I just got home from the America Votes State Summit, and there is so much to share! Over 2,000 progressive leaders from across the country gathering for three days felt like a giant family reunion and one I needed right now. It was Daria Dawson's first as the Executive Director, and we loved seeing her shine and how so many recognized her achievements and leadership, so we wanted to chime in here, too. The event was terrific. Listening to the lessons learned, issues, and people organizing happening, socializing, and networking left me inspired and optimistic about protecting our democracy and promoting the progressive agenda. The post-pandemic world still limits how often we gather, and it is great seeing so many people who are part of this community in real life. That is why I'm excited for our in-person 3rd Annual Powerful IDEA Awards & 20 Year of GAIN event on June 26th & 27th. Look out for our Monday email with exciting news to share. A more formal save-the-date and other big announcements are coming next week.
Our hearts go out to the loved ones of those lost in the Key Bridge disaster this week as well as our appreciation to all the first responders and government officials who have worked too hard to mitigate this crisis. We're so glad for the Democratic leadership of Governor Wes Moore, Mayor Brandon Scott, Secretary Buttigieg, and the many other officials triaging together to respond. We’re heartened to see their strong response, and it is a collective reminder of why our elector work matters.
We hope that President Biden pushes for a permanent cease-fire in Gaza and are grateful for the activists who are working for this and a peaceful solution to the horrific situation there. These are not the only crisis in the world - the war in Ukraine still rages and not enough are paying attention to gut wrenching conflicts in the DRC on the border with my beloved family and home in Rwanda. Not everyone knows this but I do much of this work from there and have a team of support staff who work with me on GAIN Power there too.
While the GAIN Power community and work centers on US domestic democracy - it is essential always to remember that we are global citizens and our elections impact every region of the world. It is important to me that this is always remembered.
This weekend is your last chance to submit your nominations for the 3rd Annual Powerful IDEA Awards! Take this moment to honor the powerful professional people, programs, and products that power progressive politics. See all the awards for which you can submit a nomination in each category. You have until March 31st to submit any late nominations. For folks interested in reviewing the nominations or being part of our judging committee, please sign up here.
And not to radically pivot back and forth but we can mourn and be joyful all at the same time. Indeed, I've been doing this all week - and will continue to do so.
