Monthly Archive for April, 2010

March for Immigrant Rights

Published by Thomas Bloom on April 27, 2010. 0 Comments Tags: , , , .

On Friday, Arizona passed a law that both requires immigrants to carry documents to verify their immigration status and gives law enforcement the authority to question anyone about their immigration status as long as they have “reasonable suspicion” that the person entered the country illegally. The law opens the door to racial profiling and persecution, and it is widely thought to be a violation of the United States Constitution.

Arizona is only the latest indicator that the United States needs just immigration reform now. A number of groups in Saint Louis will be demanding reform this Saturday:


On Saturday, May 1, 2010, thousands of United Methodist Women, in St. Louis for their Quadrennial Assembly, and key St. Louis community groups will march from America’s Center to Kiener Plaza and participate in a public faith-based vigil for immigrant, civil and human rights. Bishop Minerva Carcaño, chair of the United Methodist Task Force on Immigration, will lead the event.

In collaboration with local organizations like Missouri Immigrant and Refugee Advocates, Interfaith Committee on Latin America, National Farm Worker Ministry, Metropolitan Congregations United, Organization of Black Struggle, the Organization of Chinese Americans- St. Louis and African Mutual Alliance Assistance Association of Missouri, United Methodist Women will be joined by Nobel Peace Prize winner Rigoberta Menchú (invited) and interfaith leaders from the Muslim, Jewish and Catholic faiths including a representative of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese, Rabbi Susan Talve, Imam Muhamed Hasic, and UMC Bishop Robert Schnase .

The march and vigil will be a call to the St. Louis area and to the United States to keep families together, bring an end to detentions and deportations, protect workers’ rights, stop racial profiling, and show support of just immigration reform. Marchers will leave America’s Center at 11:30 am. The noon vigil at Kiener Plaza will include interfaith prayer, puppetista street theater and music.

The vigil will also be an opportunity for St. Louis community members and members of United Methodist Women from around the country to take action. A petition will be circulated calling for a city and county ordinance to outlaw racial profiling. Organizers will also collect postcards from participants affirming their support for the tenets outlined above to be delivered to Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano.

“When civil and human rights are violated in our community, it hurts everyone,” said Jennifer Rafanan, Director of Missouri Immigrant and Refugee Advocates. “We are excited about the impact that these actions will have for everyone living in our community – immigrants and non-immigrants, alike.”

United Methodist Women have been taking action around racial justice throughout their 140 year history. In 1952 they first adopted their Charter for Racial Justice, which was revised in 1978 with a particular focus on institutional racism. That year, United Methodist Women processed from the Assembly Hall in Louisville, Ky., and moved into the streets to sign the Charter.

“We are building on that history to again march out of the UMW Assembly into the streets to take action for racial justice,” said Carol Barton, Executive Secretary for Community Action. “On May 1st United Methodist Women will again take a visible stand challenging current policies of detention and deportation, supporting family unity, rights for migrant workers, and calling for an end to racial profiling and violence against migrant women. We will continue to call for just immigration reform.”

United Methodist Women is also calling for actions across the country, urging members who would want to participate but cannot be in St. Louis to organize public witness events in their own communities.

For more information from United Methodist Women contact: Yamil Anglada – (646) 522-6870 or (917) 776-9737. For more information in St. Louis, contact Jennifer Rafanan, Missouri Immigrant and Refugee Advocates (MIRA) – info@mira-mo.org, 314-644-0466 ext. 15 or Marilyn Lorenz, Inter-faith Committee on Latin America (IFCLA) – ifcla@ifcla.org, 314-721-2977.

For more info, check out the Facebook Event

A Message from David Plouffe About Vote 2010

Published by Thomas Bloom on April 26, 2010. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , .

Saint Louis University College Democrats –

There are only 190 days until the 2010 election.

Many of you have been at work long before now. You’ve held strategy sessions all across the country to discuss how to most effectively help candidates in your community who are fighting to bring about change.

At OFA headquarters, we’ve been poring over your ideas, your input, and the best data we can get our hands on to determine the most helpful role we can play.

Together, based on that feedback, we’ve crafted a comprehensive electoral plan that can make a big difference in the upcoming elections.

President Obama recorded a video message to share our goals for 2010 with you — and to remind us what’s at stake. Watch it now.

We’ve accomplished a lot together. But we’re in for a tough fight this fall.

