Democrats Abroad Germany sends three Delegates to the Democratic National Convention

Drei Delegierte von Democrats Abroad Germany nehmen an der Democratic National Convention 

Tyler Cofield, Anya Leonhart and Diego Rivas are responsible for representing Democrats Abroad, probably the most diverse “state party”  as well as the campaign of the candidate they are pledged to at this unconventional DNC Convention.

Meet the young sovereign delegates. 

Tyler Cofield, Anya Leonhard und Diego Rivas vertreten Democrats Abroad, der wohl vielfältigsten "Staatspartei", sowie den Wahlkampf des Kandidaten, dem sie bei diesem unkonventionellen DNC-Kongress verpflichtet sind.

Lernen Sie die jungen souveränen Delegierten kennen.

Tyler Cofield is a 26-year-old dancer from the great state of Texas! He moved from the US to Frankfurt last summer, but is currently working in Warsaw. He is passionate about socioeconomics, politics, and of course the arts. Tyler started getting involved with Democrats Abroad because he believes in the civic responsibility of every citizen to participate in how they are governed. He is thrilled to be representing Senator Bernie Sanders at this year's Democratic National Convention and hopes to "get in good trouble" and make positive contributions to this democratic process.

“We are seeing increased hatred and police brutality towards the LGBT community world-wide. November 3, 2020, will be a deciding factor on if the US will join other “democratic” nations in a shift towards authoritarian governments favoring right-wing “strongmen” and their egos over the health and wellbeing of all of their citizens.”

Tyler Cofield ist ein 26-jähriger Tänzer aus dem großartigen Bundesstaat Texas! Er zog letzten Sommer von den USA nach Frankfurt, arbeitet aber derzeit in Warschau. Seine Leidenschaft gilt der Sozioökonomie, der Politik und natürlich der Kunst. Tyler begann, sich für die Democrats Abroad engagieren, weil er an die staatsbürgerliche Verantwortung eines jeden Bürgers glaubt, an der Art und Weise, wie er regiert wird, teilzuhaben. Er ist begeistert, Senator Bernie Sanders auf dem diesjährigen Nationalkonvent der Demokraten zu vertreten und hofft, "in gute Schwierigkeiten zu geraten" und positive Beiträge zu diesem demokratischen Prozess zu leisten.

"Wir beobachten weltweit zunehmenden Hass und Polizeibrutalität gegenüber der LGBT-Gemeinschaft. Der 3. November 2020 wird ein entscheidender Faktor dafür sein, ob sich die USA zusammen mit anderen "demokratischen" Nationen zu autoritären Regierungen hinwenden werden, die rechte "starke Männer" und ihre Egos gegenüber der Gesundheit und dem Wohlergehen aller ihrer Bürger bevorzugen.

Anya Leonhard, 22, is a medical student at Leipzig University and originally hails from New Orleans, Louisiana. She has lived in Leipzig since 2016. Through her work in German hospitals and her experience in the German education system, she has seen the necessity of Senator Sanders’s policies, especially universal healthcare and the cancellation of student debt.  

“This election will be a turning point for America and the world. In 2016, many Democrats didn't truly appreciate the potential consequences of a Trump presidency. Now, for almost four years, we have witnessed time and time again the damage he can do to our democracy. The President we elect will decide the balance of the Supreme Court, the outcome of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States and our relationship to foreign countries.” 

Anya Leonhard, 22, studiert an der Universität Leipzig im 10. Fachsemester Medizin und kommt ursprünglich auch New Orleans, Louisiana. Sie lebt seit 2016 in Deutschland. Das deutsche Gesundheitssystem und ihre Erfahrungen als Studentin in Deutschland haben die Notwendigkeit der Politik Bernie Sanders’ für sie demonstriert, insbesondere die Reformierung des US-Amerikanischen Gesundheitssystems und den Erlass von studienbedingten Schulden. 

"Diese Wahl wird ein Wendepunkt für Amerika und die Welt sein. Im Jahr 2016 wussten viele Demokraten die möglichen Folgen einer Trump-Präsidentschaft nicht wirklich zu schätzen. Jetzt, seit fast vier Jahren, haben wir immer wieder erlebt, welchen Schaden er unserer Demokratie zufügen kann. Der von uns gewählte Präsident wird über die Ausgewogenheit des Obersten Gerichtshofs, den Ausgang der COVID-19-Pandemie in den Vereinigten Staaten und unser Verhältnis zum Ausland entscheiden".

Diego Rivas has lived in Berlin since 2014 and votes in California. He is the Chair of the Berlin Chapter -the largest and probably the most progressive group of Americans in Germany. He is also a Democratic Party Committee Abroad Voting Member for Germany, and a Bernie Sanders Delegate to the 2020 Democratic National Convention. During the day, he works on transatlantic relations with the think tank Das Progressive Zentrum.  

