Everyone who has ever attended Netroots Nation probably has their own sense of what "netroots" means to them.
I really hadn't thought about it until I got up enough nerve, as a new blogger to go to Pittsburgh in 2009. The first "caucus" I attended while there was the American Indian Caucus. I got to meet Navajo (Neeta) and Meteor Blades (Tim) face-to-face for the first time.
It was a very small gathering. In fact it was the smallest group of people of color there- even though none of the groups were particularly well represented. When I got home I was pretty disgruntled about the under-representation of people of color. Wrote about it here.
After my second trip,to Las Vegas, I had the same complaint. Folks said they would help change things for the better in MN.
Same story at Minneapolis-where the panel that would have brought more Native Americans, and one that would have brought in local activists of color didn't even make the cut. We talked about it at the Black Kos Panel.
Sigh. Some of us were royally pissed.
But that first meeting I went to in Pittsburgh had a lot of symbolic significance for me. Because when I think about roots in this country I think of Native Americans-First Nations People. Sadly, for too many of us Native Americans and the issues they face daily are invisible.
Any gardener will tell you if we don't nourish the roots of a plant or tree it will die and bear no fruit.
If we don't tend to the concerns and well-being of our native peoples the spirit of our progressive coalition will wither. If those of us on the left who are so proud of our liberal stances and activism fail to champion the cause of Native Americans we are deficient.
We have been asked by our brothers and sisters to do something very simple. It doesn't even cost money.
There are enough of us who read here, comment here, diary here, even those of us who have no plans to attend Netroots Nation in 2012 to do something about this situation.
It requires only that you CLICK HERE once a day to vote.
If funded, the grant will also send two members of Native American Netroots who would not otherwise be able to go to Providence. And NAN will help Communities Joined in Action to recruit American Indian coalitions as members.
If funded it will bring new faces of color to Providence.
Lauren Reichelt (TheFatLadySings) has recruited a group of us to assist in her efforts to increase the number of "People of Color" at Netroots Nation.
She talks about it here:
She has plans to bring a group of folks from her area. To make this happen she is applying for a $50,000 Pepsi Refresh grant.
From Netroots Nation coordinator Raven Brooks:
"The key to winning the Pepsi Refresh grant is accumulating daily voters. Netroots Nation has agreed to help us organize to win this grant. Sign up at this link to receive an email once a day providing you links to vote. Once the contest is over, win or lose, the email list will be deleted and your email won't be shared with anyone. So please help us recruit all the daily voters you can, and we can do this."
I hope to see a rainbow in Providence.
Help make those who are invisible-visible. Help us build a more representative NN, and help train people of color, to let their voices be heard.
We need to nourish the roots.
You can help make that happen.
Please.