Historical trends aren’t in our favor — the president’s party generally loses seats in the first midterm election. And even though President Obama has taken bold steps like the Recovery Act to put us back on the path to prosperity, escaping from a financial crisis like this one takes time.

The prognosticators and pundits are predicting steep losses for the Democrats. The Republicans are already measuring the drapes for their new offices, saying that anything short of an electoral landslide that gives them back control of Congress won’t be a victory.

But these are the same folks who said Barack Obama could never become president, the same ones who said we were trying to do too much, too fast — and that we’d never pass historic health reform. They were wrong then, and they’re wrong now.

I believe we can avoid the nightmare electoral scenario that Republicans in Washington have already convinced themselves will happen. But only if we work together.

Two years ago, we challenged a group of young and disaffected voters to participate in the 2008 election. They cast votes for the very first time and helped us elect a new president. You told us that your top priority for 2010 was to help these people head back to the polls — and we built our plan around that goal.

President Obama has America heading in the right direction. But our opponents want to repeal health reform. They’re standing with Wall Street banks to block any efforts to rein in reckless behavior and protect consumers. And they’re attacking a foreign policy that has renewed America’s standing in the world. They are eager to undo all we’ve done.

The stakes are high. And that’s the level of commitment we need from you. So watch the President introduce our 2010 plan — and find out how you can get involved in the fight:

http://2010.barackobama.com

It’s a pleasure to continue our work together,

David Plouffe

Meeting Tomorrow!

Published by SLU Dems on April 26, 2010. 0 Comments Tags: , .

Tomorrow (4/27) we will have our last meeting of the year at Triumph Grill at 7pm. Come hang out and discuss ideas for next year!

Happy 21st Birthday to College Democrats Secretary Maxwell Jordan!

President Obama Announces Vote 2010

Published by Thomas Bloom on April 26, 2010. 0 Comments Tags: , , , .

Apply for a Leadership Position in YDMO!

Published by Thomas Bloom on April 25, 2010. 0 Comments Tags: .

The Young Democrats of Missouri are looking for applicants to fill a number of positions. Below is a letter from YDMO President Cameron Sullivan:

One of the first duties I have as President is to appoint a number of leaders from across the state to fill vacant seats on the executive board.

The positions available are:

Finance Director – Assists the President with all aspects of fundraising for YDMO.
Expansion Director – Assists the President with the creation and development of new chapters statewide.
Tech Director – Manages the website, edits videos, and assists the Communications Director with our social networking strategy. The applicant must have experience with web design and WordPress specifically.
Young Professionals Coordinator – Much like the Chair of the College Federation, this person will be responsible for ensuring YDMO addresses the needs of Young Professionals (YPs), creating more YP chapters statewide, and serves as the voice of YPs on the executive board.

You can apply online at http://tinyurl.com/YDMOExec. Applications are due by Wednesday, May 5th at 5pm.

Thanks,

Cameron Sullivan
President, Young Democrats of Missouri
csullivan@ydmissouri.org
417-527-5740

Young Democrats of STL Meeting Tomorrow

Published by Thomas Bloom on April 25, 2010. 0 Comments Tags: , , , .

The Young Democrats of Greater Saint Louis will hold their April meeting tomorrow (4/26) at 7pm at Maggie O’Brien’s. Anyone that needs a ride can carpool with the SLU College Democrats by meeting at the clocktower at 6:45pm.

The meeting will feature a presentation by Jack Coatar, Executive Director of the Saint Louis Democratic Party and former president of the SLU College Democrats, on Saint Louis’ bid to hold the 2012 Democratic National Convention.

For more info about the meeting, check out the Facebook Event

An Evening With Nikki Giovanni

Published by Thomas Bloom on April 21, 2010. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , .

Tonight (4/21) at 7pm in the Busch Student Center Wool Ballrooms, the Cross Cultural Center and the Department of African-American Studies will host an Evening with Nikki Giovanni:


The Cross Cultural Center and the department of African-American studies hosts an evening with world renowned poet, author and activist Nikki Giovanni at 7 p.m. Wednesday, April 21, in the Wool Ballroom at Busch Student Center.

Sharing her words, knowledge and wisdom, Giovanni will address the intersections of racism, sexism and oppression while challenging the SLU and Saint Louis communities to be more inclusive, loving, and equitable.