“As someone from the United States living in Germany, it is difficult to watch as millions lose their jobs - and as a result their healthcare, during the middle of a public health crisis. This is unacceptable and as a nation, we must come together to guarantee health care as a right, not a privilege. The proposed Medicare for All would guarantee this human right to all in our country.” 

Diego Rivas lebt seit 2014 in Berlin und wählt in Kalifornien. Er ist der Vorsitzende des Berliner Chapters - der größten und wahrscheinlich fortschrittlichsten Gruppe von Amerikanern in Deutschland. Darüber hinaus ist er ein stimmberechtigtes Mitglied des Ausschusses der Democrats Abroad für Deutschland und Delegierter von Bernie Sanders auf dem 2020 Democratic National Convention. Tagsüber arbeitet er mit dem Think Tank Das Progressive Zentrum an den transatlantischen Beziehungen.  

"Als jemand aus den Vereinigten Staaten, der in Deutschland lebt, kann man nur schwer zusehen, wie Millionen Menschen mitten in einer Krise der öffentlichen Gesundheit ihren Arbeitsplatz verlieren - und infolgedessen auch ihre Gesundheitsversorgung. Das ist inakzeptabel, und als Nation müssen wir uns zusammenschließen, um die Gesundheitsversorgung als ein Recht und nicht als ein Privileg zu garantieren. Die vorgeschlagene "Medicare for All" würde dieses Menschenrecht für alle in unserem Land garantieren"

There are an estimated 120,000 U.S. citizens living in Germany, all of whom we want to remind to request their absentee ballots (request yours here). During these times of social distancing, this has become a more challenging task, but there is an easy way for you to help us reach voters: Get some Democrats Abroad and Vote From Abroad merchandise!

As members of the DA Germany Student Outreach Team and Youth Caucus, we stand in solidarity with international students pursuing their education at U.S. institutions and call for the immediate retraction of the proposed Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) policies that unjustly target them.

On July 6, 2020, ICE released a statement that announced holders of certain student visas (F-1 and M-1) would be denied entry, extensions or targeted for deportation if they were not enrolled in in-person courses. The changes limit the amount of online credit hours students can take, at a time when more universities are switching to full-time online teaching in face of the CoVid-19 pandemic. This is a direct attack on the physical and mental well-being of students and local communities.

At a moment when the political and social demands of Black, Indigenous and people of color are being elevated and fought for in the streets, we understand that the proposed changes disproportionally affect international students from lower economic backgrounds or global spaces with limited technology, making online courses increasingly difficult. It similarly denies students who left the USA at the beginning of the pandemic an opportunity to return to the lives they have built. We find this unacceptable and in-line with other condemnable ICE policies that target migrant communities throughout the United States.

From our own experiences studying abroad in Germany (and various other places), we know that the denial of a visa does not only mean refused access to education but it also means the upheaval of personal lives and connections that are built every day, for some it may even mean a loss of livelihood. International students are a crucial part of the lives of universities and colleges not only in the US but worldwide, and they deserve to be treated with dignity and respect. We appreciate initiatives at the state-level aimed at protecting students and stopping the regulations from being implemented.

We therefore stand in solidarity with all international students in the United States and globally.

Links to support:

http://www.change.org/p/immigration-and-customs-enforcement-stop-sevp-from-blocking-international-students-from-their-colleges-and-universities

http://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/allow-international-students-finish-their-degrees

Make a video letting people know why you vote from abroad.

Your video will be used to make a compilation video of members of Democrats Abroad saying “I vote from abroad because” and then their reason

You can make a partisan video. Or you can make a non-partisan which refers to general issues such as the environment, health care, etc. with mentioning anyone in particular.

Here is a sample video to use as a template

On Flag Day, DA Germany phonebankers, along with volunteers from 11 other countries, came together to participate in Dialing for Democracy, a one-day call-a-thon and fundraiser. Our goal was to reach as many overseas voters as possible to remind them to request their absentee ballots for November, something you can do right now at www.votefromabroad.org. So how did it go?!

Excellent! Our fantastic phonebankers, who were on the phone from 9am to 9pm, accomplished the following:

• 8,316 calls were made worldwide
• 1,171 voters were reached in Germany
• $18,500 was raised from phonebankers’ generous family and friends who sponsored their calls

Our top three callers in Germany included Nina T. (319 calls), Renee J. (219 calls), and Bartley G. (213 calls). Here's a picture of two volunteers, Saehee C. (left) and Beverly S. (right), making calls during Dialing for Democracy:

We rounded off the event with a live session on Facebook, which can be viewed here: http://www.facebook.com/watch/live/?v=3620422417974917.

