April was a month of activity, promise, and change. In April, India surpassed China and became the most populous country in the world. In Germany, there was the introduction of the 49 Euro nationwide ticket, and higher tax allowances for employees and single parents, and the ban on gay men donating blood was dropped. In April there was a once-every-10-years eclipse and the Frankfurt chapter hit the ground running. Now it is May, and time to make good on our intentions! |
May 2023
A Welcome Note from Vice Chair Malaika Kusumi
April was a month of activity, promise, and change. In April, India surpassed China and became the most populous country in the world. In Germany, there was the introduction of the 49 Euro nationwide ticket, and higher tax allowances for employees and single parents, and the ban on gay men donating blood was dropped. In April there was a once-every-10-years eclipse and the Frankfurt chapter hit the ground running. Now it is May, and time to make good on our intentions!
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April Meeting Minutes
Event planning emerges as focal point of April Frankfurt chapter meeting
Chapter Chair Carl Taylor welcomed online participants in the April 27 chapter meeting with a recap of key U.S. Democratic victories in recent elections, firing up everyone for the many important races ahead. As the meeting progressed, ideas and plans for a robust series of events in 2023 and beyond began to take shape — events designed to raise DA’s visibility, attract new members, and, most importantly, get out the vote.
Meeting and Chapter Housekeeping
As agreed in our March meeting, (to encourage participation and support a diversity of voices) each chapter meeting will feature a different chapter member as meeting facilitator, Barb Chap graciously assumed this role for the April meeting. Dede Williams, Grace Tasch, Kate Sawyer, and Heidi Roecks formed the initial pool of meeting facilitators for upcoming online meetings. Please consider joining the pool - challenge yourself!
The DA online-meeting ** hands up in the chat box to be recognized by the facilitator was introduced and utilized it as a helpful practice for making the protocol second nature. If you have any questions about meeting protocol, please ask at the next meeting. If you have a question, others are bound to as well. Questions are good! 
Racial-profiling event postponed: Scheduled for May 9, was postponed due to a speaker cancellation. A new date will be announced. → If you’re interested in getting involved in this event, you still have time. Please contact Reavis Hilz-Ward.
‘Democracy Works’ and Democracy at Work: Impressions from Annual General Meeting
Several chapter members had attended the Democrats Abroad Annual General Meeting (AGM) in March, providing an excellent opportunity for sharing experiences: Kate enthused about the meeting being well run, saying it “made me feel good about DA” and “it was very much worth my time.” Barb found the meeting “inspiring,” a feeling Malaika echoed with “I was inspired and empowered.” Carl, attending the AGM for the first time, liked meeting people in person instead of on Zoom and said it was “a wonderful experience to see how democracy works.”
Future Chapter Meetings: In-person and online
The Chairs proposed the chapter meet alternately in person and online. In-person meetings would rotate between locations, for example, from Frankfurt to Darmstadt to Gießen. Alternating physical locations would help support building unity, community and broader member attendance. Grace provided feedback about the alternating meeting format: In-person meetings were nice; but with kids at home, meetings on weeknight evenings weren’t easy, so keeping some kind of online component was important.
Carl suggested the chapter enjoy the May meeting in person on Saturday, May 20, at 10 a.m. over an old-fashioned American breakfast at the restaurant Mona’s, known for its American breakfast.
The decision was made to hold the chapter’s July 4th celebration on July 8. Spouses, children, and friends are welcome! Location options for the event were discussed: in or around Frankfurt, accommodate barbeque, and, of course, toilets available. Planning for the event will take place at the chapter’s May 20 meeting. →
Mark your calendars for July 8 and bring event ideas to the May meeting, including how to keep costs low and earn €€ while having a great time together and enjoying a meet-and-greet with DAG Chairs Kenton and Emily, who will visit us personally at the event. You can also send your ideas to Carl and Malaika at [email protected].
Additional event ideas discussed at the April meeting included:
- Memorial Day (May 29, 2023), Veteran’s Day (Nov. 11, 2023), Thanksgiving (Nov. 23, 2023)
- A dance with 50s or 60s music
- A summer picnic: Chapter members would prepare and sell picnic baskets that folks would buy and then bring to a park (location TBD) for the event.
- Pride festival: Our stand has already been reserved!
- Get-out-the-vote (GOTV) tables: An effective way to reach voters and potential voters.
