DAG-Stuttgart June 2021 Newsletter

Happy June everyone! Hopefully you had a pleasant Pentecost vacation. With more people getting vaccinated in Germany, traveling and meeting with others may soon be normal again!

This month is dedicated to our LGBTQ community. In the words of Harvey Milk, “Hope will never be silent.” There are many organisations dedicated to helping, protecting and defending our brothers and sisters of the LGBTQ community. Here are just a few:

There is a treasure trove of great literature for a young and older audience. Some of the many books worth reading are:

Some of the highlights being held by DAG this month:

For all of you that feel like getting creative, we have a new postcard campaign! Irisita Azary will be sending the newly designed postcards out soon, so get your creativity flowing and your markers ready! All volunteers greatly appreciated!

We also have great merchandise for anyone seeking a unique gift or to show your support for our cause!

Wishing you a fantastic summer,

Sasha Arrington

Stuttgart Chapter Chair

Democrats Abroad Germany 

Happy May! We hope you are all holding up in what seems like the end stages of the pandemic. While we all wait to get vaccinated here in Germany, it feels weird to see all of our friends and family back stateside enjoy more and more freedoms as the US continues to vaccinate more people and many cities begin to open up. On the bright side, cases are going down here in Germany and vaccinations are slowly rising, so we hope to see more restrictions loosened as we head into the summer! 

Last month, Sasha and Wy Ming gave a presentation (in German!) to the Rotary Club Tübingen-Reutlingen-Nord. We had fun discussions about the first 100 day's in office as a benchmark for the next four years to come, how Biden did in his first 100 days, and what we can expect in the Biden Administration. Thank you to all who joined and for your input in the discussions!

May is Asian American/Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month, chosen as it marks the arrival of the first Japanese immigrant to the US in May 1843 as well as the completion of the transcontinental railway in May 1869. It has never been more important to understand the struggles of the AAPI community and learn about the contributions, especially in a time when there has been an uptick in the number of hate crimes all across America. Some good news though - just yesterday, President Biden signed the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act, introduced by Congresswoman Grace Meng of New York and Senator Mazie Hirono of Hawaii, which will expedite the review of hate crimes related to the pandemic and authorize grants to state and local governments to prevent and respond to hate crimes.

In election news, New Jersey and Virigina primaries are coming up, meaning GOTV efforts will be ramping up. On June 1, New Mexico's First Congressional district will hold a special election to replace Deb Haaland, who recently became the new Secretary of the Interior under the Biden Administration. Our DAG chapters are already placing personal calls to members who vote in the district, offering voting assistance if needed. Finally, we also have nine new State Outreach Teams for Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Michigan, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Wisconsin, all of this in addition to Texans Abroad (Global). Are you interested in helping out or starting your own? Then fill out this survey and join the next meeting on Saturday, May 29!

Democrats Abroad Germany is also ramping up its caucus efforts. The newly appointed Caucus Coordinator Kaili Morris is working hard to provide reinvigorate our country-level caucuses and to strengthen leadership teams. If you're interested in getting involved, email Kaili at [email protected]abroad.de or join us at one of our events! (see below)

Finally, DAG is also looking for people interested in joining the Academic and Community Outreach Team! Over the next year, we will be building relationships with German universities, US alumni groups, research institutes, and international schools. We will also be supporting different chapters in their outreach efforts so that we can hit the ground running in 2022! We are therefore looking for volunteers who would have one or two hours a week to help clean up our database and reach out to our contacts. Having existing contacts at German universities as well as speaking German are pluses but not necessary. Email Sarah Lawton at [email protected]mail.com to learn more and get involved. 

