Chair’s Corner: What a roaring start to 2020!

Last month, our “Happy Blue Year” event drew more than 120 Americans living in the UK who are hell-bent on getting out the vote. Following Virginia’s historic ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA), we charged ahead to the next front in the ERA battle by writing dozens of postcards to Congress to eliminate the ratification deadline. And earlier this week, at our first “Activists Who Lunch” gathering of the year, a record number of our members showed up to discuss and take action on women’s rights. 

These represent the first steps the Women’s Caucus will be taking this year on three defining issues: the ERA, reproductive rights and, above all, getting out the vote.

Part of getting out the vote is understanding the cultural and institutional barriers that make it hard for too many Americans to exercise this most fundamental of democratic right. In honor of Black History Month, we are turning our attention to voter suppression and gerrymandering, issues that disproportionately affect voters of color and black voters in particular. We’d love for you to join us Wednesday, February 19 for a casual dinner where we will be joined by Adrienne Johnson, chair of the Democrats Abroad Black Caucus, who will discuss these critical issues and their relevance to the 2020 elections.

We have lots of other great programming in store, from postcard parties and voter registration drives to activist and educational activities and skills workshops, so please be sure to download our events calendar, like us on Facebook and follow us @daukwomenscaucus on Twitter and Instagram. 

Finally, the Global Presidential Primary is less than a month away, so if you haven’t already (and if you do nothing else today!), please request your ballot at VoteFromAbroad.org. Remember, you have to request a new ballot every calendar year, so get yours today and encourage all US expats you know to do the same!

In closing, thanks to each and every one of you for showing up, taking a stand and proving through actions big and small what truly makes America great. To our many new members, we wish you a very warm welcome to the Women’s Caucus and look forward to doing great work together in 2020!

Best wishes,

Meghan and Steph

Co-chairs, DAUK Women’s Caucus