June is LGBTQ (Gay) Pride Month. Pride Month commemorates years of struggle for civil rights and the ongoing pursuit of equal justice under the law for the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer community and the accomplishments of LGBTQ individuals.

Our cafe topic this month is Queer Ecology. Queer ecology disrupts prevailing heterosexist understandings of gender, sexuality, and nature. Queer Ecologies stands as a powerful corrective to views that equate "natural" with "straight" while "queer" is held to be against nature.

We hope you will join us for an interesting and enlightening discussion.

RVSP today to receive the zoom link.

On Wednesday, May 25, the Global AAPI Caucus will participate in the National Nikkei Reparations Coalition's (NNRC) Joint Day of Action. Join the AAPI Caucus as we host the fourth block from 2:30-3:30pm EDT. Participants will call and email the White House to demand #ReparationsNow! The Democrats Abroad Reparations Task Force will also participate in the event from 1:00-2:00pm EDT.

To join us, please register for the event via the NNRC event page. 

This event is part of a week of action, which begins on Saturday, May 21st with the Strengthen Solidarity event and continues on Monday, May 23rd with the NNRC Workshop. There, they will discuss the coalition’s grounding principles of unity, the strategy of H.R. 40 coalition, and the preparations for the Day of Joint Action.

The groups are organizing a National Week of Action in partnership with the H.R. 40 Coalition and the Noise campaign to draw awareness and put public pressure on President Biden. Learn more about the H.R. 40 Coalition’s demand and organizing here.

The first slate of midterm primaries/runoffs have given us plenty to ponder, as we get ready for the 44 on deck over the summer. Yup, it’s time to take stock. Join the Global Progressive Caucus to discuss:

• The lay of the land
• What’s at stake
• Early trends + what to expect on the road ahead
• Opportunities to take action

RSVP below to join with proDA to discuss how we can unite our voices for progress and win!

Optional resources to prepare for the discussion:

• Videos
  • Pramila Jayapal. Status of Build Back Better, CNBC, January 12, 2022.
  • Summer Lee. Victory Speech. Twitter, May 18th, 2022.
    
    
• Book
  • Timothy Kuhner. Capitalism vs. Democracy. Money in Politics and the Free Market Constitution. Stanford University Press, 2014.
    
    
• Articles
  • Jake Johnson. Dark Money Is Dark Money': Sanders Calls on DNC to Ban Super PAC Cash in Primaries. Common Dreams. May 17th, 2022.
  • David Siders. ‘We’re chewing people up’: The left fights back against primary attacks. Politico. May 14th, 2022.

This event is part of the series Monthly Mondays for Progressive Minds.

Thanks to our co-sponsors: Reparations Task Force, proDA Austria, proDA Germany.

RSVP below for the Zoom link!

You can inform and mobilize members around the world to make progress and win in the midterms. The Fight for (at least) $15. Meaningful Medicare expansion. Student debt relief. Reparative justice. Climate change action. Voting rights. And more. Will you help America build back better and get out the vote for progress? Please donate here. Thank you!

Midterms are around the corner and there is a lot at stake! 

Join the Hispanic Caucus for a brainstorming and planning session to mobilize voters, in particular US latinos abroad, for the upcoming Midterms.

Bring your ideas, good energy and chisme.

Nos vemos!

RSVP to receive the zoom link

When? June 9th at 1pm ET

The Global Disability Caucus is dedicated to building a stronger Democrats Abroad! Our goals are to increase accessibility to information, events and activities. We strive to create sensitivity to and awareness of disability issues.

In addition to Democrats Abroad members with disabilities, we welcome and encourage the involvement of supporters of our members and our messages. We hope to form an inclusive, diverse, active, and effective community which provides fulfilling experiences for all.

Please check the Global Disability Caucus Wiki-Page or the DemsAbroad Global Calendar to find future dates for these meetings and other GDC events!

• 9 AM Eastern Daylight Time
• 3 PM Central European Time
• 9 PM China Standard Time

 THE FUTURE IS ACCESSIBLE! 

Consider making a donation to help get out the VOTE in 2022. Please donate today: https://www.democratsabroad.org/dc-donations

Democrats Abroad Global Seniors and Disability Caucuses invite you to join us for our monthly Social -- a time for Seniors and members of the Disability Caucus to connect with one another and discuss topics of concern and information. We will reflect, discuss, plan, and strategize together from the comfort of our own homes and with no duties or assignments! This will be fun as we can discuss freely any topic we would like.  

