be a part of the movement.
4)Use unique publicity/outreach programs on social media.
5)Ensure DA is involved in actively resisting detrimental policies through regular statements, organizations, and demonstrations/campaigns.
6)MOST importantly, we must become united and work together to create a strong, inclusive, and progressive platform that gives us a larger voice from within our organization so we can advocate at different levels.
How can DA work best with the Democratic Party and the Democratic National Committee to represent the issues of Americans living abroad? What can be enhanced or improved in this relationship?
Unity and cohesiveness is incredibly important. As the official extended arm of the Democratic-Party/DNC internationally, it is important that we regularly create a system of support with the DNC by getting involved in issues in proactive ways.
As Democrats living abroad, we have the added advantage of addressing areas and issues that affect us on a global level, and assess the present situation through a unique and rich perspective.
We can use this perspective to achieve goals and outreach that the DNC/Democratic-Party can’t do on its own. We must be involved by being more inclusive, such as issuing statements to resist policies that affect Americans and Americans Abroad, while standing by the DNC in doing so. We are stronger while together.
We must do so by working towards progressing our voter outreach, advocacy platform, and outreach programs, and show the DNC that we are all on the same team.
What will you do to grow DA and ensure greater overall participation by Chapter Members?
In addition to unique and diverse member participation programs, involving young millennials, working closely with the Democratic Party/DNC and state democratic parties, improving DA-member engagement one of the most important things is to:
Create ways for members to not just follow the movement, but to be a part of it.
Every single voice matters, and the only reason DA has the platform it does today is because of the efforts and voices of DA members.
This needs to be recognized. We must create a transparent and inclusive platform for our members that values the opinions of everyone. As DA members, our perspective and concerns are truly unique, and we have the potential to make a phenomenal difference.
With teamwork and unity, we can improve participation, elect more democrats, and resist the present administration. I have hope in our future, and I believe that by working together, we can achieve anything.