| [Editor's note: I have deleted items before
today's date of February 18, 2004, as well as items which are not of
interest to NJ residents.] March for Women’s Lives
Action Update
February 17, 2004
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Meetup!
It’s never too late to start attending Meetups! Meetup is an excellent organizing tool that allows people to register online and then meet offline to discuss many aspects of March planning. Local activists are encouraged to attend. It’s a great vehicle to reach out to new supporters and assist them in forming delegations to come to the March. Meetups take place all around the country on the first and third Tuesday of every month. Find out more about Meetups at
http://www.marchforwomen.org/meetup/confused.php, and register online at
http://marchforwomen.meetup.com.
For those of you already attending March Meetups, keep spreading the word! Tell your friends, families, co-workers, peers, and others who may not otherwise know about this important March tool. You are key to our success – keep up the good work!
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Calling all Delegations
Delegations can now register online! Go to
http://www.marchforwomen.org and click on “Form a Delegation” to access the delegation sign-up form. We urge those who sent in paper delegation forms to go to the website and also register online, as the online form contains pertinent organizing information such as number of people attending and special seating needs for your Marchers. You can update your delegation information at any time. If you are organizing a delegation, we also encourage you to register to be listed as a local contact on our “Get Local” page by logging into your account and clicking on “Volunteer to be a Local Organizing Contact.” This will allow others in your area to find you and hook up with your delegation to get to the March.
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Getting the Word Out – Guerilla Marketing
If you know of any progressive events where you think the March should be publicized, please let us know! For events happening in the DC metro area, please contact Kristina Gupta at (202) 349-3854 or
kgupta@marchforwomen.org. For events taking place outside of DC, contact Mo Jones at (202) 349-3851 or
mjones@marchforwomen.org. We will get you the March materials (flyers, posters, and quarter sheets) that you need. Be sure to check out our new Guerrilla Marketing Tips online at
www.marchforwomen.org/content/guerrillatips.pdf to help you perfect your flyering techniques.
Also, remember to post any March-specific events (such as a benefit concert) to our new Events Calendar! You can view and submit events at
http://www.marchforwomen.org/cgi-bin/calendar.pl. The Events Calendar allows you to be aware of March activities around the country, some which may be close enough to attend, and it can give you planning ideas for your own community.
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Anti-Choice Rumor Control
Some participants in the March for Women’s Lives have written in concerned about the possibility of counter-protests on April 25th. Anti-choice groups have set up web sites and sent around emails, hoping to scare us into staying home. Let’s not be fooled: these anti-choice groups are nothing but smoke and mirrors. While there will likely be counter-protesters on April 25th, most of the information currently being circulated is false, and we should not trust their claims.
The First Amendment grants them their right to hold a counter-protest; it does not grant them the right to interfere with ours, and DC police are already negotiating with them to determine a specific site for their counter-protest that will minimize the possibility of confrontation. The anti-choice protesters do not have a permit yet. The route that they show for our March is not the correct one. Our March permit request includes the sidewalks in question. Permits are usually not granted until just before a major event.
Most importantly, the numbers they claim are a bald-faced lie. The anti’s are not capable of mobilizing tens of thousands for this event, as they claim. Moreover, even if they do, it will be less than 1% of our numbers. The best way to show majority support for reproductive rights in America is to come to Washington on April 25th!
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Please contact us with any questions or comments. Thanks for all of your support!
The March Team
1725 I (Eye) St. NW, Suite 300
Washington, DC 20006
202-349-3838
202-349-3839 fax
info@marchforwomen.org
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