STEERING COMMTTEE MEETING

Saturday, April 16th, 9-12ish at the Lodge. Agendas are forthcoming very soon. If you are not a member of the Steering Committee, but have an interest in attending, you are welcome to join us.

MEMBERSHIP

Why join the Democratic Women's Caucus? The DWC is not just about attending the breakfast meetings, but also supporting the mission of the caucus. Becoming a member allows you to be a more active participant in our mission. It also gives you a voice in member-based decisions, (i.e. electing caucus officials as was done at our last breakfast meeting).

The funds collected from membership dues (which are very reasonable) will assist the caucus with operating expenses such as flyers, programs, etc. General fundraising for candidates is handled differently and we'll have more discussion on that at a later date.

Finally, increasing our membership overall is a way to demonstrate that the DWC is a legitimate organization and has real staying power. Our mission resonates beyond our own interests individually and we want to and can make a difference in the way women are involved in local politics, member-by-member.

WIP BOOK CLUB REMINDER

April 17, of course, is the George Lakoff book, "Don't Think of an Elephant" - Dee Owens to facilitate the discussion on issue framing. It is a short, excellent text on the importance of choosing our words wisely to achieve political success. Dee will also go over some examples for us to work through together as a group. Even if you haven't read the book (or have only read part of it), please join us! Meeting place is at the "Lodge" on the corner of 6th and Walnut at 2:00 pm.

DEMOCRATIC WOMENS CLUB

Lunch will be held on Tuesday, April 19, at the MCL Cafeteria. Speaker starts at noon. It's not known what the topic will be, possibly something about the folks who went to Ohio to work the Kerry campaign last fall.

PARTY INVOLVEMENT

Lee Jones has said that when her computer crashed she lost all the info regarding any folks who wanted to become precinct committee persons. The party is getting ready to send in an update of PC's. Anyone who is not a PC, but interested in possibly becoming one should email Lee at leejones@kiva.net.

Precinct committee persons organize efforts within the boundaries of a certain precinct, are the first line of contact for candidates and persons interested in running for office, help the party with events, Get Out the Vote Efforts, keep the party informed of changes in voters within the precinct, may walk door to door with candidates in their precincts, vote on party matters, and participate in caucus events to fill vacancies when they exist. It's a great way to get involved and begin to understand the party structure.

DISTRICT MEETING

The 9th district committee will meet here, in Bloomington, on April 24th at MCL Cafeteria at 2:30. There will probably be an email from party officials, but if anyone wants to meet other folks from the 9th, it's an interesting scene. Mostly county chairs and vice chairs will attend and talk about matters related to the 9th congressional district. Hey, perhaps we should talk about our Democratic Women's Caucus there??!!

EMILY'S LIST TRAINING

Our hot date for Emily's List training is July 22 and 23 followed by September 9-10 and September 16-17. The training would start at 5 pm on Friday and end at 5 pm on Saturday. Training is FREE ~ what a deal!

Once confirmed, which should be this week, we'll forward the applications and invitations. Applicants are to be women in Indiana who are Democrats and planning to run for elected office. The next group is Democratic women who plan to help manage a campaign for a Democratic

woman. They do not ask the "pro-choice" question on the application but hope the applicants share that view since Emily's List pays for the training. They are shooting for a training group of 45 and for a statewide attendee group, but would be open to more people.

Three possible sites: Bloomington Convention Center/Courtyard,

IU-IMU, and Phi Delta Kappa International/Affairs of the Sun (Middle Way Foodworks for the catering if this site is chosen).

O'BANNON INSTITUTE at IVY TECH

Thursday, April 28, O'Bannon Institute for Community Service

Dinner with guest speaker Judy O'Bannon. Tickets are $35 and will benefit Ivy Tech's Center for Civic Engagement. RSVP by April 22 to acady@ivytech.edu Or call Anne Cady at 330-6001. Event is from 5:30 to 8:00 pm at the Convention Center downtown.

This event is stressed because of exposure to Judy O'Bannon and Birch Bayh, two great, great Democrats. Also the Political Panel would be nice, and it's great, also, to do some outreach here.

  • Friday, O'Bannon Institute opens to the public 8:30 am - 3:30 pm. Here's the schedule for the day:

  • 9:00 am-- Non-Profit Panel Discussion, TAKE THIS JOB AND LOVE IT: Developing Leaders in Non-Profit Organizations

  • 10:30 am -- Higher Education Panel Discussion, EUREKA! WE HAVE LEADERS: The Unexpected Value of Service Learning

  • 1:00 pm -- Political Panel Discussion, THE PURPLE HAZE: Encouraging Young Political Leadership in a Divided Nation

  • 2:30 pm -- The O'Bannon Institute Conversation with Senator Birch Bayh. Same rsvp as above. Lunch is included in the daylong event.

IU TO HOST AL SHARPTON LECTURE

As published by the HT, "the Rev. Al Sharpton, the controversial civil rights and political activist known for his outspoken opinions, will give a lecture in Bloomington next week.

Sharpton's lecture, "Al on America," will be at 7:30 p.m. April 21 at the IU Auditorium, Indiana University's Union Board announced Tuesday. The event, sponsored by Union Board with IU College Democrats and the Monroe County Democrats, is free.

Sharpton was in the news in 2004 as one of the candidates vying for the Democratic nomination for president. "Al on America" will present "a message of humanitarianism, tolerance and activism," according to a press release. For information, call the Union Board at 855-4682."

BOARD AND COMMISSION APPOINTMENTS:

Can't we find one good woman to join the MEN on the USB??? Why

do we have to let women sit in the background for this??? Let's see if we can get a qualified woman in on the action there.

Speaking of which, is planning and zoning.... another favorite topic for women! The city council is probably going to take up changes in the zoning ordinance this fall. Pat Williams has been asked if she could give our breakfast meeting a run down on the process and what to look for. Early morning is not her favorite time, but she's agreed to do it sometime in the future.

STAY INFORMED!

Be sure to visit our Web site often as it is always evolving and full of updates and news. ~ A very unique site representing the DWC's enthusiasm for women's involvement in politics ~

http://democraticwomenscaucus.org/index.html

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The purpose of the organization is to inspire, recruit, train, support, and fund progressive women to increase the numbers of women in the electoral process and in elected and appointed positions.

Contact: Regina Moore 
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