Denver to November

Maria & Teresa Heinz at WEPAC Private Reception at Brown Palace Hotel

2008-08-28T12:10:00.003-05:00

Teresa Heinz is an exceptional speaker and a class act. She shared her feelings about Free and Fair elections saying that it is the "number one job for integrity." Heinz stated that women should be the writers of policy...dealing with prevention and the well-being of all people. Heinz lastly addressed the issue of Climate Control and its impact on the survival of women throughout the world.

Cong. Maxine Waters at EqualiTea event

2008-08-28T11:26:00.002-05:00

Mrs. Sherod Brown on Cong. Stephanie Tubbs Jones

2008-08-28T10:12:00.003-05:00

Interview with Julie & Gail: Volunteers

2008-08-28T08:20:00.002-05:00

Hillary Clinton at DNC Hispanic Caucus

2008-08-28T08:11:00.002-05:00

High Ticket Food at Emily's List event

2008-08-27T09:03:00.003-05:00

I hope Andy Ayers at Riddle's doesn't mind if I raid his fridge when I get home!(smile)

Hillary at Emily's List event

2008-08-27T08:23:00.001-05:00

Hillary giving a stunning speech at Emily' List event on Tuesday afternoon. She looked great and brought the House down.

Donna Brazile at DNC Women's Caucus

2008-08-27T08:22:00.002-05:00

Donna Brazile, as always, speaking the truth about what Party Unity means. She is an intelligent fighter for women across the country...someone to look up to.

Ellen Malcolm, President of Emily's List

2008-08-27T08:16:00.001-05:00

Ellen Malcolm, president of Emily's List. She is someone I'd like to intern for in Washington, D.C. during the interim.

2008-08-27T08:00:00.001-05:00

Fran Dresher shortly after giving a speech at the DNC Women's Political Caucus. She spoke about her cancer and organization -- Cancer Schmancer.org

I am a Woman First, Hear me Roar

2008-08-26T20:32:00.008-05:00

On the anniversary of a woman's right to vote, the message from the Democratic Convention could not be any clearer. Women represent 51% of the 2008 delegation in Denver, Colorado. Women are the future of this party.

The last two days have been so inspiring to me as a young woman of color. Just yesterday, I attended an event called EqualiTea. There, we heard from Congresswoman Maxine Waters, Mrs. Sherod Brown and many others that have fought hard for women's rights. The most stunning speech came from Mrs. Sherod Brown who spoke about Congressmember Stephanie Tubbs Jones, who recently passed of an aneurysm. She talked about how brave and strong Tubbs Jones was and how dedicated she was to electing women into office. Just the day before she died, a candidate for office was promised a contribution from Tubbs Jones. On the day of her death, as she promised, Tubbs Jones had a contribution check delivered to this female candidate. We never know when the time will come, but that story - for which I am not doing any justice to - I was reminded yesterday that our actions must be consistent.

As you know, Mrs. Sherod Brown is Caucasian. Duhhhhh. The reason I even mention that fact is because of the way she spoke about her friend, a Black woman, Stephanie Tubbs Jones. It was the same way many of my community friends relate to me. It was not about race or what part of town her "sister" came from, Mrs. Brown admired Tubbs Jones as a lion roaring loud on behalf of ALL women. Brown spoke about how Tubbs Jones' life was threatened for her relentless advocacy for Hillary Clinton. It was such an emotional moment for every single person in that room to hear the true story behind her endorsement of Hillary Clinton. And all the time she stood strong in her beliefs. I am committed in saying that no other person could have delivered such a speech so resolving and clear but Mrs. Brown. The men in the room were even emotional.

Today, I went to the DNC Women's Caucus, for which I am a member. It was star-studded as we received messages from Eva Langoria, Rosario Dawson, Fran Dresher and Mrs. Johnson, owner of Johnson companies and hundreds of radio stations. WOW! What can I say but the day was emotional, yet I felt so proud to be a woman and was reminded of all the efforts our predecessors have made for us. There were a few crazies that showed up yelling Pro-Life antics. The crowd of at least 2000 people started chanting "O-BA-Ma, O-Ba-Ma, O-Ba-Ma." The guards took the guy away. Then another crazy person starting yelling "Hussein Obama, Hussein Obama" as if that was to get the crowd nervous. Again, the crowd ROARED, chanting "O-Ba-Ma." Our resolve was very clear in the audience. Nothing was going to lessen the message from the
amazing and powerful women speakers.

