Outreach or Reaching Out?

OK, you've been at those meetings. You know the ones I mean, where everyone is sitting around wondering how to attract "People of Color" or "Diversity" or "Constituency Participation" and not knowing how. There are 10 or 30 or 90 of you in the room. Now you remember, right? Well, we talk for a while and a few people have ideas, but months go by and the composition of the group changes little. Some members leave, new members start, but the "E (ethnic) Component" is unchanged. What to do???

Simple. Just remember what Howard Dean is fond of saying: "You Have The Power!"

Yes, that's right. YOU have the power to reach out to those communities, to participate in THEIR meetings and activities, to engage in THEIR communities. Want to have a better sense of what "minorities" need, want and feel? Well, then, BE ONE! With 30 of you in the room, you can easily target 10-15 new groups you can participate in and help. They used to call it Community Service. We call it Grassroots Activism. Get Involved. Stay Involved, and next time you get together, you'll have plenty to talk about to your own group! Too simple? Not really. It works for us in Marin, California. It can work for you at Anytown, USA!

I bet you can think of a few Unions, School, Church, Guild or other civic groups you can feel at home in. And don't forget to wear your "Progressive" buttons!