One hundred thirty Long Islanders, eager to grow the grassroots progressive movement throughout their communities, met Saturday, March 21, in Glen Cove for the Founding Convention of Yes We Can! Long Island. This grass-roots group was formed fourteen months ago by four people who decided to work to get President Obama elected and has grown its membership to 1,500 excited and committed progressive activists. The group aims to support President Obama’s agenda of hope and change, while challenging his program as need be. After the convention, many members signed up for Organizing for America’s Pledge Project. A few went right out to the streets and were shown in a report on CNN. The below video includes the CNN segment, with photos from the convention.
The purpose of the conference was to continue a dialogue about key national and local issues and to develop a platform for which the group will advocate. On this day the focus was on healthcare, energy and the environment, diversity, and service to one’s community. Committees were formed for each issue and participants volunteered to become the point people for each issue, gathering e-mails and promising to set up future meetings where members could develop a plan for advancing their positions. The membership completed surveys to direct the Board of YWC!LI to focus on more issues in upcoming sessions.
Marvin gave the opening Introduction, laying out what Yes We Can! Long Island hopes to accomplish:
Jon Cooper, Suffolk County Legislator, who is considering a run for the US Senate, spoke next:
Maurice spoke about service, but started off his speech with inspiring words about what we as a nation need to accomplish:
Michael, a graduate student at Hofstra University spoke on the challenges our society faces today:
Part 1
Part 2
"America is the sum of our dreams ... and what makes us one American family is that we stand up and fight for each other’s dreams. We felt that sense of mission at each of the five sessions today. Everything we talked about is essential to our well-being, and to the survival of our children, particular their ability to remain on Long Island. It’s time to reclaim the American dream," Marvin Kreutzberger, President of Yes We Can! Long Island, said as he closed the convention. ‘
The conference concluded with members participating in Organizing for America’s Pledge Project’, a DNC event conducted in communities across the nation. The engagement of YWC!LI volunteers is highlighted in the video as they spread the word and built support for the President's plan to create jobs and renew and strengthen our economy.
CNN reporter Jim Acosta concludes his piece by pointing out, "This has all the makings of a campaign before the re-election campaign." To put it into proper perspective, Yes We Can!
We at Yes We Can! Long Island hope that our convention and our activism inspires others to create their own groups across this nation. We are the change we seek, and without our continuous engagement in our local communities and our governments at all levels, we loose control of our government. A democracy is only as strong as those who participate in it.
http://www.YesWeCanLI.org