2021 New Leader Orientation (Session 1)

(photo from the 2019 EMEA Regional Meeting in Athens)

Saturday, 24 April 2021, 3:00-6:00 AM EDT (check your local time HERE)

Newly-elected leaders are invited to attend a New Leader Orientation session, facilitated by the Asia Pacific and Europe, Middle East, and Africa regional teams.  Current leaders and volunteers are also welcome to join as a refresher, as are those who are candidates for local office where elections have not yet taken place.

During this three-hour orientation, we will cover the following Democrats Abroad basics:

• Our purpose, our organizational structure, and how we conduct business (45 minutes)
• Our IT Team and key resources (30 minutes)
• Our Comms Team and how we share our messages (20 minutes)
• Our other teams and committees that support leaders and Country Committees (40 minutes)
• Upcoming and regular regional and global meetings (20 minutes)

There will also be a ten-minute break, along with Q&A opportunities.

Please RSVP for the WebEx link.

A second New Leader orientation session, covering the same topics, will also be held at an Americas/EMEA-friendly time on Saturday, 08 May between 12:00-3:00 PM EDT.  To register for that session, please visit this event page to RSVP.

UPCOMING EVENTS - ACTIVISM -  FILM RECOMMENDATION - STAFF ARTICLE

Letter from the Editor

This March, the Global VMF Caucus is pleased to share the launching of its first newsletter with the celebration of the personal stories embodied in two themes: Military and Veteran Heroines and Military Caregivers. We welcome you to this first edition and encourage you to join the conversation as we remember, learn about, and celebrate the Women’s History Month with famous females in the military and the history of famous women caregivers who provided care to military service members, personal stories from before the Civil War up to the present.

This newsletter is dedicated to serving you, and with this in mind, we ask you to use our Suggestion Box to provide us with ideas for future issues. Please let us know what issues you want us to write about as well as items you would like us to address in our twice-a-month VMF caucus meetings.  

We hope you enjoy this first edition!  

Bob Gould, Global VMF Caucus Co-Chair and Editor

Connect with us on 

On Sunday the 11^th of April Karen Suhaka of the DAUK West Midlands Regional Group will share how to take action on the political issues you care about most.

Join us to hear directly from Karen, founder and catalyst of Billtrack50, who’s worked on American legislative state and federal data management for many years.  She has been most generous in giving DA a free subscription to billtrack50.com to research our key policy areas and develop plans to reach legislators and make policy become a reality. 

Karen will walk through the basic steps as a bill goes through to become law, talk about how bills are numbered to help you figure who to call, when states are in session so you know when you can call, provide resources to look up who your representatives and their staff are, and help you figure out what’s the best action to take. 

This event is sponsored by the  Hispanic, Asian American & Pacific Islander, Global Black, LGBTQ+, ProDA, Veterans & Military Families Caucuses, the Taxation Task Force, and the Texans Abroad Squad. All members of DA are invited to join our caucuses, taskforces, and teams and attend our events.

Global Hispanic Caucus <[email protected]>
Asian American & Pacific Islander Caucus [email protected]
Global Black Caucus [email protected]
Global LGBT Caucus <[email protected]>
Progressive Caucus <[email protected]>
Veterans & Military Families Caucus [email protected]

Taxation Taskforce <[email protected]>
Texans Abroad Squad <[email protected]> 

During the past 100 years American women have been trying to gain assurance that the Constitution assures them the same rights as men. The fear of American men to legalize equality for women has been blocking this amendment from being passed. The fact that this inequality still exists in the richest Democratic country in the world, and not in 88% of the countries, makes me feel ashamed to be an American. Women and men would gain significantly from passing the ERA. We all must dedicate ourselves to this fight until equality is enshrined in our Constitution.   Bob Gould - UK resident, voting in CA

Letter from Leo Cruz, Biden Campaign Veterans and Military Families Engagement Director

Friends,

6 days to take our democracy back.

Yesterday, Vice President Biden visited Warm Springs, Georgia and delivered remarks focused on unity and healing with one week left before the general election. He later spoke at a second rally in Atlanta, where he urged Georgians to vote for Democrats up and down the ticket. You can watch his full remarks in Warm Springs and Atlanta.

Today, Joe Biden will receive a briefing from public health experts. After, Vice President Biden will deliver remarks on his plans to beat COVID-19, lower health care costs, and protect Americans with pre-existing conditions. You can watchHERE.

Also today, Kamala Harris will travel to Phoenix and Tucson, Arizona to urge Arizonans to make a plan to vote early. In the morning, Senator Harris will meet with a group of Latina business owners in Tucson. After, Senator Harris will participate in an early vote mobilization event. In the afternoon, Senator Harris will travel to Phoenix to meet with a group of Black leaders. Later, Senator Harris will participate in an early vote mobilization event with Grammy Award-winning singer and philanthropist Alicia Keys.

