Hi. For many - maybe most - of you reading this you are not registered users at DailyKos. Or maybe you are, and you just read. Maybe you're in a smaller group and you comment now and again. Maybe, in fact, you write a diary here and there.
People post about DailyKos Connects in Asheville and you think to yourself: wait a second, hold on, I'm just not THAT politically motivated. I share a story or two, OK, but Saturday? It's college football or my day to be lazy. I'll let the hardcore politically minded folks go and figure it out. After all, you say, I'm a political novice. I read a few things, but I have too many other things to do in my life beyond politics. Why should I go?
Well, here's the hidden secret to all of you who lurk, read, and share - DailyKos Connects is an event that is built for you; and your attendance is what makes an event like DailyKos Connects great.
For 10 years, I've spent time on DailyKos commenting, writing, and thinking about Kansas and Missouri. I've spent more time thinking about other states in the middle, but those two I've written on and worked on closest over the last two years. Over the last three years, I've devoted a lot of time to getting into the nuts and bolts of each state and because of that, I often write diaries about inside details in the state house whether it is Jefferson City, Missouri or Topeka, Kansas.
When I want to learn about North Carolina, I can check the standard national outlets, and even some local papers when I want to browse online. Often, however, I can read the writings of DocDawg, and not only get a quick look into North Carolina, I read him so I can hear the news from the perspective of a resident who is invested in the future of his state.
DailyKos helps act as that catalyst for all of us who write here in one way or another. Whether the are methodically researched, incredibly dense diaries like Brainwrap's ACA registration diaries that have been a big part of national discussion, or a breezy look at North Carolina life.
"Well, that's great, but I just read the diaries and post it to my facebook.. what does someone like me who doesn't write/comment get out of an event like DailyKos Connects?"
What if I were to tell you the most profound insight and commentary at DailyKos Connects Kansas City were from individuals just like you. Why? Because it doesn't take someone who writes or diaries to want to meet people who can give them candid outsider thoughts on elections they care about; to provide them connections to local resources they may need, and to condense into one session an outlook for the future.
From future candidates to county party officers, many of the attendees at DailyKos Connects Kansas City wanted to know how to reach out to others and meet head on not just with out of staters, but with in-state resources.
In other words: DailyKos Connects is your backstage pass to meet with people who will be a part of shaping the future of your state and drink a beer with them. Most importantly, it will be a time to talk directly about issues you can immediately begin to do something about: local issues from city councils to state house that just need a little push from the right people.
Whether you want to come and meet Kos or rub elbows with your state party chair; if you want to understand more about The Black Lives Matter movement or you want to meet the attorneys fighting for voting rights in your state.
I know, I know. There are a lot of requests on your time. Lots of meetings. Lots of progressive groups. Maybe you're involved in local groups, and maybe not. DailyKos Connect isn't a normal meeting where we drink coffee, have a donut, and complain about Republicans.
DailyKos Connect is your chance to talk about: but how do we fix this?
For your family.
For your children.
For you.
It's OK to lurk online, and I'm glad you do. But just once, won't it be fun to see behind the curtain and realize: I can be part of what changes my state for the better?
Connect. Unite. Act.
I look forward to meeting you all in Asheville share a nice cold one and enjoy the company of old friends for sure, and the promise of new friends met along the way.
YOU SHOULDN'T MISS THIS!
Rev. William Barber II, president of the NC NAACP is traveling to Asheville to welcome Daily Kos and kick off our regional event there. He's speaking the day before, Friday, September 25th at 12:15 PM in the historic atmosphere of St. James African Methodist Episcopal Church.
From randallt's diary on the history of St. James A.M.E. Church:
The African Methodist Episcopal Church, usually called the A.M.E. Church, is a predominantly African-American Methodist denomination based in the United States. It is the oldest independent Protestant denomination founded by blacks in the world. It was founded by the Rt. Rev. Richard Allen in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1816 from several black Methodist congregations in the mid-Atlantic area that wanted independence from white Methodists. Allen was consecrated its first bishop in 1816. It began with 8 clergy and 5 churches, and by 1846 had grown to 176 clergy, 296 churches, and 17,375 members The 20,000 members in 1856 were located primarily in the North. AME national membership (including probationers and preachers) jumped from 70,000 in 1866 to 207,000 in 1876.
This is the perfect venue to hear Reverend Barber talk about "a moral crisis that is trying to take America down the road to political deconstruction. But, there is a path to higher ground. There is a better way."
Friday, September 25, 2015
12:15 PM - 2:30 PM, Church opens at noon
St. James African Methodist Episcopal Church,
44 Hildebrand Street
Rev. William Barber II, president of the NC NAACP, will welcome Daily Kos to Asheville and speak about the Moral Monday Movement.
Welcome and blessing by St. James' Reverend Edwards.
