Kid Oakland (Paul Delahunty) decided in 2007 that there had been a hole in the first Yearly Kos, the political blogosphere conference that became Netroots Nation in 2008. There just hadn't been enough regional and ethnic diversity at YK2006. So he and his partners, Democracy for America activist Vicki Cosgrove and Howie Klein of Blue America raised cash and in-kind contributions to ensure that 10 individuals who wouldn't have otherwise been able to afford going to Chicago for YK2007 got some assistance. They eventually obtained enough contributions to send 17.
Paul, Howie and Vicki's efforts catalyzed Democracy for America to formalize the fund-raising process for 2008, providing scholarships that cover an all-access pass to the conference and hotel accommodations, plus a few select meals. Forty people received DFA scholarship awards for Netroots Nation 2009 in Pittsburgh. This year, thanks to contributions from individuals and the National Council of La Raza and America's Voice, DFA was able to award scholarships to 62 people from 28 states and the District of Columbia.
Scholarship winners got involved in politics for all kinds of reasons. One said: "My Senator voted for torture. It was my first post." Another said: "[It] was the importance of the youth vote in 2006 and 2008. The media was getting the story WRONG and they needed to be corrected." And another said: "The seeds were planted by both my Radical Chicano father as well as my Hippie mother back on the earlier days of my life. But they did not sprout until around 2006 ..."
Many have their own blogs, or they post on blogs operated by others. Some have extensive political experience; others next to none. The majority are young, but there is a sprinkling of older activists as well. And that activism spans the gamut of causes, among them: antiwar, pro-choice, pro-immigrant, anti-racist, LGBTQ, party politics, media reform and criminal-justice reform.
You can tell from their biographies just how important their contributions at Netroots Nation 2010 will be.
Congratulations to them all. You can find out more about each of them by clicking on their names below. If you'd like to contribute to next year's scholarships, you can do so by clicking here.
No photos were available for the following scholarship winners: Best of the Left, Mark Howard, Bruce Reilly, Chase Whiteside, stlactivisthub, KelleyRN2, Prerna Lal and Elsa Canal.