** The May Chapter Meeting is also cancelled due to the Pfingsten holidays! See you in June! **

That's it for May! Scroll further to check out some exciting events to come:

• Progressive Caucus: Biden-Harris Progress Report with ProDA Austria -- TONIGHT May 20 at 7pm
• AAPI Caucus: Cooking Filipino Chicken with Chef Vinnie -- Saturday, May 22 at 1pm CEST
• Woman's Caucus: Books Abroad: The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton -- Sunday, May 23 at 2pm CEST
• AAPI Caucus: Movie Night: 3 Idiots -- Thursday, May 27 ay 6pm CEST
• Hispanic Caucus: May Meeting -- Saturday, May 29 at 4pm CEST
• State Outreach Teams: May Meeting -- Saturday, May 29 at 4pm CEST
• Climate Caucus: Launch Event -- Saturday, June 5United Nations' World Environment Day (interested in joining the DAG Climate Caucus? Email [email protected]il.com)
• VFA Sea Shanty: The North and Central Bavaria Chapter is looking for singers to contribute to a video of themselves singing their creative lyrics to the tune of "Wellerman." They are also looking for a conductor to provide musical direction. Please contact [email protected]emocratsabroad.de if you're interested in participating. Greetings,

Wy Ming Lin

Stuttgart Chapter Vice Chair

Click below to receive periodic updates from the GOTV and Voting Rights teams regarding our voting rights work.  We will message you when there are important updates and developments to report.

Stuttgart Chapter April 2021 Newsletter

Happy Earth Week! In the words of Mahatma Gandhi “Earth provides enough to satisfy every man’s needs, but not every man’s greed.”

This month has really whizzed by, greatly due to the 10 day spring break here in Baden-Württemberg. We are currently in partial lockdown again, with only essential stores and schools being open (an odd mix, I should say) and a nine pm curfew in place. While inthe States millions of people have already been vaccinated; here in Germany vaccination is coming along a bit slower, people being put in categories depending on urgency.

In March we had our chapter elections. Please welcome WY Ming Lin as our new Vice Chapter Chair, Brigman Kinard as our new Treasurer and Kristy Lutz will continue to run our chapter phone banking. We say farewell to Dory Estrada, who is moving back to the States. She has been a long-time super-volunteer whom I give a huge thank you to!

All eyes and ears were glued to the Derek Chauvin trial. As Rachel Maddow pointed out, “this is not justice, this is merely accountability.” Instead of picking out the “bad apples”, perhaps we should take a look at the “tree”. Since testimony in his trial began, at least three people a day have been killed by police. We need to look at who is policing us, and give them better training, including much needed, mandatory de-escalation classes. When calling 911, emergency call centers should direct the correct help, depending on the situations of urgency, such asmental health experts, social workers and child services. This would lessen the burden of the police and get the right help for each situation. This could certainly save lives.

Leaders and activists are now calling for the Senate to pass a policing bill, named the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act (authored by Karen Bass of California). It has already passed the House of Representatives and is headed for a debate and vote in the Senate.

Join the DAG GOTV team to help fight voter suppression and spread the message that every vote counts by hosting voter information tables, join our post card team or become a phone banker!

As always, we have great merchandise for sale to show your DAG support and help spread our message! Your donations are always appreciated, too!

Upcoming Events:

May 5 at 7:30 pm

Wishing you sunny days ahead,

Sasha Arrington 

Stuttgart Chapter Chair 

Democrats Abroad Germany 

Throughout history the important roles of women have been downplayed, altered or left out entirely. Until 50 years ago, women could not own property, open a bank account or get a driver’s license in their own name and/or without the permission of their father or husband. Fifty years is not a long time ago, and still women are not seen as equals under law in the US. Other countries have already taken the necessary step of granting men and women as equal under law. After World War II, Germany drew up new laws and made women equal to men. Our direct neighbor, Canada, needed quite a bit longer, but also gave women the same rights as men in 1981. It’s unbelievable that a country heralding personal liberties such as the US has still not ratified this amendment. My grandmother graduated from high school as valedictorian. She was then told to get married, not go to university. Nowadays girls are encouraged to study, yet they have to deal with gender biased hiring practices (we can’t hire you, you’re in child-bearing age), gender biased pay difference (men have to feed their families), glass ceilings, etc. I want my daughter to grow up with the possibility of becoming anything she desires. To be hired and paid based on her talent, effort and diligence. In the name of all our female ancestors who were not deemed equal, and for all our daughters entering the workforce tomorrow, I say it is high time for the ERA!  Sasha, I live in Germany and vote in CA 

Democrats Abroad Germany Stuttgart Chapter

March 2021 Newsletter

Dear Friend,

Spring is in the air! March is National Women’s History month and our history is rich with dedicated, enduring, brilliant women.

