DAY 2:

Saturday was a full day at the DPCA Global Meeting.

The day was kicked off by an informative meeting with Special Guest speaker DNC Vice Chair Jason Rae - who flew in from Milwaukee to address Democrats Abroad and thank us for our work. A key theme of Jason’s presentation was developing grassroots efforts (the DNC is on the ground NOW), an open delegate selection process, involving corps of youth volunteers to get out the vote and transparency from the DNC to all Democrats.

Resolutions:

After much discussion, Democrats Abroad passed a resolution endorsing Medicare For All.  

Committees and Caucuses:

Presentations from many of the DA committees and caucuses -   including the Global Women’s Caucus, the Global Black, the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) committee (“do it for Ruth”), and the LGBTQ+ Caucus, Progressive Caucus - spoke about their activities and thanked the dedication of the volunteers who work hard to make everything happen.  

Would you like to know more about these Caucuses and Committees?  We have uploaded their presentations from the meeting so that you can take a look!  For information regarding these and other DA global caucuses and to join, go to our website.

Two highlights to finish off the day:

Election of the 2019/2020 Democrats Abroad Global Leadership Team:

• International Chair - Julia Bryan -- Czech Republic
• International Vice Chair - Alex Montgomery -- Hong Kong
• International Treasurer - Lissette Wright -- Canada
• International Secretary - Jeffrey Cheng -- Sweden
• International Legal Counsel - Joe Smallhoover -- France

A detailed overview of the planning for 2019 and 2020 was given by Global Communications Director, Amanda Mohar, including the Global Delegate Selection Plan, Global Primary Process, and the roll-out of our Get Out The Vote (GOTV) and Communications programs.  Lots to do in the 18 months between now and November 2020!  We will all be working hard to make the Blue Wave 2020 happen!

This is the full delegation of DA France members attending the DA Global Meeting in Washington D.C. this weekend. Ada Shen, seated is the Chair of DAF. Joe Smallhoover was elected as International Counsel of DA. Connie Borde is a DA DNC member. Meaghan Lopez is Vice Chair of the new Paris Chapter. Salli Swartz is stepping down as Counsel to DAF. Alex Rehbinder is a newly-elected Voting Representative. Meredith Wheeler is the newly elected Vice Chair.

Democrats Abroad is holding its 2019 Global Meeting from May 17-19 in Washington, D.C. We will discuss charter amendments and resolutions; run training sessions with local experts and Democrats Abroad field volunteers; and hold our biennial DPCA executive committee elections. In addition, there will be regional meetings to elect Regional Vice Chairs and conduct other business.

The agenda includes talks with Democratic Party leaders, both elected officials and members of the Democratic National Committee.

Following the meetings, on May 20-21, we will hold our Democrats Abroad "door-knock" with meetings with Representatives and Senators as well as relevant US federal government agencies.

DAY 1:

After the call to order, we had the pleasure of welcoming Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (NY), who is also running to be our 2020 Democratic presidential nominee.  Senator Gillibrand shared her inspirational views on healthcare, the Green New Deal and how to effect change in our government.

Guest speakers also included Alabama Senator Doug Jones, who addressed the anti-abortion bill recently signed into law in his home state.  According to Senator Jones, "This extreme anti-abortion bill that is happening in the Alabama legislature is not a product of the will of the people, but a product of gerrymandering. I do not believe this bill reflects where the majority of people are at in Alabama. But this is a big part of the fight for Democrats going forward. I do believe there is more that unites us than divides us across America. We need to look for more opportunities to get us all moving in the right direction, and we need your help from Democrats Abroad."

DA Finland was admitted as an official Country Committee, Resolutions were voted on and guest speakers Frank Leone and Jeffrey Weaver presented a video from Senator Bernie Sanders (VT), who is also running to lead the Democratic ticket in 2020.  We topped off a busy day with a gala reception and dinner.  Special guest DNC CEO, Seema Nanda, spoke on the subject of cyber-security for the upcoming elections.

Attending from DA France: Chair - Ada Shen, Vice Chair - Meredith Wheeler, Vice Chair (Paris Chapter) - Meagan Lopez, DNC member and co-chair DA France Women's Caucus- Connie Borde, Voting Representative - Alex Rehbinder, Former Chair - Joe Smallhoover, Former Executive Vice Chair - Salli Swartz, Member - Kaitlin Marie Hickey

Watch this space for news of DAY 2!