Letter from the Editor
Dear Member,
Today we celebrate Equality Day, and the anniversary of the 19th Amendment to the United States Constitution that prohibits States and the Federal Government from denying the right to vote on the basis of sex. The struggle for this right was not won by all at the time of ratification, and is under threat today. The Global Women’s Caucus is asking you to join us in commemorating and celebrating this struggle by helping to mobilize our base for the ‘22 midterms so that we can exercise our right to vote. With nearly 9 million Americans living abroad, we have the power to make impactful and lasting changes this election. As the Republicans pursue tactics to undermine the democratic practice of free and fair elections, we will fight back by voting in numbers and sending the loud and clear message that we will not, and cannot be quieted!
November marks the pivotal moment in deciding our future. We have the chance to ensure that pro-choice and pro-equality candidates win their seats, and WE NEED YOU! First, we need you to register to vote in your State to receive your absentee ballot here. Then we need you to help us Get Out the Vote, by contacting everyone you know who is eligible to vote and making sure they are ready to cast their ballot as well. Lastly, please help our efforts by checking out our GOTV Equality toolkit here. With your help, we can win in November!
We hope you enjoy this special edition filled with voting information, events, and stories of motivation from our leaders and members!
Stayce Camparo, Communications Co-director, Global Women’s Caucus
Women’s Equality Day
On this day, 50 years after the passage of the 19th Amendment, women took to the streets of New York, to express their grievances on limited freedom and choice. A year later, Congress passed a resolution to enact an annual recognition of women, womanhood, and the woman’s journey, known as Women’s Equality Day. Leading the establishment of this day of recognition was none other than one of our Caucus’s founders, Bella Abzug, a Congresswoman from New York. Her influence, as a staunch fighter of human and civil rights up until her death in 1998, has left resounding waves in the arena of feminism and gender equality. The Caucus she left behind has worked to ensure that more women get elected into politics, so that the policies affecting women – freedom of choice, economic equality, better healthcare, education, and labor benefits – are prioritized and addressed. For Bella, and like Bella, let’s exercise our rights, use our voices, and make sure that we elect Democrats this Fall, who will continue her hard work, and honor this day by making sure women’s equality is more than just a day.
Get Involved. Do Something.
Check out our Get Out the Vote for Equality Toolkit
for simple actions you can take to help increase voter turnout and protect women's equality.
This year we mark Women’s Equality Day not so much with celebration as with a sober assessment of the emergency we find ourselves in.
The reality is that American women have fewer rights today than they did decades ago. Gains made by generations of women are systematically being legislated away from us.
Right now, we have a narrow window of opportunity to turn the tide and stop the theft of our rights, our autonomy, and our dignity.
Women across the entire political, economic, and generational spectrum must set their differences aside and unite to use the power of our vote in numbers that will overwhelm the elaborate voter suppression blockade erected against us.
The Global Women’s Caucus is working hard to reach out to Americans around the world with this crucial message and have assembled this “Get out the Vote” toolkit with ideas on how each and every one of our members can help spread the word!
We stand on the shoulders of generations of women who marched, fought, and died for our rights. We will not let them down.
Ann Hesse, Chair, DA Global Women’s Caucus
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Phonebanking works!
Dems Abroad is right now calling our members who vote in critical battleground states, and whose votes could well determine that we keep the Senate and House. We have and can provide the margin of victory in close races!
Calls around the world are easy and free to make: scripts, training, support are provided. No cold calling - only to Democrats who have given us their tel. number.
These calls work. Tracking our Spring calling, we’ve seen that 40% of those we talked to registered to vote/requested their ballots. That was 2-3 times the rate of those we didn’t talk to. Our members appreciate the calls and act on the info we give them.
Please help! Amplify your voice by getting fellow Dems “to the polls.”
Returning callers go to www.democratsabroad.org/phonebanking to refresh.
New callers go to www.democratsabroad.org/phonebanking_training .
150,000 calls to make before Election Day!
(At 5 per day–in about 10 min–you could make 385 before Nov 8!)
