Subject: MMOW Opens National Offices; Makes 'Community Commitments'
From: [email-masked]
Date: Tue, 7 Dec 1999 23:30:57 EST

Millennium March on Washington for Equality
April 30, 2000  .  Washington, DC  .  www.mmow.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Dec. 7, 1999

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Flurry of Activity, Accomplishments Marks
Millennium March on Washington Board Meeting
National Offices Opened in DC; March 'Working Vision' Outlined;
Affirms 'Community Commitments' To Strengthen GLBT Movement

Washington, DC -- Momentum for the upcoming Millennium March on Washington 
for Equality gathered speed in Washington, DC this past week as a two-day 
public meeting of the March's board of directors was marked by a flurry of 
business, events, and public commitments.

NATIONAL MMOW OFFICES OPENED
National offices for the March opened at 1000 16th Street, NW, Suite 300, 
Washington, Dc 20036 on Sunday, Dec. 5, with a ribbon cutting ceremony and 
public reception. Participating in the event were openly gay DC 
Councilmembers David Cantania and Jim Graham, both of whom were named 
Honorary Co-Chairs of the DC Millennium March Leadership Council.

The March's four co-chairs, Ann DeGroot, Duane Cramer, Nicole Murray-Ramirez, 
and Donna Red Wing, presided at the ribbon-cutting ceremony.

The Washington offices will be headed by Dianne Hardy-Garcia, executive 
director of the Lesbian and Gay Rights Lobby of Texas, one of the nation's 
largest GLBT state organizations. Hardy-Garcia, one of two co-executive 
directors of the Millennium March, will oversee organizing, outreach, 
volunteers and public relations for the March.

[NOTE: Press photo attached of ribbon-cutting ceremony at new MMOW national 
headquarters. Pictured: MMOW Co-Chairs and DC Council Members David Cantania 
and Jim Graham.]  [Deleted photo.  [email-masked]]

MMOW "WORKING VISION" OUTLINED
The MMOW board of directors outlined the initial list of issues to be 
featured in the March. 

"The initial concept of a March platform has evolved into a Working Vision," 
said Malcolm Lazin, co-executive director of the event. "The Working Vision 
incorporates the feedback recieved from the ballot and will serve as a guide 
to planning the march. The board welcomes continued community input on the 
March platform as this work in progress continues."

Organizers adopted eight priority issues in the initial Working Vision:

*** Hate crimes legislative protections
*** Ending GLBT discrimination in the workplace
*** Racial justice
*** GLBT family values, including marriage and partner rights, equality of 
adoption laws, and child custody protections
*** GLBT health care issues
*** Legal protections for GLBT youth
*** Overturning anti-gay initiatives and laws on both the federal and state 
levels
*** Privacy rights

"I'm pleased that the board included a strong commitment to racial justice in 
the Working Vision," said Lazin. "In public forums around the country and 
from write-in ballots, we heard the community's overwhelming commitment to 
racial justice issues." 

The board resolution appoved this past week notes "the pervasive existence of 
racial injustice throughout the United States and..the intrinsic link between 
discrimination based on race and sexual orientation."

"People of color comprise fifty percent of the MMOW board of directors," 
noted Lazin, "the highest percentage of any national GLBT march. A commitment 
to racial justice has been an integral part of every previous march, and we 
have reaffirmed this by assuring that racial justice issues will be 
prominently featured in the Rally on the National Mall and that the March 
will provide resourcing to national GLBT people of color organizations."

To date, March organizers have received more than 40,000 ballots by mail, 
fax, e-mail, Internet voting and collection at local community centers and 
GLBT organizations.

"We are pleased with the strong community response to the open balloting 
process," noted Lazin. "Because of the importance of this national event and 
because we continue to receive responses from around the country, we consider 
the March's "Working Vision" to be a work in process. We encourage 
individuals to continue sending ballots and to write us about the issues they 
most want to see featured in the March."

MMOW ORGANIZERS PLEDGE 'COMMUNITY COMMITMENTS'
Reaffirming its commitment to strengthening the GLBT movement at all levels, 
the MMOW board of directors passed a series of 'community commitments' during 
the DC meetings.

