Breakfast this Friday! Discussion on the future of the DWC
and maybe another surprise or two!
DWC future -- Are we done yet??
During the election of 2003, there was one woman running for the Bloomington City Council. Today, there are four women running, and seven participated in the primary for the Democratic nomination for City Council this May.
Back in 2004 there were a scattering of women in county elected offices, many of them from the Republican Party. Today three women serve as county commissioners (the first all woman board in the state!), six elected women serving county government, and all but one judicial seat are held by women.
As the DWC was being formed and planned, by-laws created, much thought was given to the real purpose of the group. Simply stated from those by-laws:
The purpose of the organization is to inspire, recruit, train, support, and fund progressive, pro-choice Democratic women to increase the numbers of women in the electoral process and in elected and appointed positions.
Over these 15 years, the DWC has raised and funded women to the tune of over $100,000 and helped over twenty women win their races, some twice! In addition to those PAC contributions, many more women from outside of Monroe County have visited our breakfast and lunch meetings, and we have come to their aid financially, too. These contributions, from statewide, to general assembly candidates have amounted to over $10,000 from individual donations.
Having enough women candidates is not actually a problem these days, in fact, we have women running against other women -- something that in the beginning we addressed with the statement: "We should be so lucky!"
We've trained women to be campaign managers, financial directors, communications directors, and volunteer coordinators. Now these women are out helping other women learn these skills.
And so we come to the place of evaluating our organization in terms of the original mission, the activities of raising money for women, encouragement of new candidates, and getting more women into places where they can help other women become involved to a greater extent in the political process.
Suggestions have been made from time to time:
-Endorse men!
-Do away with the endorsement process.
-Only endorse ONE woman per office.
-Have meetings at a more reasonable time than 7:30am!
-Do more trainings.
-Do more social service work.
-Have men speak at breakfast and other meetings.... not just women.
As we look to evaluate our mission and look to move forward into the next decade, the DWC has held 3 listening sessions in the past couple of weeks. Friday's breakfast will be mainly dedicated to reporting on these findings, and hearing your thoughts on ideas that have been brought forward.
Please share your thoughts on this organization as we move forward, in our community and our state.
Opportunities for feedback will also be available in an online form. Watch for more information on that.... for those brilliant ideas that come in the middle of the night!
ALSO IN THIS ISSUE:
Announcements
Events
Action Items
ANNOUNCEMENTS
The Indiana Commission for Women is soliciting nominations for the 2019 Torchbearer Awards. The Torchbearer Awards are the State’s official, annual recognition of Indiana women who have contributed or sacrificed greatly for the betterment of Indiana's communities. Nomination packets are due by 5PM on July 12, 2019 and can be found below and attached: https://www.in.gov/icw/2334.htm.Please feel free to contact the ICW directly at (317)-232-6720 or at [email protected] for questions or additional assistance. The Torchbearer Awards Ceremony on September 25, 2019 at the Indiana Historical Society.
Citizen's Academy:
Whoa!!
Only FOUR spot left in the best free civic session in the city! You'll want one!
The 2019 Citizens' Academy class will provide participants with an interactive learning experience about municipal government services, programs and departmental responsibilities. This year's Citizens' Academy session begins Thursday, August 29 and runs through October 24, the classes are from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. You can apply online at https://bloomington.in.gov/citizens-academy or contact Vickie Provine, [email protected] or call 812.349.3505.
Board and Commission Openings:
CITY OF BLOOMINGTON B&Cs
Clerk Nicole Bolden has noted for us that the following bodies have vacancies at this time. Check https://bloomington.in.gov/boards to see the nature of the board or commission, recent minutes and actions and how that particular vacancy is filled.
Animal Control Commission
Bloomington Industrial Development Advisory Commission
Bloomington Arts Commission
Board of Public Safety
Commission on Aging
Commission on Sustainability
Commission on the Status of Children and Youth
Environmental Commission
Human Rights Commission
Parking Commission
Plan Commission
Traffic Commission
Tree Commission
Bloomington Urban Enterprise Association
MONROE COUNTY GOVERNMENTAL B&Cs
The Monroe County Board of Commissioners invites you to apply to serve on a Board or Commission! There are immediate openings on a number of these bodies, including: Animal Management, Environmental Commission, and the Human Rights Commission. For information on each of them, see https://www.co.monroe.in.us/boards/.
The application is available here: https://www.co.monroe.in.us/egov/documents/1533065264_74301.pdf.
If you have any questions, please contact Julie Thomas ([email protected]).
EVENTS
Monroe County Fair
July 1-July 6 4pm-10pm
Monroe County Fairgrounds Airport Rd.
Volunteer at the MCDP booth at the fair. Register people to vote, hand out candidate literature, and represent for your favorite candidate. Contact Jessica McClellan at [email protected] for shift signup.