There is a lot of interesting literature to delve into this month and these are among some of the many inspiring titles:

1. Pope Joan, by Donna Woolfolk Cross
2. Wollstonecraft, by Sylvana Tomaselli
3. We Are Not Born Submissive, by Manon Garcia
4. Forging The Franchise, by Dawn Langan Teele
5. Women Don’t Ask, by Linda Babcock & Sara Laschever
6. For The Many, by Dorothy Sue Cobble
7. Prayers For The Stolen, by Jennifer Clement
8. The Underground Girls of Kabul, by Jenny Nordberg
9. Headstrong, by Rachel Swaby
10. Becoming, by Michelle Obama
11. On a Farther Shore, by William Souder
12. No Higher Honor, by Condoleezza Rice

This coming Friday, March 12 at 7 pm, we are holding our Stuttgart Chapter Meetingand bi-annual chapter elections. Please join us for an interesting evening!

On March 20, we are holding our DAGAnnual General Meeting to review our 2020 efforts, discuss what lies ahead and elect a 2021-2023 DA Germany Executive Committee. All RSVP’s received by 12:00pm CET of that day are eligible to vote.

Raffle tickets are being sold and great prizes will go to the lucky raffle buyers!

Meet the Candidate Sessions:

• Thursday, March 11 at 7 pm
• Sunday, March 14 at 4 pm

The many DA Caucuses are also holding interesting events:

Asian-American & Pacific Islander Caucus:

• Germany AAPI Caucus Kick-Off—March 17, 7:30pm
• Teatime Networking—March 24, 7pm

Black Caucus:

• Tax Seminar—March 27, 3pm
• Harriet Film Screening—March 30, 7:30pm

Hispanic Caucus:

• March Meeting March 16, 8pm

Progressive Caucus:

• Parasite Film Screening (with AAPI Caucus)—March 27, 12pm

Veteran’s and Military Families Caucus:

• Sexual Assault Awareness Day (with Women’s Caucus)—April 6, 6pm

Women’s Caucus:

• Women’s History Month Speaker Series with Katherine Spillar—March 8, 7pm

Youth Caucus

• Trivia Night—March 13, 7pm
• Preparing for the Virtual Climate Strike-March 16, 6:30pm

Support DA Germany

As an entirely volunteer-run and donation-funded organization, your financial support allows us to do our important work—getting Americans overseas voting. Contributions of any size are greatly appreciated!

Account name: Democrats Abroad Germany

IBAN: DE04 5405 0220 0140 2702 99

BIC: MALADE51KLK

For those of you looking for a great gift or would like to show your support by purchasing some of our DAG merchandise, there are many different items to choose from. All proceeds benefit DA Germany and help us get out the vote!

Don’t forget to go to votefromabroad.orgto request your ballot for this year (especially if you live in NJ or VA, you have state elections this year!), you have to do this every year to be eligible, and down-ballot elections are crucial to our success.

Wishing you a happy start of spring!

Democratically yours,

Sasha Arrington, DAG-Stuttgart Interim Chapter Chair

DAG-Stuttgart February 2021 Newsletter

Dear Friend,

After the harrowing attack on our Capitol and on our very democracy, we embraced our new President and very first female Vice President with a sense of relief that the past four years are over and excitement for what lies ahead. Some of the first steps Joe Biden took after being inaugurated were to promptly address the COVID-19 crisis, racial justice and climate change.

February is Black History Month. This month we honor the men and women who strove for equality and shone as professionals in many different fields, such as Katherine Johnson, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and Maya Angelou. Here are a list of excellent movies to watch for Black History Month:

For those of you looking for literature for Black History Month, here is a small excerpt of many good books :

The Global Veterans and Military Families Caucus is supporting Black History Month by featuring Black American Veterans every day in February. Check out the Caucus FB page: https://www.facebook.com/DAVetsAnd MilitaryFamilies/

Stacey Abrams is a voting rights activist fighting for equality and voter rights. She founded Fair Fightafter narrowly losing the 2018 gubernatorial race in Georgia. Thanks to her dedication and hard work many more people registered to vote in her home state, which helped to flip the Senate blue last month. The work of Ms. Abrams has been lauded as following “in the footsteps of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.” Now Ms. Abrams has been nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize!

