Overview
On September 6, 2008 at the Equal Voice for America’s Families National Family Convention, a multicity convention in Birmingham, Chicago and Los Angeles, more than 15,000 families will call on the country, lawmakers and the next president of the United States to adopt a national family platform that comprehensively addresses the issues and challenges that families face.
Agenda begins on September 6
Birmingham and Chicago: Noon - 5 pm
Los Angeles: 10 am – 3 pm
Background
Last fall, Marguerite Casey Foundation and its grantees launched the Equal Voice for America’s Families campaign, a campaign designed to hear directly from families as to the challenges they face and to change how we as a country address the social and economic needs of our families.
Between January and June 2008, approximately 12,000 families from diverse backgrounds, often with children in tow, gave up their weekends and evenings to participate in 65 Equal Voice townhall meetings held across America. The testimonies from families at the townhall meetings were synthesized into a cohesive National Family Platform. Families clearly stated that their well-being is not tied to a single issue, that piecemeal solutions have failed to address the complexities of their lives.
Who is Marguerite Casey Foundation and Why a campaign for families
Marguerite Casey Foundation is a private, independent grant making foundation that seeks to build a more just and equitable society by nurturing a movement of low-wage families that engages communities across the United States and forwards an agenda that puts families first. Headquartered in Seattle, Washington, the Foundation was created by Casey Family Programs in 2001 to help expand Casey's outreach and further enhance its 40-year record of leadership in family well-being.
In keeping with the Foundation’s mission, the Equal Voice for America’s Families campaign is a partnership between the Foundation and its grantees to engage families across the country and develop a blueprint for change. The Equal Voice for America’s Families National Family Platform is that blueprint, with which families and communities can work together across race, ethnicity, geography and issues on a common agenda of positive change.
The Foundation has invested over $6 million in the campaign with an additional $1 million provided by Seattle-based Casey Family Programs.
Marguerite Casey Foundation’s Mission
Marguerite Casey Foundation exists to help low income families strengthen their voice and mobilize their communities in order to achieve a more just and equitable society for all.
Related Links
Campaign blog - Equal Voice Blog with Family Videos
Lifecasting across the digital divide Families involved with the campaign
Marguerite Casey Foundation
Casey Family Programs
Overall Convention Numbers (Birmingham, Chicago and Los Angeles)
- 15,000+ attending from the Foundation’s grantmaking regions (Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico, Texas and Washington)
- 2350+ hotel rooms
- 11 Languages – English, Spanish, Khmer, Somalian, Hmong, Mandarin, Cantonese, Korean, Vietnamese, Creole and ASL
- 800+ airline flights booked
- 200+ buses – local and charter
- 32,100+ meals served
- 1925 children in childcare
- 100+ exhibit booths
Speakers:
Keynote Speakers
Birmingham: Freeman Hrabowski, President University of Maryland, Baltimore Campus, Board Chair Marguerite Casey Foundation
Luz Vega-Marquis, President and CEO Marguerite Casey Foundation
Chicago: William Bell, President and CEO Casey Family Programs,
Board member, Marguerite Casey Foundation
Los Angeles: Joe Garcia, President of National Congress of American Indians
Douglas Patino, Board member, Marguerite Casey Foundation
Family Spokespeople:
Birmingham: Star Paschal, Auburn, Alabama
Juan Angel Garcia, Jr., Mission, Texas
Chicago: Maureen Perkins, Chicago, Illinois
David Tolen, Chicago, Illinois
Los Angeles: Raksan Kasem-Houy, Stockton, California
Jeffry Chalan, Cochiti Pueblo, New Mexico
Emcees:
Birmingham : Greg Hodge
Chicago : Chuy Garcia
Los Angeles : Laura Lucio
Press Contacts
Kathleen Baca, kbaca@caseygrants.org
Director of Communications, Marguerite Casey Foundation
(206) 718-0879
Neyda Martinez, www.equalvoice2008.org
National Communications Consultant for Equal Voice 2008
(917) 656-7846
Steve Winter, swinter@caseygrants.org
Public Information Officer
Marguerite Casey Foundation
(206) 718-9662
Listen Up! America’s Families Demand Action
By Luz A. Vega-Marquis
 |
In McAllen, Texas, Martha Sanchez doesn’t dare drink the water that runs out of the tap, for fear of getting sick. In Augusta, Georgia, Sunny Johnson, a single mother of two, thinks that working full-time as a certified nursing assistant should earn her a wage that puts her above the poverty line. (It doesn’t.) In San Francisco, California, Cathleen Muhammad wants justice and good health for her children, who appear to have been made seriously ill by exposure to asbestos from a nearby construction site.
These three stories exemplify the different struggles families are facing in America today; meanwhile we have 37 million people — 7.7 million families — living in poverty.
As the country prepares to elect the next president of the United States pundits and politicians will certainly talk about ‘working families’ --‘middle class families’ – and ‘poor families.’ Isn’t it time we address the needs of America’s families collectively?
All families despite their economic status – be they two parent or single parent families – share the same goal: to provide for their families and ensure a bright future for their children. America’s families rise and fall together.
Last year, Marguerite Casey Foundation launched the Equal Voice for America’s Families campaign — a campaign designed to hear directly from families as to the challenges they face and to change how we as a country address the social and economic needs of our families.
Between January and June 2008, approximately 12,000 families from diverse backgrounds, often with children in tow, gave up their weekends and evenings to participate in 65 Equal Voice townhall meetings held across America. At each town hall meeting, they were inspired, engaged and motivated. Families conveyed not only a sense of urgency but also their desire to be directly involved in the creation of policies that affect them — to be drivers of change.
They tied family stability to living-wage jobs, affordable housing, quality healthcare and education. They let us know that their well-being is not tied to a single issue, that piecemeal solutions have failed to address the complexities of their lives. The testimonies of families at the townhall meetings have been synthesized into a cohesive National Family Platform.
On September 6, 2008, at a multicity convention of 15,000 families in Birmingham, Chicago and Los Angeles, we will release the Equal Voice for America’s Families National Family Platform and call on the country, lawmakers and the next president of the United States to adopt a comprehensive approach to addressing the issues and challenges that families face.
Families are the backbone of our nation and no family should live in poverty. Everyone who works hard should be able to advance and participate fully in the economic, political, and cultural life of the nation. To do so America’s families need income equality and the opportunity to build wealth to insure upward mobility and equal outcomes.
We can no longer ignore that single issued policy solutions are failing families. The needs of families must be addressed universally.
The strength of our country depends on the strength of our families. It’s time we listened to the voices of America’s families.
Luz A. Vega-Marquis Biography
President and CEO Luz A. Vega-Marquis has led Marguerite Casey Foundation since December 2001. Ms. Vega-Marquis' nonprofit experience includes four years as vice president and chief operating officer at the National Economic Development and Law Center, an organization committed to providing technical, law and business expertise to distressed communities nationwide. Her career also encompasses 17 years at the James Irvine Foundation, where she served as director of grants programs, senior program officer in charge of northern California office and program officer.
A leader in her field, Ms. Vega-Marquis has contributed widely to the philanthropic community. A founder of Hispanics in Philanthropy, she has served on numerous boards including the Council of Foundations, Northern California Grantmakers, The Women's Foundation and Katalysis Foundation. She currently serves on The California Wellness Foundation board of directors. A graduate of the University of San Francisco, Ms. Vega-Marquis received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Modern Languages and earned a Masters degree in Latin American Studies from Stanford University.
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