When: Friday May 27, 2022 at 9.00 am Eastern time

LET’S CELEBRATE!

The first Democrats Abroad Women’s Caucus was created in 1992 by three staunchly feminist women in Paris France, 30 years ago. , And, it has grown to a powerhouse of activist women who are  stronger than ever in 2022. 

But is there cause for a celebration? Are women better off today than they were back in that famous “year of the woman” in 1992? Does the old feminist mantra “three steps forward two steps back” still hold true? 

It sure does. 

Backlash has hampered the feminist movement since the Seneca Falls Convention in 1848 – but it hasn’t stopped us from moving forward.  A brutal pandemic and years of nonstop political and cultural polarization, a war in Europe, and the return of the Taliban in Afghanistan have left us all, especially women, in the dark.  And, as we all know, women are the first victims of repressive regimes.  But we are undaunted. We have   become the driving force of our societies and the future depends on us.

Join us on June 18 to celebrate our 30 years of activism in Democrats Abroad.  Listen to experts and activists who are behind - and in front of - the feminist movement and are taking those three steps forward. 

JUNE 18, 2:00 PM TO 5:30 PM CET
At the American University of Paris, 6 rue Col Combes, 75007
In-person and online!

RSVP below to register for this hybrid event - reserve your spot, online or in person!

As the Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month comes to an end, join us as we transition into PRIDE month and celebrate intersectionality within our communities. Hear from Diego Sanchez, Director of PFLAG’s Advocacy, Policy & Partnership program to learn about their work, particularly as it relates to advocacy and voting, and issues related to intersectionality for people of color who also identify as LBGTQ+.  

PFLAG is the first and largest organization for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ+) people, their friends, families, and allies with over 250,000 members across the U.S. PFLAG is committed to creating a world where all people are respected, valued, and affirmed inclusive of their sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression.  

PFLAG’s programs of advocacy, support, and education serve to fight many of the same issues that the AAPI Caucus is also concerned with such as discrimination, violence and harm, and removing the root causes of violence and injustice, including systemic racism, sexism, discrimination, and harassment.  

After the overview session, there will be discussion on how we can assist voters abroad in these key areas.

About the Speaker: Diego Miguel Sanchez, APR

A native of Augusta, GA and long-time Massachusetts resident, prior to his appointment with PFLAG, Diego was Senior Policy Advisor to Congressman Barney Frank until the Representative’s retirement in 2013. Diego made history with that appointment, being the first openly transgender person to work as a senior legislative staff member on Capitol Hill. He also testified before Congress in the historic Transgender Discrimination Hearing in 2008 and that year was named as the first openly trans person ever appointed to the DNC Platform Committee.

Diego also served as Director of Public Relations and External Affairs at the AIDS Action Committee of Massachusetts, and AIDS Action Council, DC. Before moving into the nonprofit sector, Diego worked for 20 award-winning years in global public relations, marketing, and diversity management at world headquarters of Fortune 500 companies. 

Diego was among The 100 Most Powerful Latino/s in Corporate America named by Hispanic Business Magazine, named an LGBT Latino Hero by the Mayor of Washington, D.C., in the 100 most powerful Latino/s (Poderometro) in Massachusetts by El Planeta and in 2013, named to the Out 100 and in the Inaugural Trans 100, sponsored by GLAAD.

Diego is also a Senior Fellow of UMass Boston’s Emerging Leaders Program in the College of Management.

Respect, awareness and good will can make a world of difference when speaking to someone with a disability or with a disability different from our own. Even the most “woke” person gets tripped up occasionally: Do I say dwarf or little person? Hearing impaired, hard-of-hearing, or “person with a hearing disability”? If a person with cerebral palsy welcomes the term “crip,” does this apply to most people with a motor disability? Should I use person-first language or disability-first language? (For more on this difference, see below.)

The times and language are changing rapidly, as are the ways people with disabilities are choosing to identify themselves. Disability represents a form of diversity – similar to gender, race, religion, ethnicity and social class – and requires the same sensitivity when it comes to the way we address and refer to one another.

Below is a quick guide (adapted from paraquad.org) for respectful, mindful disability language. These suggestions aren’t meant to make anyone feel policed, self-conscious or shamed. Educate yourself on current, accepted terms. Still unsure how to address or refer to someone with a disability? Don’t guess! Ask the person directly, remembering most of us would still rather be referred to by our name than a label.

