The 10th Anniversary Fundraiser Reception, celebrating 10 years of youth leadership for the League of Young Voters, took place on June 7, 2013 at the majestic Hotel Metro in downtown Milwaukee. Everything from the dining hall to the hors d’oeuvres was impressive. The space, small but quaint, allowed for a more intimate setting with current donors and League supporters. Key individuals in attendance were Alderman Bob Bauman, Alderwoman Milele Coggs and Mothers Against Gun Violence founder Marna Winbush, in addition to Campaign Against Violence co-founder Kwabena Antoine Nixon.

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Not only were we able to update donors on current campaigns being conducted by the League, it gave supporters the opportunity to interact with current members of the organization and to hear more about the League’s inception. Throughout the night, we heard testimonies from fellow Leaguers and how their involvement with the organization transformed their lives in a positive way. My personal highlight of the night was the video tribute from various League affiliates that brought the story of the national organization full circle.

This reception was a celebration of the work the energetic and ambitious young people of the League of Young Voters has done in the past, the work that is being done now and the work that will be done in the future. More than just a fundraising event, the 10 Year Anniversary celebration was time of fellowship, catching up, saying thank you and preparing attendees for the next steps in the League’s mission to engage young people of color.

-Richard M. Leckie

The Wisconsin League participated in a very important stakeholders meeting involving the war our community is currently engaged in. The #RaiseUpMKE campaign was introduced May of this year, by numerous low-wage workers and community members who voiced concern to living wages and wage theft; as well as the formation of unions within certain industries.

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Wisconsin Jobs Now, NAACP, and the Wisconsin League of Young Voters have been working together for better wages. Beginning with trips to Chicago and Detroit, the mission was to bring awareness and to gain further support. After successfully completing these demonstrations, we returned to Milwaukee to do a HUGE day of action where low-wage workers stood up for their rights and walked out of their jobs in protest.

This led to the meeting the other night, in which we gauged how people felt about the day of action and what could have been done better. There was good feedback from the workers in regards to their treatment by employers since the day of action. Also, it was very beneficial to the workers as well as the community as a whole to hear from elected officials like county supervisors David Bowen and Khalif Rainey, and State Rep.Tanya Young. This shows that elected officials are listening to the concerns of their constituents and are as committed as the organizations involved in securing higher living wages and preventing wage thefts. All in all, the meeting was very well put together and we look forward to working on future projects.

-Perfect

Here’s your weekly quick look at few developing stories in the political arena:

• Minnesota continued a recent trend by becoming the 12th state to legalize gay marriage on Tuesday when Governor Mark Dayton signed a recently passed marriage equality bill into law. “Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness should certainly include the right to marry the person you love,” Dayton said. The bill passed in the senate on Monday by a 37-30 vote. Couples will be allowed to marry starting August 1, 2013. The other states that currently allow gay marriage are: CT, DE, IA, ME, MD, MA, NH, NY, RI, VT, WA, and also the District of Columbia.

• On Wednesday, the White House released more than 100 pages of e-mails in an attempt to quiet critics who think that President Barack Obama and his aides played politics with our national security following the deadly September 11, 2012 attack on the U.S. diplomatic compound in Benghazi, Libya. The White House has always denied any type of cover-up. White House spokesman Eric Schultz said, “Collectively these emails make clear that the interagency process, including the White House’s interactions, were focused on providing the facts as we knew them based on the best information available at the time and protecting an ongoing investigation.”

• President Obama on Thursday said he had no knowledge of the recent IRS scandal until the media exposed it last Friday. The IRS is under heavy scrutiny for singling out groups, particularly those with Tea Party ties, that were seeking tax-exempt status. President Obama has since repeatedly denounced the discriminatory behavior at the IRS. President Obama said, “What I’m absolutely certain of is that the actions that were described in that I.G. report are unacceptable.” On Wednesday, the Obama administration called for the resignation of acting IRS commissioner Steven Miller and the Justice Department announced that they will be investigating the matter. It is not yet known whether or not any laws were broken and if any criminal charges will be filed.

• Finally, a bipartisan U.S house group has reached an agreement on immigration reform. The report says that the Democrats and Republicans involved will run it by their party leaders and colleagues and hopefully formal legislation will be introduced in June. “Filing a real bipartisan bill, a serious, enforceable commonsense bill is, I think, a huge step. But it’s the first step of the process, a very important step,” said Republican Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart of Florida, one of the members of the bipartisan group.

In celebration of Earth Day, the League partnered with Urban Grass Roots, I.N.C. to make a cleaner and greener Milwaukee for our residents. More than 50 volunteers, ranging from elders to young children, came out to support the community clean-up.
Those who participated during the Earth Day event received breakfast and lunch, a variety of flower seeds, pots of pansy or perennial flowers and a signed Certificate of Appreciation. Additionally, they walked away with the good feeling of helping to beautify our community and provide a healthier environment

This was an spectacular event, the weather didn’t affect our goal, we were successful in both the block and freeway clean ups and the beautification of the Eastside area. We witnessed the true meaning of the adage “it takes a village to raise a child.” Children learn best through their everyday experiences with the people they love and trust, and when the learning is fun. The ideal place for these learning experiences is outdoor in the garden where they can explore.

“Teaching children about the natural world should be seen as one of the most important events in their lives,” said Priscilla Coggs-Jones founder of Urban Grass Roots I.N.C.

By the end of day, I personally spoke to the volunteers we brought with us and they all said the same thing: When are we doing this again? This is so FUN!! So as a result of the high level of interest, we planned an Orchard Planting/Volunteer Appreciation Day on April 27, 2013. It will kick off at 11 a.m. CST at 8th and Concordia St.. Please come out and join us if you are in Milwaukee.

by Oscar Cain

The League of Young Voters partnered up with the Pittsburgh Community Association, Inc., and a host of volunteers to clean up the Pittsburgh community in downtown Atlanta.  Both organizations are invested in the community and maintaining its beauty. In addition to picking up trash we planted fresh tomatoes and other vegetables in the Welch St. garden to harvest soon.

It was an exciting opportunity to clean up our community and also celebrate Earth Day.  By picking up trash we were able to show Mother Nature that we appreciated Her. It’s important that we keep the environment pollution-free because clean air equals healthier children. #EarthDay2013

DJ Cavem (aka The O.G. – The Organic Gardner) is really changing the game by using his environmentally-conscious music as a platform to push the green movement. He emphasizes a simple message: if you want to be down with your hood, you should keep it beautiful too.

The O.G. has a upcoming record called, “Eco Twerk,” that is a genuine masterpiece! He gave us a sneak peek during his #EarthDayLive Interview.

Today is Earth Day! And we have some entertaining music and riveting discussions planned onwww.YoungVoterLive.com at 3 pm EST for #EarthDayLive.

Let’s get people interested in the green jobs movement and saving our planet! We are working hard to create opportunities and educate our communities. Let’s stand as one powerful voice today.

Have you or someone you know been impacted by gun violence? We’re collecting powerful stories for a series we are producing on the effect of gun violence on young people.

Get creative – share your videos, photos, or writing and we’ll feature as many as we can in our upcoming #NoGunsAllowed webisode series.

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