We were excited that this event struck the perfect combination of activism and fundraising needed for an election year like 2020! To all of our callers and donors, we say THANK YOU! Your efforts are what will keep us going strong through November!

If you’d like to learn how to phonebank, please visit this page to sign up for upcoming training sessions: http://www.democratsabroad.org/de_phone_banking_and_vfa_training. If you’d like to make a financial contribution to Dialing for Democracy, you can do so here: http://www.democratsabroad.org/d4d_flagday_callathon_fundraiser.

• Get involved in phone banking: We need you to help us reach Americans in Germany and beyond!

Sign up for phone banking: https://www.democratsabroad.org/de_phonebanking

Sign up for an online training class here. Please RSVP to receive the link to connect to the training:

Thursday, August 13 at 7:00 PM Berlin

Wednesday, August 19 at 3:00 PM Berlin

Attend an online in-person help session

Click any of the links below, RSVP to the event and you will receive an email with a Zoom link to connect to our voter help desk.

Office Hours (Voter Assistance) Thursday, June 25, 6:30 PM. More Info/RSVP

Office Hours (Voter Assistance) Tuesday, July 7, 7:00 PM. More Info/RSVP

Office Hours (Voter Assistance) Wednesday, July 15, 5:00 PM. More Info/RSVP

Office Hours (Voter Assistance) Sunday, July 26, 5:30 PM. More Info/RSVP

*All of our voter assistance is non-partisan, and we will help any U.S. citizen register to vote regardless of where they live, where they vote, or what party they support.*

Request your absentee ballot for the November election at https://www.votefromabroad.org/

Juneteenth, also known as Freedom Day, Jubilee Day, and Liberation Day, is an unofficial American holiday and an official Texas state holiday. It is celebrated annually on the 19th of June in America to commemorate Union army general Gordon Granger's reading of federal orders in the city of Galveston, Texas, on 19 June 1865, proclaiming all slaves in Texas were now free. Although the Emancipation Proclamation had formally freed them almost two and a half years earlier, and the American Civil War had largely ended with the defeat of the Confederate States in April, Texas was the most remote of the slave states, with a low presence of Union troops, so enforcement of the proclamation had been slow and inconsistent. Democratic Governors Cuomo (NY) and Northam (VA) recently made Juneteenth a paid day off for all state employees.

We have several events to commemorate Juneteenth.

Please note that these are not DA events, that we are not working or coordinating with event organizers, and that we thus cannot vouch for the content or safety precautions of each event. However, the event organizers have registered all the events with the local governments.

The Silent Protest is an organized initiative in which the participants remain silent for a certain time. It is a form of civil disobedience and resistance and will be used to express their solidarity with the US protest movement and the worldwide victims of racism.

Please wear a black shirt.

More information can be found on Instagram.

Take part in the virtual vigil plus shareable graphics for social media.

Memorial Day is a United States federal holiday commemorating those who have died in military service to their country. This year the commemoration ceremonies will be held online. Here is a list of websites where you can watch Memorial Day Ceremonies live:

Join the National Museum of the Pacific War, Admiral Nimitz Foundation, and Texas Historical Commission on Monday, May 25, 2020, at 5 pm CEST for a “virtual” Memorial Day Program. Event Information here.

The National World War I Museum and Memorial - Memorial Day Ceremony on Monday, May 25, at 5 pm CEST. Event Information here.

Colonial Williamsburg Memorial Day Commemorative Program. Join representatives of the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation and the Sons of the American Revolution Williamsburg Chapter online Monday, May 25th at 4 pm CEST, as they pay homage to the courageous Americans who died in active military service throughout our nation’s history.  Event Information here.

American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) hosts two Memorial Day Virtual Ceremonies. On May 25, 2020, at 4 pm CEST and 6 pm CEST, the American Battle Monuments Commission will be broadcasting two Memorial Day virtual ceremonies in honor of our nation’s fallen heroes. These two ceremonies were recorded at two of our World War I and World War II cemeteries so that we can gather virtually on this special day to honor their sacrifice. Event Information here.

National Veterans Memorial and Museum Remembrance ceremony Livestream begins at 4 pm CEST. Event Information here.

Disabled American Veterans - Beginning at 10 pm CEST, DAV’s National Adjutant Marc Burgess will deliver a “Salute to Fallen Heroes” address on Facebook Live. DAV will then premiere their “Honor Wall” compilation video, featuring tributes from DAV ambassadors, members, and supporters who will share words of remembrance for their loved ones who have passed. Event Information here.