I too sing America by Langston Hughes

I, too, sing America.

I am the darker brother.
They send me to eat in the kitchen
When company comes,
But I laugh,
And eat well,
And grow strong.

Tomorrow,
I'll be at the table
When company comes.
Nobody'll dare
Say to me,
"Eat in the kitchen,"
Then.

Besides,
They'll see how beautiful I am
And be ashamed--

I, too, am America.

PAUL HACKETT NEEDS YOU

This upcoming Tuesday, former U.S. Marine Corps major Paul Hackett
(D-OH), will be competing in a special election for a seat in the US
Congress.  His race has garnered national attention, as this Iraq war veteran
has made this 70% Republican district into a race that has scared
national Republicans into dumping over $300,000 in paid media.  National
Republican polling has indicated that Hackett is surging, and is only 5%
away from becoming the newest Democrat in congress.

Paul Hackett has served his country, and now Paul Hackett needs you to
help him serve in Congress.

The campaign is having a massive canvassing and field operation
starting this Saturday and running through the election on Tuesday.  If you
can spend a weekend in southwestern Ohio to push Paul Hackett to victory,
please email ohioinvasion@collegedems.com. You can also call the
campaign directly at 513-735-4310. The campaign will supply a place to sleep
if you need it.

Forward this email around to your friends, call them and convince them
to go.  The more people that can help - even if for only one day - the
closer it puts an underdog campaign to real victory.

Thank you!

LaToia Jones
Executive Director
College Democrats of America  
www.CollegeDems.com

Secretaries of State Gathered for National Conference Urged to Support Pro-Voter Election Reforms

Secretaries of State Gathered for National Conference Urged to Support Pro-Voter Election Reforms; National Election Reform Group Highlights Recent Policy Changes Championed in Iowa, Montana, Other States
NEW YORK, July 22 (AScribe Newswire) -- Today, Miles Rapoport, President of Demos and former Secretary of the State of Connecticut, issued the following statement applauding Secretaries of State who have supported reforms that have lowered barriers to electoral participation. Rapoport urges all attendees at the National Association of Secretaries of State (NASS) Conference in St. Paul, Minnesota, this weekend to support similar reforms.
"Around the country, Secretaries of State from both parties are supporting reforms that will not only streamline the administration of elections, but will also make them fairer and more accessible for all eligible voters."
Rapoport cited several examples of the kinds of reforms that have been supported:
"Election Day Registration (EDR) is a crucial policy that has allowed the six states that employ it to have an average voter turnout of 73.6 percent - more than 13 points higher than the average for non-EDR states. In Montana this year, Secretary Brad Johnson championed a law that will allow voters to register on Election Day, which will take effect in 2006. In addition, several other Secretaries of State, including Deb Markowitz of Vermont, Chet Culver of Iowa and Dean Heller of Nevada continue to support EDR as a key election reform goal."
"The effective implementation of laws restoring voting rights for people with felony convictions is an essential element of an open and fair democratic process. In Pennsylvania, Secretary of State Pedro Cortes distributed a bilingual brochure detailing voting rights for people convicted or detained by the criminal court system, with the assistance of the Department of Corrections. Other Secretaries of State, including New Mexico's Secretary of State Rebecca Vigil-Giron, have been instrumental in improving notification and registration procedures for state residents with felony convictions."
"Georgia’s Secretary of State Cathy Cox took a courageous stand in opposing one of the most damaging election policy trends in the United States: photo voter ID requirements. Cox, armed with well-informed research showing that photo voter ID would disfranchise thousands of disabled, elderly and minority voters in her state, held firm against overly stringent identification requirements."
"For the past eleven years, many states have ignored the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 requirement that public assistance agencies offer new enrollees the opportunity to register to vote. Chet Culver in Iowa and Pedro Cortes in Pennsylvania have taken a lead on improving the implementation of the law. Early results of their efforts show a large increase in agency-based registration, undoubtedly yielding greater participation among lower-income state residents."
"Secretaries of State can support cutting edge reforms which, in addition to improving the efficiency and accuracy of elections, also take major steps toward opening the electoral process for the fullest possible participation. I applaud all of those Secretaries of State that are taking this responsibility seriously."
Secretaries of State attending the NASS conference will be presented with a "best practices" policy guide prepared by the National Network on State Election Reform (The Network), a coalition of pro-voter organizations that includes the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School of Law, Common Cause, Demos, the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law (LCCR), the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF), the National Voting Rights Institute (NVRI), People for the American Way (PFAW), Project Vote, and many others
Demos is a national, nonpartisan public policy organization based in New York and a founding member of the Right to Vote Campaign to end felon disfranchisement.
- - - -
CONTACT: Timothy Rusch, 917-399-0236, trusch@demos.org
NOTE TO EDITORS: To schedule an interview or background briefing with Miles Rapoport, President, or Steven Carbo, Director of the Democracy Program, please contact Timothy Rusch.
ON THE WEB: For more information, visit www.demos.org.
Media Contact: Timothy Rusch, 917-399-0236, trusch@demos.org

