CHICAGO – As previously announced, the Illinois Green Party's 2020 Spring Convention and membership meeting will take place on Saturday, February 29, 2020, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Third Unitarian Church, 301 N. Mayfield, Chicago, Illinois.

The meeting will be followed by a social hour from 5:00-6:00 pm, and a presidential forum, featuring recognized Green Party candidates for president of the United States, at 6:00 p.m. The forum will feature Green Party US recognized candidates Howie Hawkins, Dario Hunter, and David Rolde. More information about the candidates can be found here.

The day will be capped off by a fundraising dinner for the Illinois Green Party at 7:30.

Three important updates:

First, for members (and persons ready to join) -- there will be some proposed amendments to our by-laws on the agenda. You can view the proposed amendments here. Most of the amendments are aimed at re-structuring the party to give the Coordinating Committee greater decision-making authority and responsibilities between membership meetings.

Second, we will be having a silent auction at our fundraising dinner, so if you can donate a suitable item of value for the silent auction, that would be greatly appreciated.

Third, thanks to the generosity of the Cook County Green Party, our fundraising dinner will be a home-cooked meal/potluck. This will keep our admission prices low: Suggested donation of just $20 a plate; $10 for low income; children under 12 free. If you are a local member or supporter who would like to help out with a dish or other contribution to the dinner (or beer or wine for the social hour), please contact Rita Maniotis, at [email protected].

It will be a full day, but a great opportunity to meet and network with Greens from around the state who are making a difference in their communities, including local officeholders, candidates and activists working for peace, economic security and equality, universal health care, climate justice and much more.

The business meeting will have a pretty full agenda, as we discuss petition planning and strategizing for campaign 2020, election of officers, amendments to our by-laws, possible selection of a U.S. Senate candidate, selection process for our presidential ticket – and more. Please mark your calendars now, and plan on joining us that day.

The finalized agenda will be released as soon as possible. However, it will be a full-day conference, so if you plan on attending the business meeting, please try to arrive a little early to register and be ready to go at 9.

To RSVP visit: http://www.ilgp.org/2020_convention

To follow the event on Facebook visit: https://www.facebook.com/events/1333049276902107/

Help Wanted: Ballot Access Coordinator

The Illinois Green Party seeks a Ballot Access Coordinator to help manage our petition drive to get our presidential and U.S. Senate candidates on the November ballot. This is projected to be a half-time (20 hour per week) paid position. For more details, please see this link.

Interested candidates should send a cover letter and resume to: [email protected].

Our 2020 ballot-access drive is coming up fast. Please help us hit the ground running!

Due to the ridiculously unfair ballot access laws in Illinois, it is a major ordeal to get our candidates on the ballot, especially for national or statewide office. But you can help us get off to a great start by volunteering to help out, donating to our ballot access fund, and/or pledging to sign our petition when the petitioning period begins. If every Illinois voter receiving this newsletter made a commitment to sign our petition, we could meet over 20 percent of our goal right off the bat!

For more information on the ballot access drive and to learn how you can help, please visit our Ballot Access 2020 information page.

Green Party Defenders of Venezuelan Embassy Win Partial Victory

The Embassy Protectors Collective won an important, if partial, victory when the federal prosecution against four members (including Maryland Greens Kevin Zeese and Margaret Flowers) ended in a hung jury!

An excellent summary of the trial appears here.

Upcoming Events:

Thursday, February 20th, Chicago: No One Travels 3,000 Miles On Foot Without Good Reason, 6:30 – 8:00 p.m., Depaul University Lincoln Park Student Center, 2250 N. Sheffield Ave., Chicago.

This is not a Green Party event but is hosted by Chicago Area Peace Action and DePaul Chicago Area Peace Action. Presenters Victoria Cervantes and Laura Nussbaum, of La Voz de los de Abajo, will share and discuss the impact of U.S. policy and actions in Latin America, and how military and economic violence in the region is the underlying cause of the immigration crisis.

We must not let the U.S.'s violent imposition continue to destroy an entire region, while criminalizing the victims of our actions. We'll learn what it means to oppose U.S. interference in Latin America and begin taking the very important steps towards change.

Facebook event page here.

Tuesday, February 25th, Carbondale: Honduras: Humanitarian Crisis as U.S. Policy, 6:30-8:00 p.m., Carbondale Township Hall, 217 E. Main St.

Please note: This is a change of venue from that of our usual fourth Tuesday program, to accommodate an anticipated larger than usual audience. To enter the meeting hall, please use the BACK ENTRANCE, off the alleyway parallel to Monroe Street; parking also available off Monroe.

Two speakers from Honduras will share their personal experiences of the aftermath of the 2009 military coup and 2017 electoral fraud that have profoundly damaged human rights in Honduras.

Americans often hear of the crisis at the border, without understanding how U.S. policy contributes to the flow of migrants seeking safety outside their beloved countries. This program will feature a live video talk with Miguel Angel Giron, a Honduran activist forced to flee after fellow organizers were murdered. Giron led a migrant caravan through Mexico, applied for asylum in the U.S. and was detained for 8 months before being granted asylum. He will explain the ongoing situation in Honduras and help Americans learn how U.S. policy effects fair elections and human rights in his country, fueling the migrant crisis.

Refreshments will be provided; the program is open and free to the public. Sponsors include Shawnee Green Party, Peace Coalition of Southern Illinois & Southern Illinois Immigrant Rights Project.

March 13 – 15, International Days of Action Against Sanctions and Economic War.

There will be actions conducting in the U.S. and elsewhere protesting the crimes against humanity known as economic sanctions. Illinois actions TBA. For general information, visit: https://sanctionskill.org/

Reminders / Ongoing:

Please sign and share this petition calling upon Governor Pritzker "to use his authority as governor of Illinois to impose an immediate ban on the granting of all new drilling permits for oil and natural gas that use any and all forms of hydraulic fracturing."

Do you have items for this newsletter? We are now trying to publish regularly twice a month. Please send your item of interest to Rich Whitney, at [email protected] with "For the Newsletter" in the heading. Thanks!

Illinois Green Party Outreach
http://www.ilgp.org/