Yesterday, members from High School Democrats of America, College Democrats of America, and Young Democrats of America joined forces to rally alongside Parkland survivors, elected officials, and their local communities to advocate for common sense gun reform. College Democrats of America President Joseline Mata, High School Democrats of America Chair Jeremy Ornstein, and Young Democrats of America President Louis Elrod issued the following statement: 

“Yesterday was just the beginning. Young people across the country are making their voices heard and paving the way for a safer world free of senseless acts of gun violence. Young people are not only the future, but they are the present. The ability for this generation to lead and enact change has never been more evident than it was yesterday at marches across the country. But the work does not end here. As leaders of the largest young Democratic organizations in the country, we are committed now more than ever to electing Democrats in 2018 and beyond who will pass legislation that will protect students from gun violence and stand up for the voices of youth voters. Tomorrow, we will act and seek the change that’s been long overdue.”

A blog post by Becky Beaver, Communications Director, YDA Women’s Caucus

It is Women’s History Month and businesses are jumping at the opportunity to capitalize.  Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate that companies want to support the fight against the patriarchy. My question is, are these companies genuine in their support of women and other marginalized communities or are they just interested in increasing their financial bottom line under the banner of feminism?

In the wake of the 2016 election, a spotlight was placed on feminism. With Donald Trump uttering and defending phrases like “Grab ‘em by the pussy,” people became outraged, realizing that if a presidential candidate could say such things and still be elected, then we had not truly come as far along in the fight for female equality as previously thought. As Americans stood up to the chauvinistic, bigoted, racist and other divisive rhetoric coming out of the White House, major companies and celebrities seemed to join the cause.

As it became trendy to identify one’s self as a feminist, the need to express that became evident. For centuries we have used fashion as a form of self-expression. At New York Fashion Week 2017, models walked the catwalk in the Christian Dior show wearing expressive t-shirts, including statements such as: “We should all be feminists.” This particular shirt borrows the title from a 2014 book written by Nigerian born author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. This same t-shirt later retailed for $700 and was worn by celebrities like Natalie Portman, certainly with little mention of the woman of color who made the phrase popular. We commend Dior for donating a portion of the proceeds of this shirt’s sales to the Clara Lionel Foundation, founded by singer and beauty mogul, Rihanna. While it is great to have Dior not fully profiting from feminist messaging, a new problem arises. Are people buying the Dior shirts because they believe in the message or because it’s Dior?

If you google “feminist shirts,” loads of websites pop up within seconds and he options and price ranges are vast. However, not all of them have their heart in the right place. Feminism is often sold as a commodity in textiles that doesn’t always financially benefit actual women’s issues at all.

Another potential problem in buying feminist items is in the production. Many large scale designers and companies frequently use sweatshop labor that exploit female employees by paying them unlivable wages and require them to work in harsh conditions. It’s hypocritical to wear shirts advocating for equal pay for women when the women that produced the shirt were paid pennies for an entire workday.

To be clear, I appreciate the excitement around feminism and the expression of that via apparel and accessories, however we need to be smart about how the products are produced and to what end. We should not allow companies to monetize off of the feminist movement without actually supporting women’s equality. Here are some things to ask yourself before purchasing seemingly feminist products:

• Is any portion of this sale benefiting women’s issues?
• Is this item union produced and free of sweatshop labor?
• Does this company support employment of marginalized groups and women?
• Is this item suddenly more expensive because it’s marketed towards women?
• Is the company owned by women?
• Am I buying this because I truly support the cause?

Identifying as a feminist is so much more than wearing shirts, pins, and buttons. At the end of the day “increasing visibility” of feminism means nothing without taking actions to improve the lives of women. While we only physically vote during elections, we vote everyday with our wallets.

By: Becky Beaver, YDA Women’s Caucus Communications Director

It’s no secret that starting a family is very expensive. According to the National Center for Children in Poverty, 21% of children live in families with incomes below the federal poverty threshold. As people embark on the decision to start a family, they must consider many financial factors long before a baby is due. When most people think of the costs of raising a child, they think: diapers, formula, medical expenses, and clothing, and clothing just to name a few. Whether a woman is recovering from childbirth or bonding with an adopted child, most parents want to take time to adjust to life with a newborn and be able to provide the adequate care babies need in their earliest stages.