Javier Brown for CDA Political Affairs Director

Fellow Democrats,

I greet you today as a proud member of CDA. This has been an amazing year for College Democrats throughout the country. College activists throughout the country worked hard to turn out the vote for our democratic candidates and if we were the only people who voted, John Kerry would have won the presidential election with 375 electoral votes. CDA is financially strong and we have an amazing membership network.

I ask for your support today as a candidate for Director of Political Affairs for CDA. I have the experience and vision for CDA that is essential to continue the expansion and development of this organization.

During the 2004 elections, I served as president of the College Democrats chapter in the Atlanta University Center which consists of Morehouse College, Spelman College, and Clark-Atlanta University. With the aid of two friends, we started this chapter and I am proud to say that we now have over 100 members. We worked with other political organizations on campus for voter registration, education, and mobilization and were able to QUADRUPLE voter turnout in this year’s presidential election.

I have served statewide as communications director and now president and it has been a satisfying task. We have increased membership and have set groundwork for activists throughout the state.

Nationally I have been active with CDA by serving on the host committee for 375; an inaugural fundraiser as well as chair of the African American Caucus. The caucus has been very active through membership outreach, releasing position papers, lobbying efforts and networking with other organizations, members of congress, and congressional staff.

My vision is to strengthen college democrats on a local level. I think we should follow the vision of Chairman Dean as well as our President, Grant Woodard to strengthen our State Federations. We must remain in constant contact with state federations; standing behind them at every battle. We should put our resources into our states to enhance our grassroots network as well as prepare states to work against the policy of the Republican party. CDA should be run from the bottom up. Relationships by party chairs and our elected officials need to be developed to provide an effective network for our chapters and state federations. We must work hard during the off-year elections to promote the agenda of the Democratic Party. We cannot be successful by just campaigning 5 months out of the election year.

Once I again I ask that you support me and my vision for a better CDA.

Democratically Yours,

Javier A. Brown

My Weekend

Whew!!! what a weeekend. I went on a camping retreat with the Young Democrats of Georgia Exec Board. (Yes you read it right. Javier Brown went camping.)

Well, I wasn't to thrilled about going camping out in the middle of nowhere but I'm glad that I went. We got alot accomplished this weekendand I'm confident that this year will be a significant year. Like always, I was the quiet one but I still enjoyed myself. I was trying to not seem rude but of course I'm not a very talkative person and then I was kinda tired.

Well, here is the bad part about the weekend. I woke up Sunday and my body was a little sore but it wasnt a big deal. Sunday night I ended up with a fever and the chills and my body aching. Still have the body aches and a slight fever but its getting better. I hope I don't have West Nile or something.

On another note, our national committeewoman, Flora Brooke Hesse is running for YDA secretary. I think she is going to win and I'm happy about that. Georgia will once again be represented on a national level in YDA. Maybe I'll throw my hat in the ring and we'll be represented on a national level in CDA as well ;-). I'll have to take a nap before become prepared to campaign again. Maybe some caffeine and strattera will help me out.

I am just writing whatever comes out of my head. You know Tmobile Hot spot is great. I'm in Starbucks right now drinking a soy chai latte and surfing the net. ( Yes I have a fever but Im also FREEZING and I need something to warm me up and wake me up. I've been in the bed all day long.
Well I must go now. TTYL