Final Free Write-Democrat Through and Through

For anyone that has read all of my blog posts (heck, even if you've only read one or two), you've probably figured out that I am a progressive. I am definitely a Democrat with a capital, capital D. I decided to write about my experience in the Democratic party. 

I cannot remember not being a Democrat, but I know that my true involvement in the party began in January of 2010. I decided to check out the Obama office opening in Phoenix and I instantly fell in love with everyone there and all of the things that they did. It became my passion. If I had free time, I would head to the office. Then, that summer, I did a fellowship with them. I didn't just volunteer with them, but with every Democratic candidate and opportunity I could!!!

I continued to volunteer, though, after the election that year, things slowed down and I slowly started to do so less and less often as there were less chances to do so. Eventually, they transferred all of the staffers from the office to critical swing states in mid-2011. 

Near the end of 2011, one of those staffers, who I had remained friends with him, asked me to become a staffer in Florida in the beginning of 2012 for the Obama 2012 re-elect campaign. I couldn't wait and I absolutely took the offer. 

I spent a year in Florida working on the campaign and afterwards working for the Inauguration. 

Though not quite to the extent I was, I am still definitely involved in Democratic grassroots politics. The only reason it's not as much is because of my busy schedule! It has been a wonderful experience for me that has taught me so much and I've made so many friends through it. The connection you have with some of your fellow staffers and volunteers is amazing. You're all passionate about and fighting for what you believe in. 

Final Thank You Letter

Dear Rebekah, 

I wrote this letter because I wanted to say thank you. There is so much to thank you for, I don't even know where to begin. 

While I had always been a supporter of the labor movement and unions, I decided in November 2014 that it was something I wanted to learn more about and become more involved in. You gave me that opportunity and then some. Thank you for helping me grow personally, professionally, and academically. 

I am sad to go, but find comfort in knowing that we'lol maintain a friendship. These 4 months have been an awesome experience, during which, I learned so much. I wanted to expand my portfolio of knowledge and you certainly enabled me to do that. 

As someone that suffers from depression, this position helped me maintain my sanity. I loved being a part of Arizona AFL-CIO and it gave me a great sense of pride. When I told people about my involvement, I always held my head up high. 

Everyone I worked with at the office has a special little place in my heart. You have been nothing but kind to me. And even gave me confidence when I didn't have it because you believed in me. 

In short, I can't thank you enough for everything you've done for me. 

Fondly,

Charlie

P.S. I hope you know what a bad-ass I think you are. 

An Evening with Anderson Cooper

This past Saturday, April 25, I had the opportunity to see Anderson Cooper speak. He was brought to Phoenix by ASU's Center for the Study of Race and Democracy. I have been extremely fond of Anderson Cooper and the work that he does for several years so this was especially exciting for me. Race and democracy, and their relationship, are also topics that I'm quite interested in.

I think my favorite part of the experience was getting to know more about Anderson Cooper, the person or individual vs. the reporter. A few years ago, I read his memoir, and was delighted to have learned more about him. The lecture also gave one a more in-depth look at Mr. Cooper. As a reporter, he is typically interviewing someone else, so we don't learn very much about Anderson Cooper.

He is a straight news reporter. He doesn't provide an extensive amount of commentary or opinion on the topics he reports on. He does somewhat, so I had a feeling that he was a strong progressive, but from this lecture, it became abundantly clear that he absolutely was. He spoke strongly and passionately about issues that were of concern to him. Especially, appropriately so, on issues of race and democracy in the United States, and somewhat throughout history and the world. There was a particular emphasis on the current situation of police brutality against people of color in the United States.

I feel honored to have had this opportunity and would attend more events featuring Anderson Cooper and events sponsored by ASU's Center for Race and Democracy. Seeing Anderson Cooper at some point in my lifetime so I'm thrilled to have checked this off of my bucket list. Below are pictures taken at the event.

Strengths of Organization

The Strengths of AFL-CIO, in terms of this blog, can be divided into two separate categories. There are the strengths of the national AFL-CIO and the strengths of the Arizona AFL-CIO. For my purposes, I am going to write about Arizona AFL-CIO, since that is where I internship and know best.

Arizona AFL-CIO is not one union. We are an umbrella group composed of multiple unions. SEIU would be a comparable organization. It is for that reason that we are stronger than an individual union. We are a federation, hence the F in AFL-CIO. Because of our size and unity, we have a stronger voice when it comes to issues. When we go to lobby at the Arizona Capitol, it's not UFCW or CWA that is going to the Capitol, it is UFCW, and CWA, and SMART, etc.

I am extremely proud to say that I work for Arizona AFL-CIO for two reasons. 1) We support unions, which is something that is of great importance to me and 2) it seems to me, that we have a great reputation in Arizona among those that support labor and are part of the movement.

Once again, because we are composed of several organizations, I think our ability to provide economically is part of what gives us our great reputation. When unions need help for special events, meeting places, etc., if Arizona AFL-CIO can help financially, it does.

There are many strengths related to being a labor federation, but I wanted to cite the strengths of Arizona AFL-CIO specifically. I don't think there is anything I would differently. My boss, the Executive Director, has been doing this for a long time. I think she's a bad-ass and knows what she is doing. I enjoy being here and will forever remember my time here.

