Florida Darfur Action Meeting February 8, 2006

Attending: Elise Dolgow, Luis Fleischman, Rose Gatens, Carl House, Barbara Shore, Lonny Wilk

NEXT MEETING: February 17, 2006 9 a.m. Center for Holocaust/Human Rights Education, Boca

Goals:

1. to move the Darfur Peace and Accountability Act ( HR3127) to the floor of the House of Representatives for Vote as quickly as possible

2. to move House and Senate appropriations to support the Darfur Peace and Accountability Act through the appropriations committees for vote

We seek to achieve these goals by:

building on the Southeastern Florida Congressional Delegation/Constituents support for intervention against the Darfur genocide in order to move the entire Florida Congressional Delegation in the House of Representatives to sign-on as Co-sponsors to the Darfur Peace and Accountability Act (HR 3127).

Tasks:

We seek to accomplish these objectives by building both grassroots and congressional support throughout Florida, emphasizing areas that are not yet engaged around the Darfur genocide crisis.

1. Bring remaining south Florida delegates on as co-sponsors of HR 3127.
   1. gaining support of Miami-area delegates Lincoln Diaz-Balart and Mario Diaz-Balart.

   2. supporting Southwest Florida Holocaust Museum/Florida Gulf Coast University grassroots campaign to gain support of Representatives Connie Mack and Katherine Harris.
2. Bringing Congressional Representatives from districts north of Orlando on as co-sponors of HR 3127.
   1. support the Hillel, Newman Club (Catholic Students), and Black Student Union at University of Florida to mobilize grassroots campaign to gain support of their district Representatives to Congress. suggesting expanding their outreach to include UF Alumni activists network.
3. to find and support Darfur action groups in Tallahassee and at Florida State University to mobilize grassroots campaign to gain support of their district Representatives to Congress.

4. to find and support Darfur action groups in Jacksonville and University of North Florida to mobilize grassroots campaign to gain support of their district Representatives to Congress.

Coordinating State-wide Mobilization Effort

We agreed to establish a Florida web-page that can be accessed from the SaveDarfur.org website.

The Florida web-page will contain information relative to achieving the goals of state-wide mobilization effort.

• Statement of the Campaign Goals
• Status of legislation
• Status of Representatives sponsorship of HR 3127
• Upcoming Darfur Action events
• Organizing local events to coincide with the April 30 March in Washington
• Sample letters to Senators and Representatives
• Talking points/writing points
• links to current situation in Darfur

• Contacting Methodists (Rev. McIntyre/Tom Tift)
• Contacting Episcopalians(Carl House)
• Contacting Catholics (Margery Sullivan, Sr. Frances and Sr. Rita)
• Unitarian Universalists (Andrea Schuver)