In 1993, Bill Clinton signed the Family and Medical Leave Act into law. This legislation provided employees of larger companies 12 weeks of unpaid leave along with a continuation of health benefits for a new child, partner, or taking the leave to handle individual health issues. While the Family and Medical Leave Act was groundbreaking for its time, it hasn’t evolved much and still leaves a lot to be desired. The cost of living has rose significantly since the 90s, so to not receive a paycheck for 12 weeks is devastating to the average American. Also, this legislation does not protect employees of smaller companies and those who have been with a company for less than a year. Currently only 14% of Americans have paid family leave offered to them. Unless you live in D.C, California, New York, Washington, Rhode Island, or New Jersey; you’re most likely out of luck.

Both Democrats and Republicans agree that paid family leave is an issue worth considering. So if both political parties agree that paid family leave is a need for families, why are we allowing businesses to govern the time new families can bond without the sacrifice of their paycheck?

The lack of paid family leave for employees often hurts women more than men. Since women are traditionally paid less than men, women are forced to take on unpaid leave while their partner continues to struggle to make ends meet. This lack of paid leave is even more financially devastating to single mothers. By not having broad sweeping paid family leave signed into law, women often are forced to choose between starting families or having careers. Women shouldn’t have to fear taking the time to nurture a child that they may be forced into raising into poverty.

While the United States is seen as a beacon of hope to many across the world, it is one of the weakest in offering paid family leave. By offering paid family leave, families have more time to make adjustments to a new little one, babies tend to be healthier, and it improves overall quality of life and care by not losing income. When parents are offered paid family leave, it gives them the ability to give quality care to a child without the burden of worrying over finances. We know starting a family can be expensive, so why are we starting families at a disadvantage when we don’t have to? If “corporations are people,” then they need to treat their employees like people as well and the government needs to create policies that force them to do so. Not only is offering paid family leave compassionate, it’s common sense.

The poet Langston Hughes pinned the critical question, “what happens to a dream deferred?” This year we pause to acknowledge the 50-year anniversary of the assassination of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The civil rights leader was in Memphis, Tennessee to fight for the rights and equality of sanitation workers. While the current members of the Young Democrats of America were not around when Dr. King was assassinated, Congressmen Steny Hoyer (MD) and James Clyburn (SC) steered this organization through a critical time of questioning our pathway forward. Race was indeed an issue.

In this age of Donald Trump and racial division within our nation, we cannot afford to sit on the sidelines and defer Kings Dream any longer. With unfair gerrymandered districts drawn to reduce our representation and voting laws enacted to disenfranchise voters reducing our power at the ballot box, our moment has arrived. With a physical wall being built at our border and a wall of mercilessness towards Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, our moment has arrived. With so many of our brothers and sisters fearing for their future over a ruthless immigration policy, our moment has arrived. With a loud call for more young, liberal and ambitious candidates to run for local, state and federal office, our moment for fulfilling the dream has arrived.

We have to look within ourselves and accept that we will not always agree, but we must always unite. In the 1960’s, Congressmen Hoyer and Clyburn made a decision that in the aftermath of losing Dr. King, they had more in common that united them than that which divided them. As a political engagement organization, we need your voice. We need your energy. We need your fight. We need your involvement. We will not defer this dream any longer, our future depends on it and our moment is now.

Forward Ever,

Tristan Breaux
YDA Black Caucus Chairman

A blog post by Jillian Cardillo

I was 18 when I was diagnosed with my first “pre-existing” condition. After years of appointments, blood tests, and no one being able to figure out what was wrong with me, an ultrasound and a good endocrinologist gave me the diagnosis: an endocrine disorder that put me at high risk for diabetes and all the complications that come along with it.

Treatment was simple enough: eat better, exercise more, take birth control pills and get blood tests every year. No big deal…unless there was no way to pay for the birth control and the blood tests.

