I'm fairly sure none of you missed the diaries and discussion on the outstanding meetup sponsored by DKOS Asheville last weekend, all full of enthusiasm and passion. With the sweet singing by the pastor of St. James, Reverend Brent La Prince Edwards; the motivating speech by the president of the North Carolina NAACP, Rev. William Barber II; our own Markos, navajo, Denise Oliver-Velez and so many kossacks connecting, uniting and acting -- show of hands here, how many wished they could have been there?
I can't say with any certainty, but I would bet the event last weekend and the one held in February in Austin were exactly what was envisioned when Connect, Unite, Act was formed. There have been a number of memorable meetups held, but those two undoubtedly stand out and I believe it is no coincidence that they do because they were held in red states where democrats are working hard to turn the tide from red to blue. Florida and Georgia, let's start the ball rolling in our sister states. We share the same struggles and frustrations as do North Carolina and Texas so let us build the same kind of coalition as have our fellow kossacks. Follow me down below to get this movement started, my friends.
On Monday one of our members and master of meetups, Gordon20024 sent me a kosmail and posted one for the group urging a meetup mid-November. Gordon was fresh from Asheville and fully pumped up with a fire that was impossible to resist. Since then, Gordon, myself and Vetwife collectively decided on three dates and three locations to choose from. We've also discussed an agenda based on this group's online profile:
Our focus, both online and with real life meet-ups, is sharing and organizing political activism; disseminating social, political and progressive issues; community building; and support and encouragement for our red state brothers and sisters.
Proposed Dates
We have three dates in mind, all in November and all on a Saturday:
~ November 7th
~ November 14th
~ November 21st
Proposed Locations
Valdosta, Georgia is located in southern central Georgia, 22 miles from the Florida border. Valdosta is approximately 230 miles from Atlanta or Orlando. There are multiple restaurants and hotels with meeting spaces. The meeting space(s) in the local libraries only allow a 3 hour use and the largest seats only 35 people. There are no nearby state parks with meeting spaces.
Tallahassee,Florida is located in north central Florida, it is approximately 260 miles from Atlanta and 250 miles to Orlando. None of our dates are available for the meeting rooms at the local libraries and community centers. There is a state park with an outdoor meeting pavilion, but it is booked. There are multiple hotels and restaurants with meeting spaces that would suit our needs.
Lake City, Florida is located in north Florida near the junction I-10 and I-75, between Jacksonville and Tallahassee. It is 62 miles from Valdosta, Georgia and 50 miles from Gainesville, Florida. There are no state parks with meeting accommodations nearby, however there are several hotels and at least one restaurant with meeting space and the local Shrine club has a banquet facility for rent.
Proposed Agenda
Topping the list is meeting, greeting and hugging our blogging friends IRL plus plenty of good food to enjoy and photograph. This will be followed by guest speakers. It is our intent to provide one or two speakers who will address GOTV efforts, grassroot campaigning, voter registration drives and other efforts that will drive our area democrats to the polls. By limiting our speakers we can then have a generous question and answer period as well as general discussion time. The best information often comes from sharing our "what works, what doesn't work" personal experiences with our local groups. Before wrapping up we will hold a brief discussion on setting a date/location for the next meetup as the earlier we do, the better our options on finding affordable meeting spaces.
In the weeks prior to the meetup we will gather as many resources, petitions, action items, and the like and make them available as handouts. With the handouts; tools, tips and tricks outlined by our speakers; input from our kossacks who have long histories of boots on the ground activism; and incredible enthusiasm and motivation that is a natural by product of a gathering of great minds we hope you go away prepared to take your playbook home and implement it.
What We Need From You
In the comments please let us know:
~ Your first choice of date and your second choice of date
~ Your first choice of location and your second choice of location
~ If you plan on attending or would make an effort to attend
~ If you would like to attend, but would need a ride or some other assistance
~ Suggestions on any topic
~ Action items
I don't know about y'all, but I view members of Daily Kos as more knowledgeable, experienced and politically savvy than other political activists. We stay informed, we readily get involved, we back and support our fellow Democrats and we leave it all on the field. When you vote in November 2016 will you be confident you did all you could for your party?
Florida Georgia Line Kossacks welcomes everyone to join our group; let us know in the comments if you are interested in joining or send a kosmail to either the group or to me, JaxDem. We appreciate any and all help in turning our states a more pleasing shade -- Blue! |