Vocal performance by Yara Allen.
Introduction of Reverend Barber by Denise Oliver-Velez.
• No charge for this event but donations to the church are welcome.
We want to fill the church. Please make an effort to attend. It will be a great, unforgettable experience. I've heard Reverend Barber speak before and he is an amazing leader of the progressive movement. Don't miss this opportunity to see one of our most important civil rights leaders today.
FORWARD TOGETHER, NOT ONE STEP BACK
REGISTER NOW!
Saturday, September 26, 2015
Daily Kos Connects Asheville
LOCATION: US Cellular Center in the Banquet Hall
87 Haywood Street • Asheville, North Carolina
Grow our network, unite our progressive communities, help win elections!
Join us for a day of progressive strategizing and camaraderie with Big Orange flavor. In a day-long seminar, learn how our Connect! Unite! Act! team used the Daily Kos forum to help affect change in North Carolina state politics. Participants will focus on organizing from the ground up. You'll also get a chance to meet the blog's founder, Markos Moulitsas and some Daily Kos writers, such as Joan McCarter, Meteor Blades, Denise Oliver-Velez and others.
8:00 AM - Registration and continental breakfast
9:00 AM - Morning Session:
• Welcome by navajo
• Ask Me Anything & discussion of the politics of our site by kos
• Data-Driven Activism by Bill Busa
• Southerners on New Ground (LGBTQ Organization) presentation by Mary Hooks
• NC NAACP Attorney Al McSurely interviewed by Denise Oliver-Velez
• Video interview of Activist and Filmmaker Bree Newsome by Shaun King
Noon - Free lunch provided
1:00 PM - Afternoon Session:
• NC Dem Party Chair Patsy Keever interviewed by Joan McCarter
• Exploring the Power of Local Media featuring Scrutiny Hooligans’ blogger Tom Sullivan, local radio host Jeff Messer & The Urban News publisher Johnnie Nelson-Grant by Meteor Blades
• Break-out Sessions
• Video interview of Campaign Zero Activist DeRay McKesson by Shaun King
• Leveraging Local & State Government Through Citizen Activism by Democratic State Sen. Terry Van Duyn, City Councilman Gordon Smith & citizen activist Barry Summers
5:00 PM - After party at nearby Lexington Avenue Brewery, 39 North Lexington Avenue. You'll need a wristband from the day event to get in.
$30 registration fee required for Saturday's events
Seating is limited to 200.
Parking at US Cellular
Pre-Events:
Friday, September 25, 2015
11:00 AM Friday Fish Fry - Fish sandwiches $7, includes chips & soda!
12:15 PM - 2:30 PM, Church opens at noon
St. James African Methodist Episcopal Church,
44 Hildebrand Street - 2.5 miles from Crowne Plaza; 0.6 miles walking distance from Crowne Plaza shuttle drop-off near US Cellular
Rev. William Barber II, president of the NC NAACP, will welcome Daily Kos to Asheville and speak about the Moral Monday Movement, blessing by Reverend Edwards, introduction by Denise Oliver-Velez, vocal performance by Yara Allen • No charge for this event but donations to the church are welcome
Friday, September 25, 2015
3:00 - 4:00 PM
Rev. William Barber II, president of the NC NAACP, was was inducted into the traveling exhibition of 52 inspiring portraits of courageous Americans titled Americans Who Tell the Truth on September 19, 2015. Please join us as we walk through this superb gallery of amazing Americans documented in portraiture by famed artist, Robert Shetterly. YMI Cultural Center, 39 S. Market Street
(0.5 mile walk from St. James AME Church)
$10 donation suggested for this labor of love
Friday, September 25, 2015
5:30 - 8:30 PM
No-Host Mixer, The Bywater, 796 Riverside Drive
(2.5 miles from hotel and US Cellular)
Post-Event:
Sunday, September 27, 2015
9:00 AM - 11:00 AM
No-Host Brunch, Crowne Plaza, 1 Resort Drive,
Overlook Restaurant
Logistics:
Hotel providing the best rate:
Crowne Plaza, 1 Resort Drive
Double-bed rooms available:
Thursday, 09/24/15 - $129.00 plus 11% tax
Friday, 09/25/15 - $209.00 plus 11% tax
Saturday, 09/26/15 - $209.00 plus 11% tax
Reservations: 888-211-7755
Mention KOS as the group code.
Hotel Airport Shuttle cost:
14.5 miles from AVL Airport
Hotel Shuttle to/from AVL Airport $20 per person, each way.
Flight details must be provided to hotel 72 hours in advance notice for arrivals, 24-hour notice for departures.
Hotel Shuttle to US Cellular $5 per person, round-trip
Drop-off location is 0.2 mile walk from US Cellular
Questions? Need a scholarship? Send me a kosmail.