"MMOW organizers affirmed their strong commitment to statewide groups, 
national people of color organizations and community centers. Generating 
ongoing support and resources for these three strategic outreaches of the 
movement will be one of the lasting legacies of the Millennium March," 
predicted Hardy-Garcia.

"National marches should be a partnership with the entire community," she 
added, "and the MMOW board reaffirmed this partnership with a "Covenant of 
Commitments." 

Among the commitments, the MMOW board affirmed a pledge to distribute 90% of 
March profits to GLBT causes, with 30% designated for statewide GLBT 
organizations, 30% designated for national GLBT organizations of color and 
30% yet to be designated. 

The board also announced plans to share registration lists for the March and 
"GLBT Vote 2000" with local, statewide, regional, and national GLBT 
organizations. "This partnership of GLBT organizations at every level will 
connect tens of thousands of activists with GLBT organizations and serve to 
energize our movement and all of our organizations at the start of the new 
millennium," said Hardy-Garcia.

[NOTE: Full text of the MMOW resolutions and commitments follows this news 
release.]

The Millennium March on Washington for Equality is the fourth national march 
for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender civil rights and the first human 
rights march of the new millennium. A free e-mail newsletter is available 
upon request by writing [email-masked]. 

For more information on the March on Washington for Equality, visit the 
official website at www.mmow.org.

(END)

FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION, CONTACT:

Corri Planck
MMOW Director of Communications
Tel:  202-467-8108
Phone: 917-586-8353

TEXT OF MMOW BOARD
RESOLUTIONS AND COMMUNITY COMMITMENTS

Millennium March Board Resolution #1
Concerning Racial Justice

In recognition of the pervasive existence of racial injustice throughout the 
United States and of the intrinsic link between discrimination based on race 
and sexual orientation, and

Acknowledging the expressed concerns of our community regarding the 
perpetuation of racial injustice, and

Realizing the need for and the obligation of the Millennium March to identify 
and embrace the struggle for racial justice as an integral part of achieving 
equality for all people, 

Be it hereby resolved that the Millennium March on Washington formally 
incorporates racial justice into the Millennium March Platform as follows:

The theme of striving for racial justice will be integrated into every aspect 
of organizing and staging the Millennium March on Washington for Equality.

The Board of the Millennium March on Washington sees the March as opportunity 
to galvanize our community to work for equality at the local, state, and 
national level, and believes it is imperative that the effects of the 
Millennium March far exceed the March itself.  This resolution reflects the 
Board's commitment to ensure that the Millennium March on Washington 
strengthens the overall movement for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender 
equality.

Millennium March Board Resolution #2
Concerning Statewide Political Groups

In recognition of the critical role that statewide political groups play in 
organizing our community and advocating for our community at the state level, 
and

Acknowledging the many challenges to gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender 
rights currently being confronted at the state level, and

Realizing the need for and the obligation of the Millennium March to provide 
support for and affirmation of the essential work statewide political groups 
are doing on behalf of our community,

Be it hereby resolved that the Millennium March on Washington commits to 
assist statewide political organizations in the following ways:

1.  Improving Visibility for Statewide Political Groups

The Millennium March will provide visibility to statewide political groups in 
the following ways:

-- Members of the Federation of Statewide Political Organizations will be 
represented on the stage at the Millennium March.  Each state will be invited 
to have a representative carry their flag on the stage and the importance of 
statewide political organizing will be emphasized.

-- The Millennium March will provide an opportunity for statewide political 
groups to promote their individual organizations by distributing their 
materials and participating in the voter identification project.

3.  Enhancing Organizational Development and Getting out the Vote

The Millennium March will contribute to the organizational development of 
statewide political organizations and supplement their get-out-the-vote 
efforts by providing each statewide political organization with the list 
developed by Millennium March for their state.

4.  Reinvesting Proceeds in our  Community

The Millennium March will contribute 30% of the net profits from the 
Millennium March on Washington to the Federation of Statewide Political 
Organizations, to be divided equally among the states.

The Board of the Millennium March on Washington sees the March as opportunity 
to galvanize our community to work for equality at the local, state, and 
national level, and believes it is imperative that the effects of the 
Millennium March far exceed the March itself.  This resolution reflects the 
Board's commitment to ensure that the Millennium March on Washington 
strengthens the overall movement for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender 
equality.