Words to avoid:
Cripple, handicapped, invalid, victim, afflicted with, confined to a wheelchair, normal (when referring to a non-disabled person), deaf-mute, birth defect, crazy/insane/mental patient, slow, mentally retarded, underachiever, deformed, handicapable, differently abled, disfigured, abnormal, palsied, spastic, physically challenged, manic, maimed, incapacitated, high-functioning/low-functioning, “special” and special needs.

Words to use:
Person with a disability, disabled, uses a wheelchair, non-disabled or able-bodied, deaf, hard of hearing, psychiatric history, emotional disorder, consumer of mental health services, epilepsy/seizures, learning disability, ADD/ADHD, developmental disability, cognitive disability, born with.

Many of the “words to avoid” are obvious. But language is not only ever-changing, it possesses layers of meaning, history and nuance. Inherent in words like invalid or victim is the belief that disabled people are “less than” able-bodied people. Ableism itself isn’t a new phenomenon, of course, though the term itself might be for some. And it has a way of slipping into our everyday language. We call people “crazy.” We say someone made a “dumb” choice or a “lame” excuse.

Andrew Pulrang, who writes a regular column for Forbes magazine on disability practices, policy, politics and culture, (link below), explains that “the harm of terms and uses like this is indirect, but no less real. They all reinforce the idea that a good way to describe bad things is to compare them to disabilities, or to disabled people.”

The good news, according to Pulrang, however, is that ableist language is also “unnecessary,” given a reasonable amount of awareness, creativity and, above all, care.

To learn more about respectful disability language, please check out these sources:

“It’s Time to Stop Even Casually Misusing Disability Words,” Andrew Pulrang in Forbes:
https://www.forbes.com/sites/andrewpulrang/2021/02/20/its-time-to-stop-even-casually-misusing-disability-words/?sh=43d3bcfe7d4e

“The harmful ableist language you unknowingly use” – BBC’s Equality Matters
https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20210330-the-harmful-ableist-language-you-unknowingly-use

“Respectful Disability Language: Here’s What’s Up!” – NYLN (National Youth Leadership Network)
https://www.templateroller.com/template/2075600/respectful-disability-language-here-s-what-s-up-nyln-kasa.html

“Choosing Words for Talking About Disability” – American Psychological Association
https://www.apa.org/pi/disability/resources/choosing-words

“Disability Language Style Guide’ - National Center on Disability and Journalism
https://ncdj.org/style-guide/

“Disability-Inclusive-Language-Guidelines” - Prepared by the United Nations Office at Geneva as part of efforts to implement the United Nations Disability Inclusion Strategy, launched in 2019.
https://www.ungeneva.org/sites/default/files/2021-01/Disability-Inclusive-Language-Guidelines.pdf 

WHAT COMES FIRST: The choice is personal and both are appropriate

Person-first language places the “person” before the “disability” and is intended to emphasize personhood over impairment. Person with a disability …

Disability-first language (or identity-first language) places “disabled” before the person, emphasizing that disability is an important part of one's identity. Disabled person …

Have you ever made a successful change in your life? Perhaps you wanted to exercise more, eat less, or change jobs? Think about the time and attention you dedicated to the process. A lot, right? Change is hard. Creating effective social justice habits, particularly those dealing with issues of power, privilege, supremacy, and leadership is like any lifestyle change. Setting our intentions and adjusting what we spend our time doing is essential. It’s all about building new habits. Sometimes the hardest part is just getting started. The good news is, there’s an abundance of resources just waiting to empower you to be a more effective player in the quest for equity and justice.

About the 21-Day Racial Equity Habit Building Challenge 

• For 21 days, do one action to further your understanding of power, privilege, supremacy, oppression, and equity 
• This plan includes suggestions for readings, podcasts, videos, observations, and ways to form and deepen community connections. Suggestions are in the following categories:

• Choose one activity per day to further your understanding of power, privilege, supremacy, oppression, and equity.
• Diversify your habits by doing some of each.
• Use the tracking chart provided here to stay on course. You can download the editable spreadsheet or a PDF for printing.
• We think understanding white privilege and white supremacy is a powerful lens into the complexities of doing social justice work, so we’ve focused our resources on that specific issue.