Much has happened since our last email to our members - it was March 21st, and Democrats Abroad had just released the official results, confirming Bernie Sanders as the winner of the Global and Belgian Presidential Primary.  The next day's events were a stark reminder of how critical it is that we not take our democratic rights for granted.  On behalf of the entire Executive Committee of Democrats Abroad Belgium, we extend our heartfelt sympathy to all those whose lives were tragically affected by the attacks of March 22nd.

As Americans were both targets and victims of the attack, this is also an opportunity to remind all of our members to register with the U.S. Embassy via the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program, or STEP.  STEP keeps you informed of travel alerts, helps the U.S. Embassy contact you in case of emergency, and makes it easier for family and friends to find you in an emergency.  We encourage you to go to step.state.gov today and enroll.

We are continuing with our activities around the US elections, with the next event taking place on Tuesday, April 19th.  Join us at our Pub Social on Place du Chatelain at the PamPam pub (Rue de l'Aqueduc 111, 1050 Ixelles).  We'll be there, hashing over the NY primary and other political news, from 6pm onwards. Details and updates will be on our Friends of Democrats Abroad Belgium Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/DABelgium/?ref=aymt_homepage_panel) and on our DAB webpage (http://www.democratsabroad.org/be).

We're also happy to announce two other upcoming events:

• An April 21st "friend-raising" event, hosted by Microsoft, with David Simas, Asst. to the President and Dir. of Political Strategy - this discussion on US politics and the presidential election is free and open to all; registration and further details can be found here (https://dimas.onetec.be).
• An evening with Filmmakers Edward and Libby Klekowski on May 26th at 7pm in Brussels - Henry Ford became famous for "democratizing" ownership of an automobile by using an assembly line to drive costs down of the mass produced Model T, and also for paying a living wage to his workers so they could afford to buy a Model T of their own.  Now after decades of stagnation, the minimum wage is back on the electoral agenda.  Come hear DAB's own "Ken Burns family", the parents of Amanda Klekowski von Koppenfels, talk about their most recent documentary project, the Model T and its role in World War 1.  Location and reservation details will be shared next week.

On behalf of the full Executive Committee, we hope to see you in the coming weeks.

Mike Michener, Chair
Pauline Manos, Vice-Chair