Hey Kossacks, I'm live-blogging from happy hour with the Arizona State Young Democrats. I just showed the table how to use dKos and I'm trying to convince people to sign up. We came from meeting and now we're hanging out. There are two debates going on: the best Italian soda flavors and which candidate is the worst. Read on below the fold for more about getting more YDs on dKos and our activism this week.
Before I get to our work this week, our Vice-President asked me to put a little disclaimer about my post from last week's meeting. There are actually four Democrats running for the Tempe City Council. Last week I mentioned Mark Mitchell, Joel Navarro, and Corey Woods. They got a shout-out because they've come to meetings. Rhett Wilson is also running, but hey Rhett, I'm not going to give you a write-up unless you come to one of our meetings.
Right now we're at Plaid, a locally owned restaurant here in Tempe. It's a funky eatery, with local art, comfortable couches and an eclectic menu. If your ever in the area, stop by and try the hummus.
I was just showing the group about dKos. Before, I've tried to get more information about YDs on here. Now, I'm trying to teach YDs about dKos. It's surprising how many progressives don't know about dKos and the netroots. I'm trying to get a member of the Student Justice Coalition to post about her fight for worker's rights on campus.
We've got a lot on our plates right now, and I don't just mean the paid thai. This coming week we're doing a lot of events, but three events I want to highlight are a fundraiser for Women beyond Borders, our activism on Darfur, and 50 State Strategy training.
Women Beyond Borders at ASU is hosting a fundraiser tomorrow at the same restaurant we're at now for their organization. I want to mention this event because a big part of what Young Democrats do is working with affiliate organizations to further our issues. Our local chapter of Women Beyond Borders does a lot of great work supporting women's rights and we are proud to support their fight for equality.
Another group we work with is STAND, Students Taking Action Now Darfur. Our university, along with others around the country, is sending students to Darfur to deliver letters to Congress urging our legislators to take action to stop the genocide. We also have Voice from Darfur this week. It is a national speaking tour featuring refugees from Darfur. Darfur, along with the Jena six, is an issue that has been actively supported by college students and young people. Without young activists, Darfur might not be as big of an issue as it is now.
Sunday, the Arizona Democratic party is conducting a workshop on the 50 State Strategy and how we can turn Arizona blue. It's going to be a great event. I'm going to hold off on writing too much about it so I can do a full entry on it after the event.
That's what we're up to next week, what are you plans to help take back our country next week?