UPDATED PARADE INFO:
Thursday, July 4, 2019, 10:00am
Downtown
Monroe Democrats encourage a large turn-out for the 4th of July Parade. Please join us, rain or shine. (Many of us remember the downpour of 2008, and look what happened that year!) If you can, wear or carry Flag or Americana or Democratic themed things. As usual, we will have a truck with candidate signs and a trailer with hay bales. There will be cold water on the trailer but you may want to bring your own water bottle. We will assemble in the large IU lot between Dunn and Indiana south of 6th St. by 9am. Some of the streets near the parade route close at 8, so being there early is good. City and IU parking is free but traffic patterns are likely to be confusing. There will be a restroom in the assembly area. If we get signs for a sufficient number (6) of Presidential candidates, we will also display those on the truck. To support a Presidential candidate, please bring two signs 8.5”x11” on plain or waterproofed paper. People willing to assist as Parade Marshals should contact [email protected].
FRIDAY, JULY 5,
DWC BREAKFAST, 7:30am
Village Deli on Kirkwood
Friday, July 5, 2019, 1:00pm-4:00pm
Pride in STEM Day
Wonderlab Museum, 308 W. 4th Street
Join Wonderlab and Bloomington Pride for the second annual International Day of LGBTQ+ People in STEM. WonderLab is joining museums and science centers around the world in recognizing past and present accomplishments of LGBTQ+ people in STEM. Learn about foundational LGBTQ+ scientists, as well as meet scientists from our local LGBTQ+ community. Try your skills at coding like Alan Turing. Launch a rocket like Sally Ride. Examine coral specimens like Ruth Gates. Explore the scientific method like Francis Bacon. Delve into neurology like Ben Barres. Watch the facebook page for event updates and information about these and other LGBTQ Scientists. All activities free with museum admission. https://www.facebook.com/events/2307394842707082/?ti=icl.
Thursday, July 11, 2019, 7:45-9:00am
Wake Up! With United Way: "Unteachable and Difficult"—Understanding Childhood Trauma
The Mill, 642 N. Madison Street
When a child is labeled "difficult" or deemed unable to learn or socialize properly, what might lie beneath the expressed behaviors? What referral and treatment options exist in our community, and where are the gaps? Join United Way and IU PACE for breakfast, along with Jeff Baldwin, Executive Director of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Bloomington; Kaitlyn King, Senior Clinical Therapist from Catholic Charities of Bloomington; and Dr. Jerry M. Jesseph, Clinical Professor with the IU School of Medicine, who will help us unpack these questions and share a hopeful message of the possibilities for intervention and treatment. The session encourages audience participation through a moderated Q&A format. Your $10 ticket will cover the cost of breakfast, with the remaining proceeds supporting United Way of Monroe County's efforts to address our community's critical needs today, while reducing those needs tomorrow. See the facebook event page for more info: https://www.facebook.com/events/2491470077559513/?ti=icl
Friday July 12, 2019, 7-10pm
Monroe County Courthouse
Lights for Liberty: A Vigil to End Human Detention Camps, will bring thousands of Americans to detention camps across the country, into the streets and into their own front yards, to protest the inhumane conditions faced by refugees. Beginning at 7 p.m. on July 12th, advocates, activists and impacted persons will speak on the issue of human detention camps in the United States. At 9 p.m., around the country and around the world, participants will light candles in a silent vigil for all those held in US detention camps to bring light to the darkness of the Trump administration’s horrific policies.
The Facebook event page has more information here: https://www.facebook.com/events/2351193878433089/?ti=icl
Friday, July 12, 2019, 9:30-11:00am
All-Options Drop-in Volunteer Action Hours
All-Options Pregnancy Resource Center, 1014 S. Walnut Street
Have you ever wanted to get involved with All-Options, but aren't sure about making a long-term commitment? Would you like to do some hands-on work in a judgment-free, supportive environment? Join All-Options for drop-in volunteer time—usually the first Friday of every month. They will have projects available for you to jump right in. All ages welcome!
July 17-20, 2019
2019 Young Democrats of America National Convention
Crowne Plaza, 123 W. Louisiana St, Indianapolis
Visit yda.org/convention for all details and convention matters.
August 22-24, 2019
Annual Indiana Democratic Editorial Association (IDEA) Convention in French Lick
French Lick Resort, 8670 West Road 56
The convention is still months away but hotel rooms are going QUICKLY, so if you plan to attend you are encouraged to make your hotel reservations NOW. More information on that can be found here: http://www.indems.org/annual-idea-convention-in-french-lick/
Saturday September 8, 2019
5th Annual Hamilton Family Picnic
Bryan Park
ACTION ITEM(s):
Please consider a donation to RAICES, the non-profit that helps immigrants entering the US in Texas. You can find general organization information and donation info here: https://www.raicestexas.org/about/
There's still time to chime in on the future plans of the DWC. We'll have another listening session at our July breakfast on the 5th so come prepared to help us know where we've done well and what we should do better. And you can always send your ideas along to [email protected] at any time.
BECOME A DWC MEMBER or RENEW your membership!
The DWC is dedicated to inspiring, recruiting, training, supporting and funding women to increase the number of progressive, pro-choice women in the political arena. We ALL help with this mission, together, collectively. Make sure you have full rights and privileges of membership.
Only $20 for one year’s membership.
Join online here: https://democraticwomenscaucus.nationbuilder.com/membership
Do you have news items? Send your items of interest to us at [email protected]
Deadline for MMN is noon on Sunday.
Paid for by DWPAC - Democratic Women's Political Action Committee
Democratic Women's Caucus
http://www.democraticwomenscaucus.org/