[Antiracism] [Workers Rights] ADP Member Questions Candidates

[WMass Jobs With Justice]

The Alliance to Develop Power (ADP) can be reached at 130 Union St,
Springfield, MA 01105, (413) 739-7233, mailto:info at a-dp.org.


WOMAN FROM WESTERN MASSACHUSETTS TO QUESTION DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL
CANDIDATES IN IOWA
24 ADP Leaders to attend Heartland Presidential Forum in Des Moines, Iowa on
December 1st

On November 29, 24 Leaders from the local community organization, the
Alliance to Develop Power (ADP), will be flying out to Iowa to take part in
what is being billed as a historic presidential forum between everyday
people and the Democratic presidential candidates. As a leadership
organization in the new national Campaign for Community Values, ADP will be
attending to represent everyday people from Western Massachusetts.

"This is a tremendous opportunity for western Massachusetts residents to get
their issues heard on the national stage and addressed seriously by the
Democratic candidates," said Caroline Murray, Executive Director of ADP.
"Not many presidential candidates pass through our region while they are
campaigning. By heading to Iowa we can bring the voices of everyday people
directly to their ears."

ADP leader and Springfield resident Dedre Lewis has been selected to ask a
question on health care of one of the candidates. The story of Lewis and her
daughter, Alexsiana, became nationally known during the floor debates over
the CHIP (Children’s Heath Insurance Program) legislation recently vetoed by
President Bush. In his floor speech, Senator Edward Kennedy referred to
Lewis and her daughter Alexsiana, who has a rare eye disease that requires
expensive drops every hour of every day to prevent blindness. To take care
of her daughter, her mother had to cut back her hours at work, losing her
health insurance. CHIP has been vital in providing the medical care that
Alexsiana needs to keep her vision.

"I'm going to stand on the stage with the candidates for President and ask
them to look into mine and my daughter’s eyes and tell us exactly what they
are going to do to provide health care to ordinary Americans," said Lewis.
"The candidates need to realize that rich or poor, we’re all in this
together and we need real leadership."

The Heartland Presidential Forum in Des Moines, Iowa, on December 1, will
feature Democratic presidential candidates Senator John Edwards, Senator
Hillary Clinton, Senator Barack Obama, Senator Chris Dodd and Congressman
Dennis Kucinich. This forum will be the final significant gathering of
Iowans and Heartland residents before the January 3rd straw poll, with 5,000
people expected to attend, as candidates answer questions from everyday
people. 

Co-sponsored by the Center for Community Change (www.communitychange.org)
and Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement (www.iowacci.org), the Heartland
Presidential Forum will kick off with a rally and march prior to the main
event. ADP leader Joel Rodriguez will speak at the rally on worker and
immigrant rights. 

The forum is an important part of the Campaign for Community Values, a
multi-issue and multi-year effort to challenge the divisive messages of the
right and to promote Community Values. The Campaign for Community Values is
a collective effort by more than 100 community-based organizations from all
over the country to have an impact on public opinion and the 2008 elections.

"Community values are core American values that our politicians have
forgotten. We hear America’s call and with this campaign we are getting
America back on track." says Deepak Bhargava, executive director of Center
for Community Change.

The Alliance to Develop Power (formerly known at the Anti-Displacement
Project) is a membership-based community organization that is well known for
its work to improve the lives of low-income people and for its model of
cooperative economic development. ADP has transformed 1,450 units of slum
housing to tenant-owned permanently affordable co-ops; opened the region's
only worker-led Worker Center representing low-wage workers and immigrants;
created worker-owned businesses; won over $300,000 in restitution from
employers; and has led a number of successful campaigns including saving
funding for the federal Section 8 program. ADP has created business and
capital holdings worth $45 million. These community-owned assets contribute
$20 million a year in cash flow to the local economy.

- END -

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