Yesterday,Andy announced the panel that he and I (but mostly he) organized at Netroots Nation, Examining the Maze of Injustice: Our Nation's Failure to Protect Indigenous Women From Violence.
What he didn't announce was the lengths to which he went to get Georgia Little Shield, the director of Pretty Bird Woman House, there.
Andy went so far above and beyond the call of duty in his commitment to the shelter that I wanted to tell you about it, and see if anybody could help him out of a little pickle he got himself in because of it.
If you've been reading this blog for the past year, you are probably familiar with the Amnesty International Report, United States of America: Maze of Injustice: The Failure to Protect Indigenous Women from Violence, as well as with the Netroots' efforts to save a women's shelter on the Standing Rock Reservation, Pretty Bird Woman House, which came about as a result of that report. Andy and I ran that campaign, and I still run the blog and Yahoo Group associated with it.
Well, back in the winter, Andy thought it would be a great idea to get Georgia Little Shield and other folks to do a panel related to the Amnesty International report and how the work of the Pretty Bird Woman House fits into it. At around the same time, my mother became a cancer patient while I was trying to finish my dissertation, so I couldn't help very much with the organizing.
To make a long story short, the Netroots Nation couldn't fund Georgia's entire trip to Austin, and the shelter didn't have the money to make up the difference. The Amnesty International-related panelists had the luxury of being part of a large organization that could stretch its budget, which Georgia did not.
So, Georgia wasn't going to be able to make it. Andy thought she was key to the panel, and the booth as well, so he offered to make up the difference. Well, after he had promised to do this, the airfare to Austin doubled.
Well, Andy still kept his commitment, which is really straining him because he's got a family and a small child.
So, if any of you dear souls would be willing to pitch in just a couple of bucks to help Andy out of this little pickle, it would be wonderful. He is so committed to this shelter that he wanted Georgia at Netroots Nation at all costs, but I'm sure he wasn't thinking how literal "all costs" might be!
He actually got so nervous about it that he set up a ChipIn here, but then he didn't put it in the body of the panel announcement.
So, I'm doing that for him.
Again, if you could help out, it would really help relieve Andy of a bunch of family stress.
Here's the ChipIn again.
Thanks everyone. Can't wait to meet you at Netroots Nation.