We're Almost to the Finish Line...

I want to write and say what a great semester it has been, and it has indeed been a great semester, but I'm so exhausted I can barely hold on. 

I hate to be such a Debbie downer, I really did enjoy my time, but I worked so hard this past semester, and I feel like, with finals, I'm letting it go to waste!! 

I hate that finals are all at once, at the very end, and especially that they're worth so much of your grade. There are two classes especially I worked extremely hard to maintain a 92-93% grade, but I think finals will probably turn those A's into high B's. 

I really just don't feel that 25% of my grade should be based on one test that I'll take on a single day. It definitely doesn't reflect how hard I've worked. Especially when I'm so overwhelmed. The truth is, mentally, I checked out about two weeks ago. 

No matter what grades I get, I'll know how hard I worked. That doesn't mean anything to my GPA or transcript though. Ugh. It's going to be fine. 

I Love These Kids More Than They'll Ever Know

Reed-A Teeny Tiny Cowgirl 

        Sophie-The Bookworm

        Kamdin (or KK) and Reed-look at that love! 

         Kamdin-The Charmer

     Reed loves horsies!

                                                                          Sisters <3

                   Jaime and Reed with their pal Easton and the newest addition, chocolate lab Griffin

My sister Bettie with Jaime and Reed-the girls were so much littler then!!

I can't handle the cuteness of this photo

The girls dying Easter eggs with Grandma 

Jaime and her wall of the "Walking Dead."

I did say he was funny.

The photos you see above are photos of my nephew and nieces. They are a huge part of my heart and life. I love them dearly. There is Kamdin, 18, Sophie, 13, Jaime, 10, and Reed, 3. They are the children of my sister, Bettie, and brother-in-law, Jerry. 

It pleases me to say that we are extremely close-both physically and emotionally. They bring me more joy than I am able to put in words. When I'm down and need a pick me up, they always lift my spirits. 

Kamdin is a high school senior who is getting ready to graduate from Scottsdale Preparatory Academy. As he is the oldest, he is the one I relate to most on an adult level. He's still pretty young to say that about, but it's true. He's quite the young man and I am very proud of who he is and to call him my nephew. He's smart, funny, and sweet. He's also a great older brother. And a great nephew. 

Sophie is the introvert. She's sweet, and actually, probably the one that tells me she loves me most often. She is my favorite little Democrat. I love and thrive on politics so it's wonderful to have a niece that is into it, too. While she's fairly quiet (unless you get her talking about books), she is very vocal when it comes to justice and equal treatment of everyone. I would say that's pretty awesome in anyone's book.

However introverted Soph (pronounced like Sofa, without the a), Jaime is extroverted. If I used one word to describe her, it would be funny. One of the things I love about Jaime is laughing together. She and I can make each other laugh like crazy. Even when she's trying, yes, I said, trying, to drive me nuts!!! 

Reed is the tiniest one. We thought my sister would be done with Jaime, but Reedlet was a little surprise and I'm so glad she happened! They're growing up too fast, so while Reed certainly already has a personality of her own, it's fun to see her grow and develop into her own little person. She displays a few personality traits of each of her siblings. They're all cute, but being that she's the littlest, what a cutie!!!

I never thought I would be a "kid" person, but if you've read any of my previous posts about Judah, or now, this one, it turns out I am a bit. I'm still not just a "anyone's kid" person, but I do love the kiddos in my life. They are oh so special to me. 

Urban Governance-AZ AFL-CIO

A major component of urban governance, as I understand it, is getting people involved and active in their local government. That is definitely a huge part of what we do. I can't speak for other state chapters of AFL-CIO, but I assume that is what we do. We are the umbrella organization for several unions and want to protect them all. Many voices, particularly constituent voices, are louder than one so we mobilize our base of Unions and their members, our affiliates, to make their voices heard.

One example of this is the Legislative Meeting we hold every Friday. We go over what bills are of interest to the labor movement in the Arizona Capitol. We also discuss, just a bit, any legislation that affects us in national government. It is during these meetings when we encourage members to reach out to their legislators to let them know if they support or oppose bills. And sometimes we encourage them to reach out to certain legislators we think we can pressure into supporting whichever way we stand on a bill or issue. 

Another example of Arizona AFL-CIO participating in urban governance was our Day of Action at the Arizona Capitol. We created cards that explained where we stood on multiple issues that everyone just had to put in the name of his/her legislator and his/her name and signature. They then delivered it personally to the office of each legislator or gave the cards to us which we then delivered to the Capitol. We also gave everyone instructions on how to sign up for "the right to speak." One must sign up at a kiosk at the Capitol, but then is able to put whether they support or oppose a bill from her/his home computer. Lastly, just having a presence at the Capitol with hundreds in attendance helps make our voice as a collective and individually stronger. 

I have been reaching out to my representatives for years. For instance, I can't tell you how many times I called the office of Governor Brewer to tell her how staunchly I opposed SB1070 in 2010. I love that I work for an organization that does so much work focused on getting so many people active in state and federal government.

                                                        A screen at the Legislature that
                                                               shows the final vote

The entire roster of current Legislators 

                                                       Some of the folks from the Day
                                                             of Action at the Capitol
                                                          participating in democracy

Supporters listening to Representative Andrade 

about how to best make their voices heard