The event is free and open to the public. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. for ticket holders and 6:50 p.m. for general audience members.

SLU community members may pick up TWO early entrance tickets with a valid campus ID from the Student Involvement Center (BSC 319).

About Nikki Giovanni: Nikki Giovanni is a world-renowned poet, writer, commentator, activist, and educator. Over the past 30 years, her outspokenness, in her writing and in lectures, has brought the eyes of the world upon her.

One of the most widely-read American poets, she prides herself on being “a Black American, a daughter, a mother, a professor of English.” Giovanni remains as determined and committed as ever to the fight for civil rights and equality.

Always insisting on presenting the truth as she sees it, she has maintained a prominent place as a strong voice of the Black community. Her focus is on the individual, specifically, on the power one has to make a difference in oneself, and thus, in the lives of others.

For additional information contact Kenjus Watson via email at ccc@slu.edu or by phone (314) 977-2826.

Meeting Tonight!

Published by SLU Dems on April 20, 2010. 0 Comments Tags: , .

We will have a meeting Tonight, April 20th at 7:00 PM in Beracha Hall 121. Come with ideas for designs for a SLU College Democrats banner!

Also, check out this upcoming event in St Louis:

ACT FOR IMMIGRANT, CIVIL AND HUMAN RIGHTS ON SATURDAY MAY 1

11:30 AT AMERICA’S CENTER, NOON AT KIENER PLAZA

Join the United Methodist Women who are in St. Louis for their assembly as they call us to end detentions and deportations, to advocate for keeping families together, just immigration reform, for worker’s rights, for an end to racial profiling.

for more info email Joel Jennings at jjennin7@slu.edu

A Message From Former SLU College Democrats President Jack Coatar:

Published by SLU Dems on April 20, 2010. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , .

My friends,

St. Louis needs your help. I’m part of the committee for the effort to host the 2012 Democratic Convention in in St. Louis. We announced this effort on Friday morning via Twitter @STLdnc2012. A story appeared in the Friday Business Journal, and in the first 48 hours, we generated dozens of news stories. We also gained over 1,000 fans to our Facebook page since then. Overall, a very strong start and a great response from the community.

But we know we can do better, and we will need to in order to help St. Louis win this competition. I know that not everyone on this list is a Democrat, and not all of you supported then-candidate Obama in 2008. But we all support St. Louis, and this is our time to shine. 2012 would give our region a chance to re-introduce ourselves to the world, and generate nearly $275 million for our regional economy (based on the windfall Denver gained by hosting the 2008 DNC).

We want to build a group of supporters as broad and diverse as St. Louis, and we need your help to do it. So here’s the ask:

1. Become a fan of our Facebook Page. I know many of you already have. Click the “Share” link at the bottom of the page and invite your friends to do the same, or post the invitation on your wall.

2. Follow us on Twitter @STLdnc2012, and retweet when you can.

3. Sign up for information on our website, www.stl2012.org.

4. Tell your friends.

The DNC certainly has an extensive selection process for awarding the convention host city. As part of that process, they will be looking at our social media numbers as a measure of enthusiasm and support in the broader community, and we intend to do it up right.

I’ve always said the one thing St. Louis lacks is audacity. We’re too often afraid of striking out to take a turn at bat. Not this time—let’s dream big, work hard and make this happen.

Best,
Jack Coatar

Our Pain, Our Voice, Our Future

Published by Thomas Bloom on April 18, 2010. 0 Comments

Tomorrow (4/19) at 5pm, SLU Students for Social Justice will hold a vigil at the clocktower in a continued effort to create a more welcoming, accepting, and loving campus environment at SLU.

This is a non-partisan event with no affiliation to any chartered student organization. This post is purely for the purposes of informing as many students as possible about the event.


The past few months have been difficult for many reasons for SLU students…

Members of our community have been attacked because of race, sexual orientation, and other marginalized identities…

In some ways our community fractured….as we chose sides of who was right, wrong, and indifferent…

We felt pain for our friends involved…

We have struggled to listen, to be angry, and to witness that anger….

And as we struggle to understand why people have been hurt and students have acted in way we may not understand we know that how we as a community deal with our reactions define who we are….

We will gather this Monday, the 19th at the Clocktower to acknowledge how many have been hurt, voice our concern and support, and to say that as we move forward we need to listen, to struggle, to begin the long process of healing….

Please join us….

For more info, check the Facebook Event