Message from DA Spain Chair
Our Annual General Meeting, held the weekend of May 19-21 in Alicante, combined fun and business for the 40-some people who participated in person and by Zoom. We were greeted via video by Ken Martin, the Vice Chair of the Democratic National Committee, and heard an interesting presentation on the DA State Teams initiative from State Teams Leader Jennifer von Estorff (DA Germany) and DA Spain member Annie Graul (Wisconsin state team). Our digital marketing team made a stellar presentation about their 2022 advertising campaign and outlined their plans for 2024. We amended our bylaws and elected a new slate of leaders who will serve for the next two years. And we honored volunteer extraordinaire Jim Mercereau for his tireless work on behalf of DA.
Most importantly, we had a lot of fun, whether it was drinking wine at a rooftop bar with a smashing view of the local castle or eating delicious American flag cookies donated by local business El Cookie. If you’d like any further information about what we accomplished, reach out to me at [email protected].
Kathy Tullos, DA Spain Chair
P.S. If you’ve visited www.democratsabroad.org in the past few days, you’ve probably noticed things look very different. After many months of hard work (made possible by many generous donations), our website is finally getting a much-needed upgrade. Please bear with us while this happens and understand that, because of this, there will be fewer links to news items and event posts on the website this month.
Views on the News
Lessons in Leadership to be Learned
When he was chief of staff in the Obama White House, early in the Great Recession meltdown, Rahm Emanuel famously said, "Never let a crisis go to waste."
If he had a functioning crystal ball, it might have reflected today's reality. With pyromaniacs like Representatives Matt Gaetz and Marjorie Taylor Greene as de facto hostage-takers in the lunatic asylum posing as the House Republican Caucus — only nominally led by Speaker Kevin McCarthy — the Federal Government looks scarily similar to Thelma and Louise speeding toward the canyon rim. At newsletter deadline time, there was no guarantee that the brakes would be applied in time.
Average Americans either look on in horror or continue watching Fox “News” or reading their favorite social media, munching happily on junk food like so many tranquilized farm animals en route to the slaughterhouse. How did The World's Greatest Democracy, ostensible leader of the Free World, inflict such pain on itself? There are lessons in leadership to be learned, and they apply both at the level of Democrats Abroad and back home in every state and Congressional District as well as Washington, D.C.
Click here to continue reading the full story.
Announcements & Calls to Action
Busy Times
May is both Asian Pacific American Month and American Jewish Heritage Month, and June is Pride Month. It’s a great opportunity to honor these groups of people and to recognize the barriers that they continue to face in contemporary society.
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Democrats Abroad Annual General Meeting
Representatives from all across the globe will gather in Washington, DC and online for the Annual General Meeting of the global Democrats Abroad organization. The meeting will run June 8-12 and include an opportunity to speak with congressional staffers, as well as programming, and election of new global officers. Some of the DA Spain officers will be in attendance personally, and we will give you a recap next month. Note that this meeting is open to all members, and can be attended online. Click here for more information.
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Register to Vote
Don’t forget that in many states you must re-register to vote every year! Go to VoteFromAbroad.org to make sure your registration is current, and to find out what elections are being held in your state this year.
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Volunteers Wanted
Democrats Abroad Spain is looking for volunteers to organize local DAS groups in areas where we currently have no chapters or precincts. This will enable us to contact, recruit and assist U.S. voters throughout Spain during the crucial 2024 election cycle. If you’re interested in helping in these efforts, please email [email protected].
Caucus News
Hispanic Caucus
Join the Caucus today and become an advocate for issues that matter to the Hispanic community in the United States of America and abroad. The Caucus is open to all DA members and is an opportunity for you to make your voice heard. By joining, you will be part of a group of like-minded individuals who are committed to promoting change and improving the lives of Hispanic Americans. For more information on how to get involved, please contact [email protected].
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LGBTQ+ Caucus
As we head into PRIDE month, DA Spain’s All-Inclusive LGBTQ+ Caucus is planning a number of events to celebrate and which are in various stages of planning. Our events hope to counter anti-gay GOP efforts, which continue to steamroll the country with anti-Trans and anti-LGBTQ+ laws.
The Caucus will take a closer look at the state of affairs of LGBTQ+ rights in June. We will be bringing back Drag Queen Bingo (Monday, June 19 at 1:00 p.m. EST/7:00 p.m. CET), which should be a raucous fundraising affair. RSVP here.
On a much more serious note, the caucus will present two events which take a closer look at gun violence and Gays Against Guns (GAG), an anti-gun violence organization formed after the Pulse Nightclub Massacre in Orlando, Florida. The first event (Thursday, June 8 at 1:00 p.m. EST/7:00 p.m. CET) will feature some of the organization’s founders. These seasoned activists will talk about their tactics and in-your-face activities and hopes for the future. RSVP here.
A second event with GAG (Thursday, June 22 at 1:00 p.m. EST/7:00 p.m. CET) will feature a preview of a new documentary film titled “GAG'' which is currently on the film festival circuit. The filmmaker will join us for a talkback. Several other events are in the works including events which should offer an candid overview of community efforts in the states of Florida and Texas. RSVP here.
Interested in learning more and becoming a member of DA Spain's LGBTQ+ Caucus? Reach out to us at [email protected] today.
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Women's Caucus
As you’ve probably heard, the Spain AGM last month was a resounding success. It was great to meet so many Zoom faces and names in person and have a chance to chat and get to know each other better. As Women’s Caucus leader I felt energized by the air of dedication and enthusiasm that was evident throughout the weekend. The Women’s Caucus is always looking for active members to be involved in any capacity. There are many urgent matters affecting women’s rights at the moment that need our attention – access to abortion and reproductive health care and passage of the ERA being the most pressing. However, as my grandmom used to say, many hands make light work.
