|
Jackie Salit will deliver a keynote address at the virtual American Citizens Summit conference, "Building Bridges for our Nation's Future" on Tuesday, August 2nd at 8 pm / ET.
Her presentation will provide an independent's post-convention analysis. Jackie will be followed by California Lt. Governor Gavin Newsom.
The American Citizens Summit is a virtual conference that runs from August 1 - 5th. It will bring together over 45 political leaders, grassroots visionaries, business leaders, and change agents in a four-day innovative online conference. The Summit features speakers engaged in activities that transcend partisan politics who are committed to putting democratic principles before politics-as-usual.
Register here to listen to Jackie
.
There are two ways to participate in the conference - by phone or webcast. Once you've registered, you can listen to any of the speakers.
|
Petitions Presented to DNC Rules Committee
A team from Open Primaries traveled to the Democratic Party Convention in Philadelphia to deliver 40,000 bound signatures on a petition directed to the
 DNC and RNC Rules Committees
calling for open presidential primaries. Maggie Wunderly, a supporter of open primaries from Illinois and member of the Democratic Party Rules Committee, introduced a rule to require that all state party organizations conduct open presidential primaries. Maggie presented the 40,000 signatures with her motion. The motion was defeated, falling short of the 25% needed to bring a motion to the floor of the convention. "
It was an honor to stand up for the 26.3 million registered voters who couldn't vote in this presidential election," said Maggie.
Malcolm Burn, (see video to the right), has been active with New Yorkers for Primary Reform and
is a Sanders supporter from Kingston, New York. He traveled to Philly to deliver the petitions.
Said Malcolm: "When people feel their voices don't make a difference (especially young people), they become apathetic. But what I saw during this campaign when I told people that these signatures would be going directly to the Rules Committee is that there is a yearning to change the process in a meaningful way."
Alvaader Frazier, a New York City leader of the Independence Clubs and a key organizer of the petitioning campaign, added: "
Congratulations to Open Primaries, IndependentVoting.org, New Yorkers for Primary Reform, NYC Independence Clubs, the 40,000 Americans of every political stripe who signed our national petitions, and the community organizers nationwide who went to the streets! A powerful shout out to Maggie Wunderly for her critical voice! Our long march for electoral reform, at long last walked through this mighty two party national intersection in this 2016 presidential campaign and onto history's stage. Let's take a bow and then carry on the struggle!"
|
|
Bernie, The Prodigal Son
After completing the successful run of her off-Broadway show
Votes at the Castillo Theatre, Jackie Salit attended a workshop for playwrights led by Pulitzer Prize winning playwright Paula Vogel, sponsored by the Vineyard Theatre. Vogel directed each participant to spend 45 minutes writing a short play based on the biblical story of the Prodigal Son. This is the story of a father and two sons where the younger, wayward son returns home after squandering his fortune and violating the basic religious laws of his household and asks to be accepted by his father. The older son wants his brother to be cast out, but the father chooses to embrace and forgive him.
|
|
Profiles in Independence:
Mustafa Saied, Orlando, Florida
 |
|
|
Mustafa Saied with his wife Sadaf who is President of the Muslim Women's Organization (MWO) in Orlando |
Mustafa Saied is the founder of the Foundation for American Institutional Reform (FAIR) and a new member of IndependentVoting.org.
"I guess I meet all the stereotypes that different people want to see me as. Born and raised in India, my career as an entrepreneur in the mobile technology field is seen as my calling, a typical journey for an Indian immigrant. As a person with progressive values and nontraditional habits, I am easily dismissed as more American and less Muslim. And with a Muslim name that has Arab origins, I also fit the mold of what some in the South see as more Muslim and less American. None of these come even close to defining what I really am. Add to this the turbulence of the recent mass shooting in Orlando, which not only directly affected very close friends of mine in the LGBT community but also suddenly brought the Muslim American community into the crosshairs of a virulent neo-conservative attack, and what you have is a perfect storm. So I say, spare me the partisan squabbles. Give me the real deal. Independent voting, here I come.
"I am a father of five, four of them girls, and that makes activism a necessity in terms of planning for their future. It is not enough for people to ask for their vote to be counted. If that counted vote means nothing because of the electoral college or the delegate system, then what is the point?
It is a crucial time in our country, and with the independent voting block having reached a point where it could allow us to put the power in the hands of the people,
I see how an organization like IndependentVoting.org can help lead us to the finish line.
The time for half measures is over."
|
In the News
- Mainers Joe Pickering (Bangor) and Bob Croce (Dedham) had a letter published in the Sun Journal calling for hearings to be open and public.
|
|
|
Are you a member of IndependentVoting.org?
We are the grassroots-fueled movement that believes if we're going to get forward-looking policies and develop our country, then we have to change the way our political process functions. Your membership connects you to a national grassroots network working on these critical issues in every state of the country and strengthens our ability to force the process open.
Membership is a one-time $10 fee (or you can become a sponsor for $100 which includes membership and a $90 donation).
And help expand additional outreach on social media by making a donation to our advertising campaign.
Every $100 you give allows us to engage 4,500 people with our message on Facebook.
Please Donate here . Thanks for your generous support!
|
|
Share the Hub with friends and ask them to subscribe
STAY CONNECTED
|
|
|
|
|
