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Dear Minnesota WILPF Member,
Have you heard? The 2025 WILPF Triennial Congress will be in St. Paul! I’m excited by the first in-person Congress since the 2017 Chicago one and the chance to meet many of our Minnesota members.
Since you’re a Minnesotan, I wanted to give you some individual advance notice about the Congress. I’m also writing today to ask for your assistance with the Congress. I hope you’ll attend the Congress, and I hope you'll take this opportunity to volunteer to help WILPF — even if you can’t join us in St. Paul.
But I’m getting ahead of myself! The theme for the 2024 Congress is so timely, with the siege in Gaza: “Water on the Front Lines for Peace”. Not only will we be convening right on the Mississippi River, but we’ll also have a multifaceted program that will develop and broaden our thinking about water — and peace. The Congress starts in the afternoon of Thursday, May 30, and it ends some 72 experience-rich hours later on Sun., June 2.
I’ve been to quite a few WILPF Congresses over the last 30 years, and they’ve all been wonderful blends of information on issues, inspiring speakers, connection with the locality, and — on a personal level, best of all — opportunities to get to know WILPFers from across the country. Please, spread the word about the Congress to your friends and other activists and progressives who might be interested!
If you’re close by, you might choose to head home each evening — or you may prefer the convenience of staying at our congress hotel. If the latter, start thinking now about who you might want to encourage to attend to be your roommate and share the room costs. (Each hotel room has two queen beds – space enough for multiple families in some communities today.) Either way, we’re hoping Minnesotans will volunteer to help for a few hours to staff information and/or registration tables — and/or help with other such Congress tasks. It’s a great way to get more involved and to meet other WILPF members from near and far.
You may well be wondering — how can you help even if you don’t attend?
I'm asking you and every Minnesota WILPF member to reach out to one or two of the local businesses you know of. Ask them to buy an advertisement in our Congress Program Book.
Of course, this works best for a business near Minneapolis or St. Paul or that has a branch there.
Another name for the Program Book — which each Congress goer gets, giving them the schedule for each day, along with other vital information — is the Tribute Book. That’s because another way to support the Congress is to honor someone in the Tribute Book. You (or someone you reach out to) can purchase an ad — small or large — to affirm and give tribute to a person or an organization important to you or to your community. Of course, the ads can include a political message (consistent with WILPF principles).
This is the first time the Congress has been in Minnesota for at least 30 years; it’s a rare opportunity! I hope something in this email speaks to you, so that you’ll reply to me that you want to help make this Congress a memorable one. Just let me know what you’re considering, and I’ll be sure we give you more information.
I know how many things demand our attention these days, so please respond to me today at President@WILPFus.org. I'll then send you more information – about the kinds of help we need at the Congress, the advertising rates, or whatever other answers you seek. Don’t put off replying to this email, because you don’t want to miss this chance!
I’m excited that I’ll be meeting our Minnesota and Midwest members — and being able to put faces to the names – including of those who reply to me.
Darien De Lu
President, WILPF US
President@WILPFus.org
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