Texas Democratic Women of Gregg County

August 2008 meeting — Thursday, August 7, 6 pm: Please note change of time — Gather at 5:30, program begins at 6:00.
Speaker: Mark Thompson — Democratic candidate for Texas Railroad Commission, www.markfortexas.com
Location: Longview Community Center, 500 E Whaley, Longview
Sweet Send-Off to the Democratic National Convention! — Thursday, August 14, 5–7 pm: Reception: honoring present and past area delegates to the Democratic National Convention. Refreshments served. Sponsored by Texas Democratic Women of Gregg County
Location: Longview Community Center, 500 E Whaley, Longview
More info: 903-918-0637

Past programs: We’ve had some great speakers over the past couple of years. Want to see what you missed?

Women in politics: How does the U.S. stack up?

Not very well, according to Parade magazine’s July 3, 2005 edition: “When nations were ranked for women’s participation in national legislatures and governments, the U.S. was 61st. . . . In Iraq, women are pushing for 40% of the assembly seats, while they’re still at just 14% in the U.S. House and Senate.”

The Parade website includes some great links to organizations working for women and democracy-building around the world. See http://archive.parade.com/2005/0703/0703_changing_nations.html, at the bottom of the page.

The nonpartisan group The White House Project promotes women’s leadership in politics and beyond. Parade says The White House project “is training 300 women to become more active in U.S. politics this summer. Marie Wilson, the projects’s president, says more women need to be encouraged to run for office. She stresses the importance of women’s involvement in state and local offices, which serve as a pipeline to national positions.”