Young Dems come to Charlotte March 30 — April 1

Posted on 26 Mar 2012 by Sam Spencer

Special thanks to the YDNC, whose support make this and other posts on CLT Blog possible.

The Young Democrats and College Democrats of North Carolina will hold their 2012 Convention at the Blake Hotel in Charlotte March 30 — April 1. Hundreds of Democrats of all ages are expected to be on hand to hear from many of the state’s current and future leaders.

People of all ages are invited to attend. Tickets are available on the YDNC Website, but guaranteed ticket sales close at 11:00 AM on Wednesday March 28.

Convention programming will feature many of the Democrats running for Governor, Lt. Governor, and Council of State. Congressman Mel Watt, Former Congressman Bob Etheridge, Lt. Governor Walter Dalton, Representative Bill Faison, Senator Eric Mansfield, and labor leader Chuck Rocha are just some of the confirmed speakers. All of the leading Democratic gubernatorial candidates will speak at YDNC’s 2012 Leadership Luncheon, which begins at 12:15 PM on March 31.

A full list of convention speakers is available here.

Given the recent national attacks on women’s rights, a special priority for the March convention is to highlight the contributions of North Carolina Women. The Women’s Caucus of the Young Democrats of North Carolina will host two special events as a fitting coda on Women’s History Month. On Friday, a reception honoring 4 special Democratic Women — including Governor Bev Perdue and the late Susan Burgess — will open the convention at 7:00 PM. At 10:00 AM on Saturday, a panel of young Democratic woman leaders will teach attendees how they too can be involved in public service. Candidates and donors interested in sponsoring these events can find information here.

For those interested in the 2012 Democratic National Convention, Steve Kerrigan will give remarks at the opening session on March 31, and later that day DNC members Phillip Gilfus and John Verdejo will give a training on how to be a delegate to the Democratic National Convention. YDNC fought to increase the Youth (under 36) delegate goal from 4 in 2008 to 19 for 2012, so empowering young people to be involved with the DNC and the Democratic Party is a focus for 2012.

Many other trainings, panels, and caucus meetings — and a Final Four watch party — will round out Saturday’s activities. YDNC and the College Democrats of North Carolina will also elect their officers for the next year. The entire schedule for the event can be found here.

All of Sunday, April 1 is devoted to fighting the Constitutional Amendment (also known as Amendment One) on the May Primary Ballot. Representatives from the North Carolina Democratic Party, Protect ALL NC Families, and the YDNC LGBT Caucus will lead sessions that will give attendees the tools to fight the Amendment. The day will conclude with phone banking and canvassing against the Amendment. This event is free.

Requests for press and blogger credentials, as well as general questions about the convention, can be sent to Convention Chair Mark Newman at convention@ydnc.org. You can also contact me, Sam Spencer, the YDNC President, at sam@ydnc.org.