This was 2003, and I was living in Florida. A few months after my diagnosis, I did go with out insurance for a few months, because I had to drop a class at college and wasn’t covered under my parents’ insurance since I wasn’t a “full time student.” I was 22 when I was diagnosed with my second pre-existing condition. I had been struggling to breathe for a few days, and a fellow student called an ambulance. When the paramedics got to me, they told me that I was having a major asthma attack and could have died if I had waited just an hour more for treatment.

I was a senior in college, in Massachusetts at this point, and I was covered on my parents’ plan again. Everything was fine, despite having two pre-existing medical conditions. I would get a good job out of college, have insurance and not have to worry.

But reality has a way of getting in the way of the plans we make.

I graduated in 2008 – the year you might remember as the one where the economy crashed. I had no job at graduation. No employer-provided insurance. I was lucky, though: I lived in Massachusetts. I could stay on my parents’ plan until 26. And I did.

I went to grad school, because surely I would get a job with a Master’s. But I didn’t (not right away at least). It was 2011, and I was 26. But again, thanks to the law in Massachusetts, I was able to get a low-cost plan through the Massachusetts Health Connector for the year it took me to get a full time job with insurance. If I hadn’t lived in Massachusetts in 2008, I don’t know what I would have done. Thanks to the plan that was supported by Mitt Romney, the Republican governor of Massachusetts, I had insurance that covered my pre-existing conditions.

People in the other 49 states weren’t so lucky. Until 2010, when the provisions of the Affordable Care Act began to be implemented. You know, the plan that looked a lot like the one we had in Massachusetts with coverage of pre-existing conditions. The plan that was still opposed by all but one Republican member of the House despite being so similar to a Republican-backed plan.

They called it Obamacare, meant as a pejorative, meant to smear it as some death-panel filled government takeover of health care.

But what it really meant to someone like me, who could now go anywhere in the country and have relative peace of mind that if I lost a job or had changing circumstances I would find insurance, was that finally, someone did care. I moved to Washington, DC in 2012. At 27, I got my first employer issued insurance plan. I felt safe for a few years, knowing that there was a net to catch me if the tightrope of medical care I was walking frayed.

Now, despite all of the president’s promises that the protections for pre-existing conditions wouldn’t go away, his promises that we’ll get “terrific” health care for lower costs, the House of Representatives, specifically the Republicans, have voted to take that net out from under me and the millions of other Americans who depended on the provisions of the Affordable Care Act to get healthcare, or even just to reassure them that there was help there for them should they ever need it. The Republican members of Congress elected to represent us, the American people, just proved that they don’t care. They don’t care about the millions of Americans who will lose their health insurance, will lose their peace of mind, and, ultimately, will even lose their lives.

Today the GOP introduced an Obamacare replacement bill created in secrecy that may drastically change your life — and the lives of young people across the country. It’s not just that they developed a bill in secret with corporate interests in mind and not the American people: now the Republicans don’t even want have have fair, open and thorough hearings for it.

Demand that Congress listen to how this bill may impact Americans’ lives. Only Republican House members, many of  whom have refused to meet with constituents, saw the bill before today.

Call your Congressperson today at 202-224-3121 and tell them that you expect them to listen to constituents’ concerns about repealing and replacing ACA and to hold full hearings on the bill so people can have their questions answered.

The GOP replacement bill disproportionately affects young people, the middle-class, and low-income populations. The Republicans plan to rush this bill through, so call your Member of Congress today.

Sincerely,

Danielle Glover
Vice President
Young Democrats of America

The Trump administration has gotten off to a disastrous start, and millennials nationwide are looking for ways to fight back. That’s why Young Democrats chapters across the country are reporting record attendance at meetings, particularly in the form of new members.

For chapter leaders, this is a crucial time to grow your group. Here are a few tips that will help you create a welcoming environment for first-time attendees and keep them coming back.