It is time to request your absentee ballot! This can be done at www.votefromabroad.org. Request that your ballot be emailed to you, this saves time. Americans living overseas must request their absentee ballots every calendar year. You can check the status of your absentee ballot by contacting your election office in the district of your voting state directly.

Do you vote in the state of Louisiana? Louisiana is conducting two special primary elections next month, to fill a vacancy for the 2nd and 5th congressional Districts.

Some states are trying to restrict the ways we can vote and who may vote by filing bills aimed at limiting voter access and reforming election procedure. The majority of these bills would restrict or put limitations on how and who can vote by mail, create photo ID laws and purge voters from the voter lists. Mail-in voting has expanded significantly due to COVID-19 fears, while lawmakers and election officials try implementing proper health precautions for those wanting in-person voting.

As the Senate run-offs in Georgia and the presidential election showed us: our overseas votes make a huge difference! So remember to request your absentee ballots on time!

Upcoming Events:

Info Sessions for potential DAG Leaders: Wednesday, February 10 at 7pm and Saturday, February 13 at 4 pm

Our Stuttgart Chapter Meeting is this Friday,February 12th  at 7 pm. Join us for a friendly chat! Please RSVP to receive the Zoom link.

The DAG annual meeting and Elections will be held on March 20th from 10:30am -6 pm. To vote in the election you must be a DA Germany member and RSVP for the meeting by 12pm on March 20, 2021

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Dear Friend,

Hopefully this year got off to a good start for you. Somehow it seems like an eerie continuation of last year: the COVID health crisis still has us in its grip, stores are shuttered, home schooling and home office has become the norm and the rhetoric of our current president and his orbit incite people to violence.

Last week we witnessed the culmination of hate speech and the breaking of social norms: a violent mob stormed the Capitol. There were scenes of pillage, monstrous behavior and even murder. The Republican mob swung confederate and US flags, wielding baseball bats, tasers and flex cuffs. Some chanted that they wanted to hang Mike Pence.

Many have pointed out that the majority of the insurgents were white. I recall the mainly peaceful protests in the summer by BLM, which were at times met with sheer brutality and over-policing. Where were the police officers in riot gear last Wednesday while the Capitol was stormed by militia-like people, armed and dangerous?

After this shocking event the Democrats and tenRepublicans swiftly voted to impeach our 45thpresident a second time, for “incitement and insurrection. To show that words matter. To show that acts of violence and insurgence have no room in a democracy. To show that we live in a country where every single vote counts, that the GOP cannot just wish away the facts. Joe Biden was elected by the people to become our 46th president.

The Los Angeles Times wrote that what happened at the Capitol was not a protest, it was terrorism. The “Capitol building was invaded by domestic terrorists in an armed insurrection”. Those involved, whether directly or through spreading lies and instigating violence, have to be held accountable. We have to prove to ourselves and to the world that our democracy works.

Next week Joe Biden and Kamala Harris will be inaugurated. They have tremendous work ahead. But with a good team of experts, integrity, vision and reliance on science they will succeed. We cheer for them and look forward to the next four years!!

Upcoming events:

Please RSVP to receive the Zoom link

I look forward to seeing you at the DAG Inauguration Party next Wednesday!

Democratically yours,

Sasha Arrington

Democrats Abroad Stuttgart December 2020 Newsletter

Dear Friends,

This has been a year like none other. COVID, home schooling, home office, social distancing, mask mandates, and

We worked together to elect Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, the first African-American woman to be elected as VP. Thank you once again to all the volunteers who worked countless hours, colored thousands of postcards. made thousands of phone calls and stood in all sorts of weather to let their fellow US citizens know about the up-coming presidential election. Now we are getting the word out to all our fellow Georgians that we can flip the Senate blue on January 5, 2021!

If you would like to show your support for our organization and/or are looking for a great Christmas present, browse our merchandise!

Here are a list of upcoming events you may be interested in:

·      Georgia Abroad Voter Assistance will be held on December 12, 13, 19,20, 27 and 29th. Any questions you may have will be answered via Zoom

                            Did you know every eligible American living abroad can vote in U.S. elections? 

·      DA Germany Online Meet and Greet Sunday, December 13, 2020 from 7-9 pm

·      December Book Club: “Our Time is Now” by Stacey Abrams, Sunday, December 13, 2020 at 1 pm via Zoom

·      Stuttgart December Chapter Meeting on Friday, December 18, 2020 at 7pm via Zoom, please RSVP for log-in details

Join us virtually for our December Chapter Meeting. Have your Glühwein and cookies ready; we’ll have a nice chat, exchange recipe ideas and get in the holiday spirit together!

Wishing everyone safe, enjoyable holidays and a good start in 2021!

Democratically yours,

Sasha Arrington

Stuttgart Interim Chapter Chair

Democrats Abroad Germany

Are you a Georgia voter? Make sure you’re registered to vote in the January runoff elections! Your voice matters! Your vote counts! Let’s turn the Senate blue! 🗳🇺🇸💙

Stuttgart Chapter November 2020 Newsletter

Dear Friends,

We did it! We worked together as a global team to get Joe Biden and Kamala Harris elected as President and Vice president!  We got out the vote by holding voter information tables all over Baden-Württemberg, worked from home by phonebanking and coloring postcards to be sent to voters and by posting and reposting reminders to our friends and family that yes, their vote truly counts!

We hope you celebrated extensively, rested and are ready to take on our next challenge! We have a little more work to do before Inauguration Day in 2021. Georgia has two Senate seats up for runoff on January 5, 2021.  During the November 3, 2020 election for the Senate seats no candidate received at least 50% of the votes, which is why there will be runoff elections soon. Democrats need to win both of these seats to have a majority in the Senate, enabling us to make progress in the US.

The two races are:

US Senate: Jon Ossoff (Democrat) versus David Perdue (Republican)

US Senate Special: Raphael Warnock (Democrat) versus Kelly Loeffler (Republican)

We need to make sure Georgia voters living overseas are registered to vote by no later than December 7th, have requested to receive their absentee ballot by email, and return it on time (last postmark January 5th, must be received by January 8th). If you or your friends and family vote in Georgia and need assistance, please visit www.votefromabroad.org.

Overseas voters may be the necessary votes to win the runoff elections! Our 19,000 overseas ballots were the margin of victory for Biden’s 14,000 vote lead over Trump in Georgia. We can do it again to win the Senate races!

If you are contemplating what to give yourselves or loved ones for Christmas, how about donating to a good cause this year? Here is a list of organisations that are truly worthy of supporting:

Upcoming events for Democrats Abroad members to look forward to:

November 26, 7pm:  virtual Thanksgiving get-together (please RSVP)

November 30, 8 pm: the virtual vote of BIPoC in Georgia

December 6, 2 pm: virtual Global Black Caucus & Global Women’s Caucus—Books Abroad Reads Isabel Wilkerson’s “Caste”

Wishing you Happy Thanksgiving. Remember those who have less and try to give forward any chance you can!

Democratically yours,

Sasha Arrington

Stuttgart Interim Chair

Democrats Abroad Germany 

We did it! Our combined effort  towards getting Joe & Kamala into the WH paid off. Science, facts, decency and a sincere wish for racial justice, health coverage for all, and so much more won!! 🥳🎉🗳🇺🇸❤️🥂

Share one reason you voted for Biden and Harris!

We braved the cold and rain to get out the vote on Saturday! Thank you to all the volunteers! 

Uncertain if your ballot will arrive in time? You have the option to return your ballot in a timely manner with FedEx. Follow the instructions listed below and contact us if you have further questions.

Dear Friend,

The Carl-Schurz-Haus & Democrats Abroad hosted a voter registration event on Tuesday, September 29, 2020. Americans who came to register to vote were pampered with drinks, snacks & a very welcoming atmosphere! Thank you to the great team at the Carl-Schurz-Haus!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/shares/C010z6

We had lively conversations, answered questions and helped US citizens register to vote. Thank you to all the volunteers who made the day such a success, despite the rain and cold!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/shares/4T4AR1

http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/shares/4T4AR1