Yesterday, Joe Biden and Kamala Harris released a statement on the shooting of Walter Wallace Jr. In his statement Joe Biden stated that “Walter Wallace’s life, like too many others’, was a Black life that mattered — to his mother, to his family, to his community, to all of us.”

Get Involved -- Upcoming Biden Veterans and Military Families Events

Wednesday, October 28, 6:00 PM ET: NH Veterans & Military Families Caucus Get Out The Vote: Join the New Hampshire Veterans and Military Families Caucus for a virtual Get Out The Vote Rally! Featured Guest Speakers: The Hon. Ray Mabus, the 75th U.S. Secretary of the Navy, and former Ambassador to Saudi Arabia; the Hon. Patrick J. Murphy, the first Iraq War veteran elected to Congress and former U.S. Undersecretary of the Army; The Hon. Maura Sullivan, former Assistant Secretary in the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and a Marine Corps Veteran; Tam Siekmann, Chair of the Londonderry Democrats, Blue Star Family Member & Marine Corps Spouse.

Wednesday, October 28, 6:30 PM ET:  Michigan GOTV Roundtable on Civil Rights and Military Communities: Join us for a virtual discussion with General Lloyd Newton, USAF, Ret., Professor Gertrude Croom, Dr. Turnera Croom, and Damien Butler, USA and USAF, 2004 - 2018, and Ms. Tracy Pakulniewicz, former Director of Policy Integration, Department of Defense, focusing on the importance of electing Joe Biden for servicemembers and military families of color.

Wednesday, October 28, 6:00 PM CT: GOTV in The Quad Cities and Southeast Iowa with Admiral Michael Franken (Ret.): We’re so excited you’re interested in making calls to elect Joe Biden for President, Theresa Greenfield for Senate and Democrats up and down the ballot in Iowa this November. 🇺🇸 From the comfort of your home, you can help us Get Out the Vote to help elect Democrats all while staying socially distant.

Wednesday, October 28, 8:00 PM ET: Midwest Conservative Veterans for Biden Roundtable: Join former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense Dr. Joseph Collins; Air Force veteran; Pennsylvania-residents and Ohio-natives RADM Janice Hamby (USN, Ret.) and her husband and U.S. Army veteran Dale Hamby; Illinois-native BG Steven Anderson (USA, Ret.); and Pennsylvania-native and Ohio-resident MG Dennis Laich, (USAR, Ret.) for a Midwest Conservative Veterans for Biden Roundtable moderated by former Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Air Force and Illinois-native Robert Goodwin on Wednesday, October 28th at 8:00PM ET.

Wednesday, October 28th, 8:00 pm ET GOTV with Oprah: Oprah Winfrey is hosting an event with voters from Ohio, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Minnesota, and across the country.

Thursday, October 29, 7:00 PM ET: Michigan National Security GOTV Roundtable: Join us for a virtual discussion with General Lloyd Newton, USAF, Ret., The Honorable Duane Woerth, Brigadier General Don Schenk, USA, Ret., Brigadier General Mark Montjar, USA, Ret., and Ms. Tracy Pakulniewicz, former Director of Policy Integration, Department of Defense,  via Zoom focusing on the national security imperative to elect Joe Biden. 

Connect With Your Fellow Americans

During this time of social distancing, the most impactful thing you can do is reach out to your fellow Americans and ensure they have a plan to vote as soon as possible. Please join a weekly phone bank in critical states across the nation:

• Make a Plan to Vote
• Volunteer with the National Voter Assistance Hotline
• Join the Voter Protection Team as a Poll Observer (for lawyers)
• Late Help: Volunteer full time for 4-Weeks, 10-Days, or 4-Days
• Volunteer in a Battleground State 
• Phonebank (Training Required)
• Text (Training Required)
• Host an Event (Training Required) 
• Attend a relational organizing strategy session

LET'S CONTINUE THE FIGHT

MAKE A DONATION TODAY

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Every dollar you give supports our work to elect Democrats who will fight to make a better life for ALL Americans.   Join us by making a donation today.

Julia Bryan, Chair - Democrats Abroad

We need Democrats like you to commit to Democrats Abroad - your Democratic Party for overseas Americans. Contribute to Democrats Abroad today and help us register Americans all over the world for the 2021 and 2022, reach out on issues that concern you and build a brighter future for our country and the world. With your help, we can make the difference. We did it all over the country in 2018! And we MADE the difference in 2020! And in Georgia in 2021! And we will continue to fight for Democratic victories and for issues that our members care about!

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Democrats Abroad
PO Box 15130
Washington DC 20003
USA

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