1. Welcome new members.
   • Have chapter leaders greet each first-time attendee personally. Your goal should be to a) find out why they decided to attend, b) how they heard about the meeting, c) and what they hope to get out of the meeting. Be sure to collect their email and phone number before they leave.
2. Invite new members to an upcoming event.
   • Make sure that new members leave knowing what the next chapter activity is, whether it’s a phone bank/canvass, social event (like a mixer, trivia night, or bowling), community service project, or business meeting. Remember that members join for various reasons and want their participation to be meaningful.
3. Remind them.
   • Put new members on your email list ASAP, add them on Facebook/social media, and invite them to like your group’s page. Send an email recap within a day of your meeting, and don’t be afraid to call or text first-time attendees to thank them for coming out and invite them to the next activity.

Are you a current or former YD chapter leader with tips on retaining members? Leave your own tips in the comments below!

Mathew Plott

Chapter Building Chair

Young Democrats of America

P.S. Do you need help setting up a mailing or membership list? Email Technology Director Ricardo Alfaro at [email protected].

Washington, DC – The Young Democrats of America (YDA) tonight condemned illegitimate minority President Donald Trump’s nominee for the Supreme Court and encouraged Senate Democrats to use every tool at their disposal to prevent his appointment to the court.

“America deserves a Supreme Court justice nominated by a popularly elected president,” said Danielle Glover, YDA VP, of Colorado. “Unfortunately, Senate Republicans denied President Obama his constitutional prerogative to nominate a new justice. I have seen first hand his dismantling of basic rights in Colorado. Young Democrats of America encourages every U.S. Senator to prevent Neil Gorsuch from joining the Supreme Court, both because his nomination does not reflect the will of the American people and because he is not a supporter of equal rights for women.”

Trump has said several times that he would appoint a Supreme Court justice who will strip away a woman’s right to choose, and tonight’s nomination of Neil Gorsuch is the next step in Trump’s scheme to reduce women’s rights. Senate Democrats, however, can filibuster Trump’s selection to help shape a Supreme Court that reflects the will of people of the United States.

YDA stands with our brothers and sisters who are refugees and/or Muslim, those who are seeking protection, those looking for a new life, and those who are in the U.S. desperately waiting to be reunited with their family members overseas.

Donald Trump’s executive orders essentially banning Muslims from entering our country and going back on America’s promise to refugees not only shows a lack of understanding our country’s history, legacy, and strength in diversity, it also plays directly into ISIS’ recruitment narrative and puts our national security at risk. 

Students with visas, permanent residents, our friends, neighbors, coworkers, doctors, nurses, teachers are being presecuted. We will not sit idly by; we will fight back. We will fight for human rights. We will fight to end religious persecution. 

Many of our members are already fighting – protesting, donating, organizing and providing legal services. We can’t stop now; we must resist. 

• Call and email your members of congress at (220) 224-3121 and ask them to step in to help our fellow citizens, residents, and refugees
• Attend a Muslim ban protest near you
• Share your immigration stories with friends and the press

With the GOP and Trump Administration attacks on our freedoms, we need more people helping YDA respond. Contact Danielle Glover, Vice President, or Jessica Stram, Issue Advocacy Director, if you are interested in lending your time or expertise. 

Like you, I am already counting down the days until President Trump’s time in the White House comes to an end. 1,460 days is a very long time. In order to hold the President accountable, we will need to find a way to stay engaged and ensure our voices are heard.

The first 100 days of every presidency sets the pace. It’s a time when public support is (usually) strong, and citizens give their new president the benefit of the doubt. 

With President Trump, the first 100 days is the time when the most damage can happen.

We need you to be involved and hold him accountable. The president has outlined three points for his first 100 days, and it’s clear that he is already not meeting them:

1. Clean up Washington
2. Protecting American workers
3. Restoring the rule of law

With cabinet appointments who have questionable financials and even more questionable qualifications, consideration of policies that harm the American middle class, and allowing foreign countries to intervene in our Democracy, we know that these goals are nothing but a sham. 

During these 100 days (well, 95, but who’s counting?!), we will be communicating with you and using these three points as a scorecard for holding the president accountable. We encourage you to post on social media and share our messages, as well as your own. Bes sure to use the hashtag #WhileHeTweets to tell Americansthat we are paying attention and won’t be distracted by his rhetoric.

It’s up to us to keep the pressure on and to make sure the “alternative facts” of this President do not become the norm.

In solidarity,

Jessica Stram
Issue Advocacy Director