Congo Action Now
Democratic Republic of Congo Committee
July 24, 2011
Present: Peggy Barrett, Suzanne Bas Davis, Kelley Ready, Casey Gallagher, Laurie Taymor-Berry, Pat Aron
Congo Action Now met on July 24, 2011. The meeting began with check-ins. We were happy to welcome Casey as a new member of the group.
Most of the meeting was focused on getting legislative support for the Congo Conflict Minerals bill that Rep. Marty Walsh will be introducing soon into the Massachusetts legislature. We were fortunate to have Laurie Taymor-Berry, WILPF member who is highly experienced in legislative work, join us to provide guidance in this process and help us develop a strategy. We will follow a two-pronged approach: 1. identifying and asking for support from specific legislators and 2. asking as many people as possible across the state to contact their legislators.
Pat reported on the June 30 meeting Kelley, Antonieta, and she had with Rep. Walsh. He was very enthusiastic about the bill and agreed to file it. He felt the timing was good since the legislature has been considering the human trafficking bill. We will begin to line up co-sponsors. We have developed a letter to legislators that we will be distributing widely. Laurie suggested that we find out who sponsored the trafficking bill and ask them for their support.
We will try to get as many people as possible to contact their legislators and ask them to co-sponsor the bill - we will ask people to meet with their legislators if possible. Laurie had many great ideas on how to work with legislators (very important to develop relationships with aides). She had identified a number of potential co-sponsors as well as listings of organizations. The group divided up the names of legislators who had co-sponsored S. 01488 and H 2234 to contact asking for their support. Laurie will contact members of the Planning Committee for the Boston-Area International Women’s Day and ask them to distribute our letter asking people to contact their legislators.
We may contact Rep. Byron Rushing and other members of the Black and Latino Legislative Caucus. Laurie will meet with Executive Director Marvin Venay – she will let us know how to proceed.
We need to meet with Rep. Walsh’s aide Krista to determine the status of the bill and its schedule. Pat and Laurie will be meeting with Rep. Malia or her aide on Wednesday at 2:00. Kelley will call Krista to try to schedule a meeting following that meeting. Kelley, Laurie, and Pat will meet with her. Kelley will also ask Krista to send us a copy of the bill that has been drafted so we can start sending out the Massachusetts bill – she will email the bill to us.
Laurie noted that we need a short statement summarizing the bill and listing co-sponsors to present to legislators and others and she gave us a copy of an example. Casey will ask the Enough Project if they have a statement on the California bill. We will draft a statement to take to our meeting with Krista (she may also be preparing one).
Pat had compiled lists of legislators and organizations we know have been contacted about the bill. At this point, at least 15 legislators have been contacted. One person, Sen. Kay Khan, has agreed to sign on as a co-sponsor. People will let Pat know when they have made contact so she can keep the lists current. Pat distributed a listing of cities and towns in the state by region. In an attempt to contact legislators from as many areas of the state as possible, we each took responsibility for a region. We will identify peace and justice organizations in each region and contact them to ask their members to contact their legislators. Casey will cover the Central region, Kelley the Metrowest region, and Pat the Western region. Pat will ask Jackie to contact groups in the Northeast and Sonia to contact groups in the Southeast.
We have started a list of organizations to be contacted. Kelley will contact the Unitarian-Universalist Service Committee and possibly the MA Black and Latino Legislative Caucus (depending on Laurie’s advice). Pat will contact the other organizations on the list.
Peggy will review the letter that we’ve been sending out to organizations to consider revisions that will achieve two goals: 1. asking organizations to distribute the letter and encourage their members to contact their legislators and 2. asking organizations to sign on as a supporter.
Pat will send the complete CAN email list to Peggy so she can format it in Excel. Peggy will contact everyone on our list (160+ people) asking them where they live so we can give them their legislators’ names. We will ask them to contact their legislators and emphasize that they are constituents. We will shortly have a copy of the Massachusetts bill so we will be able to send it as an attachment to our letter instead of sending the California bill.
Kelley pointed out that Cabot Industries in Waltham may want to support the bill. According to the Enough Project, Cabot is committed to using conflict-free minerals.
We had a brief discussion of the September 24 – 25 conference at Clark University “Informed Activism: Armed Conflict, Scarce Resources, and Congo”. Samba, Kelley, and Pat have registered for the conference. Casey and Sonia may decide to attend. We have been asked to staff a table with materials on Sunday afternoon.
Kelley will participate in a conference call on July 28, 2011 to discuss the status of the International Violence Against Women Act. She had been told by the counsel to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee that the bill would not be re-introduced, but we are unclear at this point about its status.
We still have not heard from the NASW volunteers about scheduling house parties. Pat has again emailed two people but they haven’t responded.
Friends of the Congo is asking organizations to schedule screenings of its new film. Kelley will contact them to discuss a possible showing at Brandeis in the fall.
Pat announced that we have received another $100 donation to VICO as a result of the FUSN presentation in March.
The next meeting of Congo Action Now will be held on Sunday, August 28, 2011 at 3:00 at Pat’s house in Jamaica Plain.
Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom
Democratic Republic of Congo Committee
July 24, 2011
Present: Peggy Barrett, Suzanne Bas Davis, Kelley Ready, Casey Gallagher, Laurie Taymor-Berry, Pat Aron
Congo Action Now met on July 24, 2011. The meeting began with check-ins. We were happy to welcome Casey as a new member of the group.
Most of the meeting was focused on getting legislative support for the Congo Conflict Minerals bill that Rep. Marty Walsh will be introducing soon into the Massachusetts legislature. We were fortunate to have Laurie Taymor-Berry, WILPF member who is highly experienced in legislative work, join us to provide guidance in this process and help us develop a strategy. We will follow a two-pronged approach: 1. identifying and asking for support from specific legislators and 2. asking as many people as possible across the state to contact their legislators.
Pat reported on the June 30 meeting Kelley, Antonieta, and she had with Rep. Walsh. He was very enthusiastic about the bill and agreed to file it. He felt the timing was good since the legislature has been considering the human trafficking bill. We will begin to line up co-sponsors. We have developed a letter to legislators that we will be distributing widely. Laurie suggested that we find out who sponsored the trafficking bill and ask them for their support.
We will try to get as many people as possible to contact their legislators and ask them to co-sponsor the bill - we will ask people to meet with their legislators if possible. Laurie had many great ideas on how to work with legislators (very important to develop relationships with aides). She had identified a number of potential co-sponsors as well as listings of organizations. The group divided up the names of legislators who had co-sponsored S. 01488 and H 2234 to contact asking for their support. Laurie will contact members of the Planning Committee for the Boston-Area International Women’s Day and ask them to distribute our letter asking people to contact their legislators.
We may contact Rep. Byron Rushing and other members of the Black and Latino Legislative Caucus. Laurie will meet with Executive Director Marvin Venay – she will let us know how to proceed.
We need to meet with Rep. Walsh’s aide Krista to determine the status of the bill and its schedule. Pat and Laurie will be meeting with Rep. Malia or her aide on Wednesday at 2:00. Kelley will call Krista to try to schedule a meeting following that meeting. Kelley, Laurie, and Pat will meet with her. Kelley will also ask Krista to send us a copy of the bill that has been drafted so we can start sending out the Massachusetts bill – she will email the bill to us.
Laurie noted that we need a short statement summarizing the bill and listing co-sponsors to present to legislators and others and she gave us a copy of an example. Casey will ask the Enough Project if they have a statement on the California bill. We will draft a statement to take to our meeting with Krista (she may also be preparing one).
Pat had compiled lists of legislators and organizations we know have been contacted about the bill. At this point, at least 15 legislators have been contacted. One person, Sen. Kay Khan, has agreed to sign on as a co-sponsor. People will let Pat know when they have made contact so she can keep the lists current. Pat distributed a listing of cities and towns in the state by region. In an attempt to contact legislators from as many areas of the state as possible, we each took responsibility for a region. We will identify peace and justice organizations in each region and contact them to ask their members to contact their legislators. Casey will cover the Central region, Kelley the Metrowest region, and Pat the Western region. Pat will ask Jackie to contact groups in the Northeast and Sonia to contact groups in the Southeast.
We have started a list of organizations to be contacted. Kelley will contact the Unitarian-Universalist Service Committee and possibly the MA Black and Latino Legislative Caucus (depending on Laurie’s advice). Pat will contact the other organizations on the list.
Peggy will review the letter that we’ve been sending out to organizations to consider revisions that will achieve two goals: 1. asking organizations to distribute the letter and encourage their members to contact their legislators and 2. asking organizations to sign on as a supporter.
Pat will send the complete CAN email list to Peggy so she can format it in Excel. Peggy will contact everyone on our list (160+ people) asking them where they live so we can give them their legislators’ names. We will ask them to contact their legislators and emphasize that they are constituents. We will shortly have a copy of the Massachusetts bill so we will be able to send it as an attachment to our letter instead of sending the California bill.
Kelley pointed out that Cabot Industries in Waltham may want to support the bill. According to the Enough Project, Cabot is committed to using conflict-free minerals.
We had a brief discussion of the September 24 – 25 conference at Clark University “Informed Activism: Armed Conflict, Scarce Resources, and Congo”. Samba, Kelley, and Pat have registered for the conference. Casey and Sonia may decide to attend. We have been asked to staff a table with materials on Sunday afternoon.
Kelley will participate in a conference call on July 28, 2011 to discuss the status of the International Violence Against Women Act. She had been told by the counsel to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee that the bill would not be re-introduced, but we are unclear at this point about its status.
We still have not heard from the NASW volunteers about scheduling house parties. Pat has again emailed two people but they haven’t responded.
Friends of the Congo is asking organizations to schedule screenings of its new film. Kelley will contact them to discuss a possible showing at Brandeis in the fall.
Pat announced that we have received another $100 donation to VICO as a result of the FUSN presentation in March.
The next meeting of Congo Action Now will be held on Sunday, August 28, 2011 at 3:00 at Pat’s house in Jamaica Plain.
Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom