Day 4 of the 2009 YDA National Convention

Ok, I will admit that I am new at this blogging thing. I know that I am supposed to write something everyday, regardless if I am swamped at work or on a plane coming back from Chicago. So I apologize for just now posting a new blog.

I am sure everyone wants to know what happened the next day. There were a series of events in the morning. The Credentials Committee was in a meeting all morning to prepare for the big elections that afternoon. The awards committee reconvened to vote on the awards for the night’s Gala dinner. I spent the morning playing tourist with my family that lives in Chicago. If you have never been to Chicago you must go. It is really a beautiful city. We drove past Oprah’s studios and had brunch at Wishbone. They are known for their Shrimp and Grits. 

Ok back to the Convention. The afternoon was slated for the general session for elections. On the way to the main hall one was attacked by representatives from all of the candidates with stickers, posters and other propaganda. There was a flurry of activity as people scrambled for last minute votes. The afternoon started with speeches from outgoing President David Hart and his partner. Rachael Morse who is David’s Chief of Staff said a few words and spelled out the rules for elections.  Then the drama began.

We started with the elections for President. I like Chris Anderson. He has done a lot for YDA over the years and has truly been a leader within the organization. However, it was not even close. Crystal Strait won 2 to 1. Next was the election for Executive Vice President. I thought this one would be very close as both candidates were very qualified for the position and both have truly been a blessing to YDA over the years. However, as we got to some of the larger states like New York and Michigan, Rod Snyder pulled away from A’shanti Gholar.

Next was the position for 1st Vice President. This was the closest election of the afternoon. The two candidates were Zack Hawkins from North Carolina who was on the slate with Chris Anderson and Renee Hartley from Texas who was on the slate with Crystal Strait. Though was supporting Crystal and most of the people on her slate I was an animate support for Zack Hawkins. Mr. Hawkins is the former President of the North Carolina Young Democrats. He served as President of the state chapter during the Obama campaign and worked to help turn the state blue. He is a science teacher in Raleigh, North Carolina with a wealth of organization experience. During his term as president they also grew the number of chapters in North Carolina. I think Renee is a nice person and she has worked hard as the President of the Dallas County Young Democrats. However, I thought Zack was more qualified. In fact, I seconded his nomination. The end result, Renee won the election. I will admit that I was disappointed by the outcome. However, I wish Renee the best of luck and I look forward to working with her in YDA. However, I am sure that we will hear from Mr. Hawkins again and I will stand beside him once again.

The remaining elections were not even close. Colmon Eldridge was elected 2nd Vice President. Isaac Robinson was elected 3rd Vice President. Mark Newman was elected Treasurer and Emily Robinson was elected secretary. There were some disappointed faces and some angry individuals. However, I hope that we can come together as an organization. If there were any issues of malfeasance which would have affected the outcome of the elections then the proper measures need to be taken by filing a formal complaint and having the matter reviewed by the Judicial Council.

After the elections, I went the Tomorrow Club reception. The Tomorrow Club is the small donor fundraising arm of YDA. People who join the Tomorrow Club give a specific dollar amount to YDA every month. As a member of the Tomorrow Club I figured I should enjoy one of the few perks of membership. The special guest at the reception was Mayor Newsome from San Francisco.

I then left there to change for the Gala. I knew before the Gala that PGCYD was nominated by the Young Democrats of Maryland for the Local Chapter of the Year award. Therefore, I purchased a ticket for the Gala just in case we won. This is the first time that PGCYD was up for the award and I was not certain if we would actually get it. I was just much honored to have been nominated and that YDM thought enough of us to submit our name to the national awards committee. The Gala was not as nice as the one from 2007. This is because YDA is still broke. Not as broke as we were in February when the general membership found out but broke still. Therefore, the Gala was appetizers and an open bar. I guess they figured if they get you drunk enough you won’t notice that they are not going to serve dinner.  The Gala was nice. The newly elected executive board was sworn in. Then came the awards. When I heard that PGCYD was the recipient of the local chapter of the year award was over come with emotion. I know that I do what I do because I want to help educate people about the issues that affect them. I did not become President of PGCYD because I wanted awards and accolades. However, it was nice to see that people are noticing what we are doing here in Prince George’s County.  

That evening was cause to celebrate the elections, the awards and Joseph’s election as Recording Secretary of the YDA Labor Caucus. I threw on my yellow dress and enjoyed the Chicago night.