If you would like to get in touch, you can reach me at [email protected]. Looking forward to hearing from you and creating a community of like-minded Women’s Caucus members.
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Click here to learn more about DA caucuses and to join. When you join a global caucus, you automatically become a member of the Spain caucus.
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Click here to see all the upcoming Caucus events.
Chapter and Verse
Alicante
Democrats Abroad Alicante was proud to host a very successful DA Spain Annual General Meeting the weekend of May 19. Organized by our outgoing Chair, Daniel García, more than 50 people came to our seaside city from as far away as Seville, Barcelona, Valencia and Madrid.
Events included a Meet and Greet cocktail hour at the Highbar Rooftop space at the base of the Alicante castle on Friday evening. Saturday afternoon's AGM featured presentations from Kathy Tullos, DA Spain Chair, and others. Participants had a chance to socialize over lunch and during the drinks and tapas hour afterwards. Sunday morning offered a coffee hour at American-owned El Cookie followed by a guided walking tour of the Alicante old quarter.
Many participants were glad to finally meet in person people they had formerly just seen online. Energy is building for the all-important November 2024 general elections, and we need to work together to keep Biden in office!
The DA Alicante chapter is holding elections in early June, so will soon have new officers for the 2023-25 term, who will be introduced in next month's newsletter. Stay tuned!
Contact us at [email protected].
Barcelona
Democrats Abroad Spain Barcelona held its annual general meeting on May 13, and elected new leaders for the 2023-2025 term. A big welcome to Victor Horcasitas (chair), Lisa Berger (vice-chair), Catherine Dexter (secretary) and Karl Barth (treasurer). Read more about the AGM here. Following the very successful meeting, during which members shared ideas and information, asked questions and recognized individual and group successes, we adjourned to a local restaurant, where the fun continued for a couple more hours. Thanks to our hard-working Nominations and Elections Committee and to all members who voted, attended and provided other support to the event.
📣 Save the date! The Dems Abroad Barcelona 4th of July picnic will be held on Sunday, July 2 beginning at noon at Càmping in Poble Nou (C/ de Carmen Amaya, 18, Barcelona). Watch the Barcelona events page for more details, coming soon.
If you are in Barcelona and want to get involved, send an email to [email protected]. Be sure to join our Signal group (it’s like WhatsApp, only safer!) to stay on top of the chatter and not miss out on any of the fun.
Contact us at [email protected]
Madrid
Greetings to all Chapter members!
Madrid DA has launched their Facebook page and Instagram account‒a true accomplishment! Thanks to all members of the Madrid Chapter who helped to make this happen. Be sure to like and follow these accounts to help us grow.
We attended the AGM in Alicante on May 19-21, and Madrid was well represented. Our members had the opportunity to network and meet other members. We would like to congratulate Jim Mercereau for the Star Volunteer Award. Well deserved.
Looking ahead, we will meet on June 8 from 7:00-9:00 pm at the Tap Room. We welcome all members in Madrid to attend. This is an opportunity to meet our new ExComm Team, and bring new ideas into the table.
We are working on our next events: Gay Pride Parade and a 4th of July picnic. We have submitted a proposal for a new fundraising strategy: “The Spirit of America Abroad” Fundraiser (4th of July Hotdog and others). We are waiting for guidance from DA Spain. More to come next month.
Contact us at [email protected]
San Sebastian
San Sebastián is looking to get a small leadership team or steering committee going. If you’re interested, please email us at [email protected].
Seville
Seville is now an official chapter of Democrats Abroad! We are rarin' to go, getting organized for the good fight in 2024. We sent a delegation to the DA Spain AGM in Alicante, which was fabulous! It was great to meet people from other chapters and to exchange ideas. (The good food, wine, and tours didn't hurt.)
We will continue with our monthly First Friday Coffees with a view to building community in Seville. We will also meet to discuss a political podcast at a wine bar owned by a local woman. As it will be held on Flag Day, that will figure into the theme.
Contact us for more information at [email protected].
Valencia
The Valencia chapter will once again participate in the Valencian Gay Pride Parade on Saturday, June 24. Everyone interested is welcome to join the parade and stay for the celebration in La Plaça de l’Ajuntament. Please RSVP on the DA Spain–Valencia events page for more information.
Please join us for a 4th of July potluck and picnic to be held at Universidad Politécnica de Valencia (UPV) and hosted by American Space. Again, be sure to visit the DA Spain–Valencia events page to RSVP and receive more details.
And last but not least, we hope you will come to our First Friday Coffee Meetup on Friday, July 7 at 10:30 am at Salad Planet (Carrer del Dr. Romagosa, 3, 46002 Valencia).
Contact us at [email protected]
Spain Fun Fact
By HrAd - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=16363008
Inaugurated in 1992 with a single route that connected Seville and Córdoba to Madrid, Spain’s high-speed train network has grown over three decades to service much of the country, and new routes continue to be added. The dominant service is RENFE’s AVE, although several other high-speed services (Avant, Alvia, Avlo, Euromed, Ouigo España and Iryo), as well as mid-speed (Altaria) services, also operate on the same lines. The AVE travels at a speed of up to 300 km/hour (186 mph) and covers the distance from Madrid to A Coruña in 1.5 hours, and to Sevilla or to Barcelona in 2.5 hours. The still-growing network transported a record 21.3 million passengers in 2018 (source).
As you make your summer travel plans, why not try this fast, comfortable and sustainable alternative?
In Closing
Please consider donating to Democrats Abroad Spain by using this link. And thanks for your support. If you cannot afford to make a donation, consider volunteering your time, or bringing a friend to one of our events.
Have a great month!
Democrats Abroad Spain
http://www.democratsabroad.org/es
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