- The chapter discussed getting started with a GOTV table in Frankfurt in May with additional locations in Aschaffenburg, Darmstadt and northern Hesse. The idea of a postcard coloring campaign at the GOTV tables was discussed, along with creating special postcards or text targeting dual citizens. Michael Durgin, who heads postcarding for Germany, will come back to us with more information.
- In a comment also about reaching dual citizens made earlier in the meeting, Grace suggested starting a “kids’ forum” to reach out to young dual citizens between 13 and 18 and talk about Democrats Abroad, voting, and democracy. Well-received, the idea warrants more discussion and action. → Would you like to help get this idea off the ground? Please contact Chairs [email protected]
Let’s generate ideas about where a particular event could be held and how costs could be kept low while earning €€. If you have other ideas for events, that’s great! Please bring them to the May meeting or email Chairs [email protected].
Click here to read to the complete minutes
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Minutes prepared by Heidi Roecks |
Events & Updates
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Invite to in-person May MeetingSaturday, May 20, 10:00am Mona’s American-Style Breakfast, Kronberger Strasse 46, 60323 Frankfurt Let’s Tanz in den Mai with our first in-person Frankfurt Chapter meeting over a savory American-style breakfast and some piping hot coffee or tea at Mona’s American-Style Breakfast, Kronberger Strasse 46, 60323 Frankfurt (Bockenheim). The meeting begins at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, May 20. We need to reserve a table so let us know ASAP. Do try to make it, as this will be the kick-off planning meeting for our first event – the July 4th barbecue, which will be held on Saturday, July 8. Please RSVP by email before May 18 to [email protected]. |
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Postponed! Racial Profiling discussion |
Scheduled for May 9, was postponed due to a speaker cancellation. A new date will be announced. If you’re interested in getting involved in this event, you still have time. Please contact Reavis Hilz-Ward. |
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Meet & Greet Chapter Member
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Meet Alexander Paul! I’m originally from Texas and I currently live in Frankfurt am Main. I joined Democrats Abroad in 2016 before the presidential election so that I could get out the vote and be a part of our great democratic process from abroad. In return I received a great community and more contact with fellow Americans living in Germany. I do most of my volunteering for the social democratic party of Germany (SPD) and I gain a great sense of pride, accomplishment, experience, contacts and a sense of community out of it. To me, democracy means personal freedom, individual and community empowerment, freedom of choice, safety, stability and tolerance. My favorite quote is “Let us not despair but act. Let us not seek the Republican answer or the Democratic answer. Let us not seek to fix the blame for the past – let us accept our own responsibility for the future.” (John F. Kennedy) |
Volunteer of the Month
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Meet Michael Durgin Michael (a Maryland voter) lives in Frankfurt's Sachsenhausen neighborhood (also known as "Dribbdebach"). The bulk of his volunteering with DA has been with the postcarding efforts connected to Get-Out-The-Vote campaigns. He is responsible for all of DA’s postcarding work in Germany. In his own words: FINDING THE RIGHT FIT “I am not comfortable making phone calls, but I enjoy working on postcards and coordinating the postcard project for both the Frankfurt chapter and for DA Germany.” WHY DID YOU JOIN DEMOCRATS ABROAD? “I joined Democrats Abroad after attending a DA-sponsored event during the 2020 campaign cycle. I had been volunteering in the US for Democratic candidates since 2004, so DA was a natural place to focus my political and civic engagement interests.” WHAT DOES DEMOCRACY MEAN TO YOU? “Among other things, for me, Democracy means engaging the voices and opinions of people from a cross-section of society, toward creating and supporting a governing structure for the greater good.” YOUR FAVORITE QUOTE GOING INTO 2024? "The people, united, will never be defeated." Quilapayún THANK YOU FOR ALL OF YOUR EFFORTS! |
Food for Action
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| By Carl Landon Taylor |
I would like to both thank and congratulate all involved in the organization of our Germany-wide leadership training event (held in Wolfsburg) hosted by our country chair Kenton Barnes and vice chair Emily Lines. Bravo!
The joyful and informative training course covered areas of event planning, budgeting, communications, caucus work and fundraising. A truly noteworthy group task was creating a Democrats Abroad Germany (DAG) Document of Agreement outlining the ways we can work together in an even more efficient, effective, and joyful manner. This is a beginning for our new DA Germany!
Lastly
We want to hear your from you!
We hope you'll join our next in-person chapter meeting, this Saturday, May 20.
Democratically yours,
Carl Landon Taylor, Chapter Chair
Malaika Kusumi, Vice Chair
DA Germany-Frankfurt and Greater Hessen