Week of July 18, 2005
EMILY's 20th Birthday Bash: Celebrating History, Planning for Victory
EMILY's List truly altered the course of history, when in 1985, a small group of feminists set out to create a donor network to help elect pro-choice Democratic women. At that time, no Democratic woman had ever been elected to the U.S. Senate in her own right, no Democratic woman had ever been elected governor of a large state, and there was only a tiny band of 12 Democratic women in the U.S. House.
Click here to read more about the work EMILY's List has done over the past 20 years to change the face of power.
Twenty years - that's quite a milestone - and one we will celebrate with fanfare, enthusiasm, and pride at a gala anniversary luncheon on Monday, October 17. Join us to revel in the tremendous impact we've had as a small group of 25 members that has grown to over 100,000. We'll showcase the amazing pro-choice Democratic women candidates we've helped elect and energize ourselves for the victories ahead.
Emceed by EMILY's List's first executive director, U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro (Conn.), and featuring pioneers like Jennifer Granholm, the first woman governor of Michigan, and Gwen Moore, the first African American to represent Wisconsin in Congress, EMILY's List's 20th Anniversary Gala is bound to be a real blockbuster celebration!
Even if you cannot attend the gala in person, you can still play a crucial role by making a contribution or donating a table so that EMILY's List can seat politically active young women in your place. What a wonderful way to mentor a new generation of activists and introduce them to the power of EMILY's List!
Interested in buying a table? Several pricing options and packages are available. Please call 1-800-68-EMILY or email events@emilyslist.org to learn more about how you can join this historic event.
Political Opportunity Program Helps Women Candidates Clear Campaign Obstacles
In just a few short months, Syracuse Common Council President Bea Gonzalez will face the toughest re-election challenge of her 15-year political career. That's why she turned to EMILY's List's Political Opportunity Program (POP) for help. At a POP training in Buffalo last month, Gonzalez learned the finer points of political messaging, fundraising, voter targeting, press strategy, and field organizing from the country's leading Democratic operatives.
In 1991, Gonzalez, the first Latina appointed to the school board in Syracuse, was a political neophyte. Disturbed about the poor state of public education in Syracuse, particularly for Latino students, she secured an appointment to the school board. Gonzalez then handily won the race for Syracuse Common Council president in 2002 -- but wanted to be prepared for the kind of challenging campaign she expects this time around.
"Even after all this time," Gonzalez told Women's e-News, "I still lacked the basic campaign skills to battle this challenge." So she packed her bags and headed to Buffalo to join 36 other women at POP's June training seminar.
Participating in the POP training helped boost Gonzalez's confidence about her campaign, and most importantly, taught her the key to fundraising success, often the biggest obstacle for female candidates.
"My biggest fear had always been asking people for money," Gonzalez said. "The training gave me the tools, and with them the confidence, to go out there and do it." Click here to read more about Gonzalez's race and how POP is filling the void for women candidates.