Green Party's 2013 Annual National Meeting
The Green Party's 2013 Annual National Meeting will take place in Iowa City, Iowa on July 25-28. The Green-Rainbow Party is encouraging anyone who can make the trip to consider attending. It is a great opportunity to meet fellow Greens from all over the United States and even from other countries. There will be workshops, panels, and a meeting of the National Committee. We especially encourage you to attend if you are one of our delegates to the National Committee, if you serve on a national working committee or caucus, or if your organizing work as a candidate or local activist would benefit from comparing notes to people doing similar work in other states.
Below is an announcement with additional information. A detailed agenda for the meeting should be released soon. If you want to attend, even if your plans are uncertain, please send your name to co-chairs@green-rainbow.org. We will share helpful information on travel arrangements and lodging. The Green-Rainbow Party will use its Participation Fund to partially defray travel expenses for GRP attendees who find the travel costs to be an economic hardship (Anyone who tells us they are thinking about going will be sent a copy of the financial assistance application form.) Hope to see you there!
Who Owns Boston & What Can We the People Do About It?
Talk by Shirley Kressel, Followed by Discussion, June 11, 7-9 pm, Free Event, Community Room at Tent City, 130 Dartmouth Street, Boston 02116
How are Big Businesses in Boston avoiding paying their fair share of the taxes? What has been the relationships between Big Business and the elected political leadership of Boston (Mayor and City Council)? How does the 1% exercise their wealth and power to the detriment of the people of our city?
What can We the People Who Live in Boston do to transform this condition and create a city that will strengthen our neighborhoods, improve municipal services and invest in creation of a public school system where every child will have a quality education? How can we use this election season to educate the public about this essential question, and to elect a new Mayor and City Council that will better serve the interests of the people of our city instead of the superrich?
As a result of your hard work on the streets of Boston
Francisco White's campaign submitted a total of 2,104 nomination signatures to the Elections Department on May 21, 2013. Francisco tells his GRP supporters, "This campaign would not have been able to exceed the minimum by 600, if it wasn't for the time and effort that each of you contributed over the past three weeks. At times, it was difficult and discouraging. However, because we truly believe that we can help our city do better than the status quo, we were out there consistently. We can be proud of the many conversations we had about my vision and the valuable connections we've made.
"We don't know if 2,104 will be enough to make it on the ballot, but we're campaigning as persistently as ever; over the next few weeks, I'll be continuing my tour of neighborhood associations and will become increasingly vocal about how our communities are being failed. I hope that every single one of you will stay connected to this people's campaign for necessary change. As our petitioning effort has proven, I cannot do this without you."
Francisco White, candidate for Boston City Council, was joined by GRP supporters in the Mothers Day Walk for Peace on May 12.
Meet Siggy Meilus, Our New GRP Administrator
by John Andrews April 25 2013
The GRP Administrative Committee recently announced that Sigute "Siggy" Meilus has been hired to fill the part-time GRP Administrator position. Siggy's prime responsibilities will be helping our treasurer with bookkeeping and filing of legally-required reports to the Office of Campaign and Political Finance and the Federal Elections Commission. But given her talents and drive, Siggy will undoubtedly lend a hand with other important GRP tasks.
Siggy is a sociology major from UMass Dartmouth who spent six consecutive semesters serving on the Student Government Association’s Finance Committee. She also worked as the Executive Board Chair for the MASSPIRG Student Chapters being responsible for communications between 14 chapters. At UMass Dartmouth, Siggy was involved with the Student Health Care Advisory Board, the Feminist Majority Leadership Alliance, PHENOM, the UMass Dartmouth Gospel Choir, and the Pride Alliance. She was a speaker at the 2012 University of Massachusetts Dartmouth Undergraduate Student Commencement. As a community organizer for Bus Riders United, Siggy has become an effective advocate for public transportation.
Siggy met State Committee members for the first time at their April meeting. She said "I'm thrilled to be working with the Green-Rainbow Party because it represents so many of the things in which I believe."
Statement on the Boston Marathon Tragedy
The terrible events that occurred at this year's Boston Marathon and in the following days have deeply impacted us all, and on behalf of the Green-Rainbow Party we wish to extend our heartfelt sympathy to the hundreds of innocent people whose lives have been scarred by these events.
The spirit of the Boston Marathon is that it welcomes visitors from all lands to Massachusetts, to celebrate not just athletic achievement, but to honor all those who tackle the 26-mile course, whether old or young, male or female, able-bodied or handicapped, gay or straight, Christian or Muslim or other religion, whether from the United States, or Kenya, or Ethiopia, or Germany, or Russia, or any other nation in the world. It is this celebration of the worth of all people that truly makes the Boston Marathon special. We join with the people of Boston and Massachusetts in affirming that while despicable acts may shatter the peace momentarily, we will not let such acts destroy the global community spirit that the Boston Marathon embodies.
Even as we strive to attend to the injured and to prosecute those responsible for criminal acts, we affirm our commitment to breaking the cycle of violence and retribution that feeds upon such tragedies. What we experienced in Boston is sadly familiar in many places in the world where innocent people continue to fall victim to explosive devices, drone strikes, artillery barrages, and other forms of brutality . We must as a people stand united in the cause of peace and respect for human life, knowing that the best possible answer to the purveyors of violence is not more violence, but our determination to stand firm in honor of our common humanity.
- Jill Stein and John Andrews, Co-chairs
Green-Rainbow Party
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Greater Boston Chapter Endorses Francisco White for Boston City Council
Posted April 9, 2013
The Greater Boston Chapter of the Green-Rainbow Party unanimously and enthusiastically endorses the candidacy of Francisco L. White for the office of Boston City Councilor At-Large.
Green-Rainbow Party marches for Peace and Justice
by John Andrews
Posted April 8 2013
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