It all started with a letter written by two women (Lyra and Quinn) that they emailed to 40 of their friends. “We are writing to you,” wrote Lyra and Quinn, “because of the fury and dread we have felt since the announcement of Sarah Palin as the Vice-Presidential candidate for the Republican Party.. She does not represent us.”
Within one week 100,000 women responded with their own impassioned stories and statements about why Sarah Palin should not be Vice President.
Join us on October 30th, 2008, when performers from all walks of life (unknown and celebrity) will lend their voice and human presence to the thousands of women across America who responded to Lyra and Quinn’s letter across America by reading their comments LIVE. Where? Right here!
http://womenrespondtopalin.com/
Ever since June, dedicated volunteers have been hitting the doors and the phones on behalf of Barack in the general election. Through events like Unite for Change parties, and Women to Women meetings, former Hillary supporters have smoothly transitioned to become an integral part of our effort, and they bring a drive and dedication to changing this country that is truly admirable.
Some have even stepped up to become leaders. An organizer describes one such amazing woman, Robin, in Toledo:
Robin was a huge supporter of Senator Clinton in the primaries, travelling to four states, working, in her words, "thousands of hours," to make the change we need in this country. After the primaries ended, Robin was disappointed, but knew that she needed to help Barack...Over the last several weeks, Robin has held a Unite for Change House Meeting where Hillary supporters got a chance to clear the air and move forward. She has made hundreds of calls to Hillary supporters from the primary, and my friends, I have never seen so many undecideds turn into supporters in my life. Robin is essentially single-handedly unifying her area of Toledo. Several days ago Robin got 5 Hillary supporters from the primary to come to the office, she trained them on Unity calls (as she calls them), and had a three hour Unite for Change phone bank.Robin...has been an inspiration to me, by helping ensure that Democrats will be united to make history in November. And thank goodness the primaries are over, so I get to work with the wonderful Hillary supporters like Robin.
Robin was a huge supporter of Senator Clinton in the primaries, travelling to four states, working, in her words, "thousands of hours," to make the change we need in this country. After the primaries ended, Robin was disappointed, but knew that she needed to help Barack...
Over the last several weeks, Robin has held a Unite for Change House Meeting where Hillary supporters got a chance to clear the air and move forward. She has made hundreds of calls to Hillary supporters from the primary, and my friends, I have never seen so many undecideds turn into supporters in my life. Robin is essentially single-handedly unifying her area of Toledo. Several days ago Robin got 5 Hillary supporters from the primary to come to the office, she trained them on Unity calls (as she calls them), and had a three hour Unite for Change phone bank.Robin...has been an inspiration to me, by helping ensure that Democrats will be united to make history in November. And thank goodness the primaries are over, so I get to work with the wonderful Hillary supporters like Robin.
Are you a former Hillary supporter? Have you had a unifying experience with a Hillary supporter? Let us know in the comments section below!
And to join our movement in Ohio, click HERE.
With a healthy showing of twenty-four attendees, those involved in local education talked about what they specifically could do to get the word out and expand the effort in Akron. Conclusions revolved around a continual voter registration drive aimed at high school and college students, as well as the promotion of local volunteering opportunities within the campaign to those students who are Obama supporters... and might have some time and youthful energy to spare for Barack. It was the perfect example of a professional or social group looking at the skills and resources they bring to the table, pooling these tools together, and putting them to work in the name of change.
Ashland and Richland counties certainly aren't the first places you think of when you consider where a progressive candidate, who strongly advocates for women's rights, would have support, as both have voted heavily red in the past. But on a beautiful Sunday in north central Ohio, some truly empowered women gathered in two meetings in adjacent counties to talk about women's issues, commemorate the 160th Anniversary of the Seneca Falls Convention, and collectively devote their time and energy towards the candidacy of Barack.
Both forums were marked by their intimacy--by the opportunity for women to speak honestly about how they feel about the issues at hand, the election, and what they think they must do to move forward in the name of women.