Words of Motivation from Our Action Teams
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In sum, when women’s access to reproductive health services are limited, it has an adverse effect on their economic well-being and costs state economies by reducing labor force participation and earnings. As post-Roe/Wade strategies are developed it is important that we focus our work at the state level. Read more here. As a woman of color, I’m looking forward to a Women’s Equality Day when economic disparities for women are overcome. But, according to these numbers it won’t be soon. Read the full article here. In a recent roll call by DAFrance of policy victories under the Biden Administration, there was no mention of the progress on student loan debt forgiveness, a remedy key in the battle to achieve economic well-being for female borrowers. Read the full article here. Vote, Vote, and Vote. Exercise your right to vote at all levels of policy making (e.g., city, state and national). Vote for candidates and policies that address issues critical to women’s economic progress and well-being. Pat White, Economic Empowerment Initiative Team Leader *** **** *** |
 
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As we all know, the state of reproductive justice in the United States is deplorable and continues to get worse after the overturning of Roe v Wade. Some states are reviving laws from the 19th century outlawing abortion, others are trying to grant personhood to fetuses from conception, and many states are banning abortion outright even in the cases of rape, incest and danger to the health of the mother. Women are dying because doctors in states like Texas have refused to treat them for miscarriages out of fear of prosecution for violating anti-abortion laws. And, a Florida 16 year old orphan was denied the right to an abortion that the court deemed her too immature for, but sufficiently mature to raise a child. The criminalization of the act of abortion is here to stay unless we stop it. When Kansas rejected a constitutional amendment proposal to make abortion illegal, we became encouraged to fight harder. There are many ways to fight back but the most effective one is to vote in the midterms for pro-abortion candidates. If we take the Senate, there may be a good chance to pass the Women’s Protective Health Act, which will grant federal protection for most abortions. Let’s not give up the fight. We can still stop the Republicans from taking away our rights. Here are three things you can do:
We can’t do this alone. Only a Democratic Senate and House can roll back this craziness. Salli Swartz, Reproductive Justice Team Leader *** **** *** |
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Vote for Equality! If published, the Equal Rights Amendment would grant equality for all in the U.S. Constitution. Despite the fact that the ratification was completed in 2020, it has still not been published by the Archivist. Only half the states have equal rights in their state constitutions, therefore it is important that we have pro-equality leaders at all levels of government. You can help by voting for pro-equality candidates in November. To help voters know which candidates are pro-equality, the ERA Coalition has put together a helpful guide on the position of the U.S. Senate and House candidates. You can find that list here - Elect Equality New – ERA Coalition. The ERA Coalition is composed of some 250 national and local partner and supporter organizations across the country representing millions of advocates working for the equality of all. Democrats Abroad is one of those members. There are so many equality issues that need to be addressed. Do your part and vote in November for pro-equality candidates. Shari Temple, ERA Task Force Chair *** **** *** |
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In 2019, a coalition of 1,700 women from 128 countries, after 7 years of research and discussion, published a call for a new global treaty to end violence against women. This link is to a summary of their first draft proposal. The language of the treaty makes sense and, watching a senseless war and the rise of domestic terrorism (abetted by equally senseless Republicans), we must find a way to sanity, safety and an end to bullying of the highest magnitude. The first thing we all MUST do is vote - we must snag two more Senate seats and we must hold the House (of course, preferably by a large margin). So, go register everyone you know and push them to vote, early and carefully. We can't afford to mess up one ballot. Read Marnie Delaney’s full text here for more information and insight into how your vote aids in mitigating violence against women! Marnie Delaney, Violence Against Women Team Leader *** **** *** |
To volunteer with any of our teams, simply fill out the Volunteer Interest Form.
Upcoming Event Highlights
Join the Democrats Abroad Global Women’s Caucus for a conversation betweenNational Institute for Reproductive Health President Andrea Miller and filmmaker Dawn Porter. They will lay out the impact of the Supreme Court decision that overturned Roe v Wade and the steps we can and should take to fight back. RSVP here.
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Phone-banking is one of the most effective ways that we use to reach out to new voters to make sure tha they are registered to vote and to make sure that WE WIN in November! Join us for our NEW monthly PHONEBANKING STAMMTISCH on the first Sunday of each month at 6 p.m.! Read more herePhone-banking is one of the most effective ways that we use to reach out to new voters to make sure that they are registered to vote and to make sure that WE WIN in November! Join us for our NEW monthly PHONEBANKING STAMMTISCH on the first Sunday of each month at 6 p.m.! Read more here
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Want to help US overseas voters request and send in their ballots? Want to make a difference in the midterm elections this fall? Learn the basics about voting from abroad by joining this workshop. Click for local times on Sat Aug 27 here.
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Drop by and see us where our volunteers are able to help you and answer all your questions. 12-3pm. Click here for more.
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All voters should request their ballot every year. We will be at Hotel Encantada from 1:00 to 4:00 pm. Click here for more.
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American food, live music for a festive vibe and kids’ entertainment…and for the midterms, opportunities for action to get out the VOTE! Info here.
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Join us at the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 27 - "Watch on the Rhine" - on September 9th, from 6:30-9pm to help register American voters in the lead up to the midterm elections in November.
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The GWC Reproductive Justice Team is launching a project to promote voter registration under the theme Reproductive Justice for ALL. Get information on how to participate here
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For a full list of events, including from other caucuses & chapters, visit our Events page.
In Closing
The livelihoods, rights, and equalities of women are under attack! We need pro-choice leadership to win the midterms, which means we need you to help us fight. Consider joining the Global Women’s Caucus, and connecting with thousands of others as we build our community strong. As a member, you can receive newsletters and meet other Americans at our events.
Make sure to follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Youtube.
Our GWC website is constantly being updated with news and actions to get you and your family involved in the noble campaign for women.
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Even a tiny contribution means a lot to us!
Please follow this link and give what you can.
Thank you for reading this issue, and please share with your friends and family.
In solidarity,
The Global Women’s Caucus