This afternoon, I attended an Emily's List event. There was a huge turnout. There was one young lady I stood next to and spoke with about our careers. She grew up in Montana, but currently lives in Michigan. We stood next to each other for over two hours and only at the end I found out that her grandmother was an original founder of Emily's List. She is not a delegate, but she was so moved to make the trip for this particular event. I knew immediately my job was to befriend her and give her a stronger connection to the party and the women's movement. I ended up giving her my Convention Floor ticket tonight because she needed to know how important and groundbreaking the actions of her grandmother were to women's privacy rights. She needed to feel the connection in a close way. Again, we never know when we will be called to act or sacrifice our gifts, but at this moment, I found a sister that I will communicate with for the rest of my life. Hopefully, I can get her to run for office.

This event featured Ellen Malcolm, president of Emily's List, Sen. Hillary Clinton and Michelle Obama. All of the speakers were inspirational to the standing-room only crowd.

My soul was filled today with quality food for thought. I wish more young girls that lived my same childhood could have the same experience...the same inspiration.

Getting Comfortable with the Camera Phone

2008-08-26T11:10:00.004-05:00

2008-08-26T11:10:00.003-05:00

The Road to Denver

2008-08-25T20:29:00.004-05:00

On Saturday night, the journey to Denver began. My driving music was already selected, along with my route and stops on the way to visit family and friends. Driving through Kansas reminded me of Australia's outback (the Bush). The land was rather flat and the sunflower fields were amazingly beautiful. The air was fresh and cool. Every chance I got to open the sunroof to feel the sun glare into the car, I did.

Since I've been so busy getting re-elected and doing the standard (and unending) amount of constituency work, I've had very little time to think about an event I've cherished my entire life--the Democratic National Convention. The reason I chose to drive to Denver is because the time would have allowed me to reflect on what was in store for Democrats around the world. As real change is at the brink of a new reality, in this special moment in time we are all connected by an amazing force that has caused a groundswell of people to no longer be apathetic, a groundswell of loyal and long-standing Democrats to understand the opportunity we have before us to finally make a difference in our lives.

For the last couple of years, the reality of our economy and lack of respect for privacy and immigrant rights would put many of our friends in desperate positions. I know if our neighbors and friends remained lax about this election in November, our reality would worsen. This country is wonderful and amazing, but we all have a responsibility to make her potential as great as she can be. No superpower is great because citizens stand at the wayside. It takes work, commitment and sacrifice for sometimes small, yet substantial changes. This is why I love doing what I do as your state representative. I can help make changes to better all of our lives. The payoff is a healthy life for our seniors, children and our communities.

This week the Missouri delegation will spend an inordinate amount of time together. The typical politics we read about or hear about at home is placed on the back burner and we come together as state delegates to make a difference in the presidential nomination process. I've met a married couple from Warrensberg, I've shared refreshments with members of Stonewall Democrats, and I've met delegates from our urban cores that I've never met before. Every morning we meet-up for breakfast and hear tremendous speeches from Missouri party leaders and receive our credentials for the day. In fact, I found out as a Super-delegate I get a guest pass each day. I'm sure one of you would have liked to utilize that extra credential. Without that opportunity, there are some worthy volunteers from the Stonewall Democrats that I'm sharing my credentials with instead.

There are several "amateur" videos that I am taking to give you more insight as to what activities are available for delegates from throughout the country and some background on the people who are here. The videos are not all so clear, but I want you to see what is not on television.

Welcome to Maria's Blog

2008-08-15T14:28:00.002-05:00

Denver to November is a new journey for me as an individual and as a state representative. I welcome everyone in the St. Louis community to take part in this three-month experience--an experience that will undoubtedly make history in our beloved country.

Currently, I'm in Chicago visiting with friends, but the convention is steadily on my mind. I've decided to make this a roadtrip experience as those are usually the most thoughtful times one has to themselves. I'm committed to showing the good, the bad and the crazy happenings in Denver and then move towards action oriented events for the November elections. Pictures will be shared of the Missouri delegation, so hopefully we will all be on our best behavior, including myself.

I welcome your comments and your thoughts as to what should be added onto this very amateur blog.

Best,

maria