In the picture from Ashland above, Louise, second from left, listens to Nikki talk, along with her daughter (next to her), Sandy (on the left), and Mary (second from right). Louise shared the story about how she wasn't very involved in the primary, but her son's enthusiasm for Barack drew her in for the general election.
Here, Kelly talks while Jean listens. Like a few of the women in attendance at these meetings, Jean was a Hillary-turned-Barack supporter. She spoke about how, being a butcher, in what is thought of as a "man's profession," she had to work hard to get equal pay as her male counterparts.
One town over, in Mansfield, in a spacious office, Field Director Jackie kicked off the meeting by telling her personal story and what this election means to her as a woman. Like in Ashland, those present watched a video, shared their own stories, and asked questions about what they could do to help the campaign.
Among those in attendance were Barbara and Emily, whose families' joint political involvement goes back generations. Barbara also was for Hillary in the primary, but has already started to canvas for Barack. Similarly, Carol, second from the far end, was initially resistant to doing voter contact, but has now become one of the staples of the volunteer effort in the area. Local Field Organizer Katie told about how Carol held a house party a couple weeks ago, and since then every single person who attended her meeting has come in to canvas for Barack. Talk about a success ratio!
This weekend, across the state, women are uniting around the change they want to see in this country, in commemoration of the 160th anniversary of the historic Seneca Falls Convention.
Women to Women events, as they're called, trace the struggle for women's voting rights to the struggle for the rights and protection that women seek today, and find hope for in candidates like Barack. Women across Ohio will take the energy passed on by the generations that preceded them, and use it to take action in this campaign. There will be canvassing, phone-banking, and organizational meetings.
Nowhere was the connection between the past and the present of the struggle more evident than today in Akron, where canvassing was preceded by a performance of Sojourner Truth's famous speech on women's rights, in the very place where she delivered it. Regional Field Director Max described the afternoon:
This event featured Mrs. Shirley Washington’s (an interpretive speaker) account of Sojourner Truth’s historic “And Ain’t I a Woman” speech in 1851. Sojourner Truth, a former slave, was a leading voice in both the abolitionist movement and the women’s rights movement. This reading and canvass kickoff was held next to the Sojourner Truth Building which was erected years later at the site of this landmark for women’s rights.Two of our favorite lines of hers after her interpretation were:“Women still don’t believe that we can speak up, stand up, and act up. But it is only through acting up that we will create change and get Barack Obama elected.”and“Women have to reach out to women so we do what is right. And what is right for women is to vote for Barack Obama.”Following her interpretation and comments by other leading women in Akron, Organizing Fellow Liz gave canvassing instructions and we broke out into groups that covered sections of Akron ranging from Summit Lake, Goodyear Heights, and North Akron.[In this shot is] organizer Beth instructing mother/daughter volunteer duo Mary Beth and Mary.
This event featured Mrs. Shirley Washington’s (an interpretive speaker) account of Sojourner Truth’s historic “And Ain’t I a Woman” speech in 1851. Sojourner Truth, a former slave, was a leading voice in both the abolitionist movement and the women’s rights movement.
This reading and canvass kickoff was held next to the Sojourner Truth Building which was erected years later at the site of this landmark for women’s rights.
Two of our favorite lines of hers after her interpretation were:“Women still don’t believe that we can speak up, stand up, and act up. But it is only through acting up that we will create change and get Barack Obama elected.”and“Women have to reach out to women so we do what is right. And what is right for women is to vote for Barack Obama.”Following her interpretation and comments by other leading women in Akron, Organizing Fellow Liz gave canvassing instructions and we broke out into groups that covered sections of Akron ranging from Summit Lake, Goodyear Heights, and North Akron.
[In this shot is] organizer Beth instructing mother/daughter volunteer duo Mary Beth and Mary.
Events like today's show that Barack's is just the latest in a long line of movements for change, to the voices of everyone heard.
