“If people don’t vote, everything stays the same. You can protest until the sky turns yellow or the moon turns blue, and it’s not going to change anything if you don’t vote.”—Dolores Huerta
With these words, revered activist Dolores Huerta aptly sums up the reason for voting. So how do you get people to vote?
Our three panelists for League Day were selected for their experience in mobilizing people to be aware of the issues that matter to them and then vote. Each panelist will tell us about their group’s experiences and best practices for motivating and empowering communities in our current environment. After Q & A with the audience, each table of participants will discuss and plan specific activities to help people in the Pasadena area get registered, informed, and then vote. LWV-PA members and other guests will be active participants, not passive spectators, in this League Day program.
Our panelists:
Michael Lawson is the current President and CEO of the Los Angeles Urban League (LAUL). The national Urban League is a nonpartisan civil rights organization, founded in 1910. In 1956, the Urban League and the National Council of Negro Women organized a voter education project with the slogan “A Voteless People Is a Helpless People.” The UL was one of the primary organizers of the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. The Los Angeles chapter, organized in 1921, is focused on empowering minority communities through education and employment, keeping in mind the essential power of the vote. LAUL will have a booth to register voters at the Crenshaw District “Taste of Soul” carnival on October 20.
When Lawson was named President, the LAUL Board saluted his “wealth of experience in the civic arena … [as] a passionate advocate in the area of social justice surrounding people of color.” He is a retired partner of the law firm Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom, LLP. He received his Juris Doctorate from Harvard Law School.
Giovany Hernandez, is a civic engagement specialist at the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO) Educational Fund, which promotes full Latino participation in the political process, from citizenship to public service. They encourage the community to : Get Involved – Become a Citizen, Vote, Take Action. Giovany was previously organizer for the California Charter Schools Association, mobilizing parent teams and developing parent leadership. He was candidate for LA City Council District 1 in March 2017 - the youngest person to run for that seat.
Hilda Coleman is a cofounder and publicist-coordinator of the Rise to Reunite movement in Pasadena, which supports and advances the cause of immigrant families. Hilda was an organizer and featured speaker at the June 30, 2018, “Families Belong Together” march on Colorado Boulevard. She is keenly aware of the value of the ballot box as a way to accomplish social change and is excited about partnering with the League on the PCC campus this fall for voter registration and information dissemination.
At PCC where she studies English literature and psychology, she is active in the United without Boundaries club, which helps undocumented students receive scholarships and achieve academic excellence regardless of their status.
League Day
Thursday September 6, 2018
8:00 a.m.–11:15 a.m.
Women’s City Club
160 N. Oakland Ave., Pasadena
Enter parking lot from Madison, second parking lot south of Walnut
Parking is limited, please consider carpooling
8:00: Registration
8:30: Served breakfast (optional)
9:00: Program
10:15: Table Discussions
10:45: Brief business meeting for By Laws change
Reservations are required for breakfast and close on August 31 at midnight. Optional breakfast is $25.00. Coffee only will be available for $2. All others may register through noon on Wednesday the September 5. This is necessary to make sure there are enough places for everyone to sit! Make reservations at lwv-pa.org or phone messages at 626-798-0965.
RSVP on our event page: https://lwv-pa.org/events/