Millennium March Board Resolution #3
Concerning National People of Color Organizations

In recognition of the essential role that national people of color 
organizations play in organizing and advocating for historically under 
represented and marginalized members of our community, and

Acknowledging the fundamental importance of and continuing challenges to 
eradicating the dual discrimination experienced by gay, lesbian, bisexual, 
and transgender persons of color, and

Realizing the need for and the obligation of the Millennium March to provide 
support for and affirmation of the critical work done by national people of 
color organizations on behalf of our community,

Be it hereby resolved that the Millennium March on Washington commits to 
assist national people of color organizations in the following ways:

1.  Improving Visibility for National People of Color Organizations

The Millennium March will provide visibility to national people of color
organizations in the following ways:

-- Members of national people of color organizations will be represented on 
the stage at the Millennium March.

-- The Millennium March will provide an opportunity for these organizations 
to promote their individual organizations by distributing their material and 
participating in the voter identification project.

3.  Enhancing Organizational Development and Getting Out the Vote 

The Millennium March will contribute to organizational development of 
national people of color organizations and supplement their get-out-the-vote 
efforts by providing each organization with the list developed by Millennium 
March.

4.  Reinvesting Proceeds in our Community

The Millennium March will contribute 30% of net proceeds from the Millennium 
March on Washington to national people of color organizations, to be divided 
among the organizations. 

The Board of the Millennium March on Washington sees the March as opportunity 
to galvanize our community to work for equality at the local, state, and 
national level, and believes it is imperative that the effects of the 
Millennium March far exceed the March itself.  This resolution reflects the 
Board's commitment to ensure that the Millennium March on Washington 
strengthens the overall movement for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender 
equality.
Millennium March Board Resolution #4
Concerning The National Association of Gay & Lesbian Community Centers

In recognition of the vital role that community centers play in organizing 
and supporting our community at the local level, and

Acknowledging the necessity for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people 
throughout the country to have access to safe and welcoming community 
resource centers which serve the unique and diverse needs of our community, 
and

Realizing the need for and the obligation of the Millennium March to provide 
support and affirmation to the important work done by the National 
Association of Community Centers on behalf of our community,

Be it hereby resolved that the Millennium March on Washington commits to 
assist the National Association of Community Centers in the following ways:

1.  Improving Visibility for the National Association of Gay and Lesbian 
Community Centers

The Millennium March will provide visibility to the National Association of 
Gay and Lesbian Community Centers in the following ways:

-- Members of the National Association of Gay and Lesbian Community Centers 
will be represented on the stage at the Millennium March.

-- The Millennium March will provide an opportunity for the community centers 
to promote themselves by distributing their material and participating in the 
voter identification project.

2.  Enhancing Organizational Development and Getting Out the Vote 

The Millennium March will contribute to organizational development of the 
National Association of Gay and Lesbian Community Centers and supplement 
their get-out-the-vote efforts by providing the association with the list 
developed by Millennium March.

The Board of the Millennium March on Washington sees the March as opportunity 
to galvanize our community to work for equality at the local, state, and 
national level, and believes it is imperative that the effects of the 
Millennium March far exceed the March itself.  This resolution reflects the 
Board's commitment to ensure that the Millennium March on Washington 
strengthens the overall movement for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender 
equality.
Millennium March Board Resolution #5
Concerning Endorsing and Contributing Organizations

In recognition of the significance of the investment endorsing and 
contributing organizations will make to the March, and

Acknowledging the importance of these contributions to the promotion and 
success of the March, and

Realizing the need for and the obligation of the Millennium March to reinvest 
the resources it will receive from the endorsing and contributing 
organizations, 

Be it hereby resolved that the Millennium March on Washington commits to 
collaborate with endorsing and contributing organizations in the following 
way:

The Millennium March will contribute to the organizational development of 
each endorsing and contributing organization and supplement their get-out- 
the-vote efforts by providing each organization with the list developed by 
Millennium March from their area.

The Board of the Millennium March on Washington sees the March as opportunity 
to galvanize our community to work for equality at the local, state, and 
national level, and believes it is imperative that the effects of the 
Millennium March far exceed the March itself.  This resolution reflects the 
Board's commitment to ensure that the Millennium March on Washington 
strengthens the overall movement for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender 
equality.

(END)

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