The Delta Grassroots Caucus (DGC) is a broad coalition of grassroots leaders in the eight-state Delta region. DGC is also a founding partner of the Economic Equality Caucus,
which advocates for economic equality across the USA.

Major Political Figures & Grassroots Leaders at Delta Event--Helena, Oct. 30-31

Posted on October 09, 2014 at 01:11 PM

The Delta Grassroots Caucus conference in Helena-West Helena AR on Oct. 30-31 features US Sen. John Boozman, Mike Ross, Asa Hutchinson, First District Congressman Rick Crawford, First District candidate Mayor Jackie McPherson of Heber Springs; we expect US Sen. Mark Pryor to likely speak either in person or by live call-in, ; and we are inviting US Sen. Thad Cochran and former Rep. Travis Childers from Mississippi. We will have distinguished grassroots leaders from all eight states.

Key issues will include job creation/retention, the private option health care plan and other health care issues, USDA nutrition, rural development and agriculture programs, transportation improvements including Interstate 69, women and children’s issues and their impact on regional community and economic development, broadband expansion, the Delta Queen bill and other Delta heritage tourism initiatives, and other regional issues.

The early registration deadline ends in six days on Oct. 15–next Wednesday–for the annual fall Delta Grassroots Caucus on Oct. 30-31 in Helena-West Helena, and late registration fees go up to a higher late fee of $115 after that deadline. Space is also filling up and that will have to be allotted on a first-come, first served basis.

The only exception to the higher late fees are people who learned of the conference and late and did not know about the early registration deadline.

We will have a dialogue with the major candidates for US Senate, US House and Governor and include grassroots leaders from all eight states of the Greater Delta Region.

You register by sending in the registration fees, which are $75 for those who have paid their annual dues or are part of a larger group discount rate for a local area bringing a significant number, or $100 for individuals who have not paid their annual dues.

Turnout is very strong due to the central, advantageous location of Helena at the center of the region.

The conference is less than three weeks away and early registration is next week, so we need to ask everybody to register now.

Please make out the registration fees to “Delta Caucus and mail to:

Delta Caucus

5030 Purslane Place

Waldorf, MD 20601

After Oct. 15 the late registration fees go up to $115 to provide an incentive to get the registration fees in on time. It causes complications for our planning, budget and timing at the conference if many people wait to pay just before the conference starts or at the front desk while the conference is beginning.

PLEASE MAKE YOUR GROUP HOTEL RESERVATIONS ASAP, BECAUSE THIS CONFERENCE TAKES PLACE AT HALLOWEEN AND THE HOTELS MAY BE FULL UP IF YOU WAIT UNTIL TOO CLOSE TO HALLOWEEN TO MAKE YOUR RESERVATION.

Group hotel registration information for the Helena-West Helena area hotels–the Best Western Inn and the Edwardian Inn–is below in this email.

BASIC SCHEDULE

Thursday, Oct. 30 from 4:30 p.m. to 7:45 p.m. in Helena-West Helena, AR at Beth El Heritage Hall

Friday, Oct. 31 from 8:15 a.m. to 2:45 p.m. in Helena-West Helena, AR at Beth El Heritage Hall

TABLE OF CONTENTS FOR THIS NEWSLETTER

  1. KEY SPEAKERS

  2. KEY ISSUES

  3. GROUP HOTELS INFORMATION

The major candidates for Governor, US Senate, US House, have not all confirmed their exact times and even in cases where they have, their schedules are so hectic that they may change their times again before the conference. Some tentative information follows:

Gubernatorial candidates Asa Hutchinson and Mike Ross are scheduled for 11 a.m. to noon on Friday, Oct. 31. Congressman Rick Crawford speaks at the luncheon on Friday, Oct. 31, and of course Helena-West Helena is in the heart of his Congressional District.

First District candidate Mayor Jackie McPherson of Heber Springs (Democratic nominee for the First District) is scheduled for some point on Friday morning. US Sen. John Boozman is scheduled to speak on Thursday, Oct. 30, at about 5:30 p.m. at the opening session.

We do not know yet when US Sen. Mark Pryor, Rep. Rick Crawford, former Rep. and US Senate candidate for Mississippi Travis Childers, Sen. Thad Cochran (invited–R-MS), and other major candidates will speak. Both the Thursday, Oct. 30 and Friday, Oct. 31 sessions are important.

Secretary Hillary Clinton is invited to make a live call-in about the Bill, Hillary and Chelsea Clinton Foundation’s No Ceilings initiative for full economic, social and political participation of women and girls in the eight-state Delta and across the globe.

We have expressed to Secretary Clinton and the Foundation staff our deep concerns about the disturbingly high poverty rates among women and children in our region–and of course we know there are many men also suffering economically in the Delta as well–and she is very knowledgeable and deeply concerned about these issues as well. We expect to hear about her availability soon.

3) HOTELS in Helena-West Helena:

Please make your hotel reservations ASAP, because this conference takes place at Halloween and that is a very busy time for the hotels. If you wait closer to Halloween they may be full up when you call.

The two best hotels in Helena-West Helena are the following:

Best Western Inn: Please call the hotel at (870) 572-2592 and say you are with the Delta Caucus group. The rates range from about $89 to $94 plus tax, depending on the size room you request for the nights of Oct. 30 and Oct. 31. Many people just stay the one night of Oct. 30.

THE EDWARDIAN INN: This is an elegant bed and breakfast in Helena-West Helena, set in a stately home built by a wealthy Helena cotton trader in 1904. Please call the Edwardian Inn at (870) 338-9155 and say you are with the Delta Caucus to get the lower rate of $83 for Oct. 30 and Oct. 31. Many people will just stay the one night of Oct. 30. We have a bloc of 10 rooms.

Please reserve your room at the Edwardian Inn as soon as possible, because the closer it gets to Halloween the greater likelihood may be that they will be full up.

2) KEY ISSUES WILL BE:

–job creation/retention,

–health care for underserved populations including Arkansas’ innovative private option,

–transportation improvements including progress on Interstate 69,

–the farm bill’s implementation and USDA nutrition, rural development and agriculture programs,

–women’s issues such as equal pay for equal work and greater opportunities for women in business, elected office and nonprofits in the Delta,

–education and worforce development,

–broadband expansion,

–Delta heritage tourism including support for the Delta Queen bill to allow that historic steamboat to again travel on the Mississippi, and other regional community and economic development issues.

We cover a broad range of issues, but we do want to give some special attention to women and children’s issues this year. Our attention to women and children’s issues is due to the alarmingly high poverty rates of women and children in our region. We want to include women in the economic contribution they make in the region, including women involved in farming, small business, etc.

In general, due to the alarmingly high poverty rates for those two sections of the population in our region, and we are also collaborating with the Clinton Foundation on Hillary Clinton’s No Ceilings initiative for full economic and political participation of women and girls. We know that there are plenty of men who are hurting in our region, too, but the statistics are even worse for women and children, especially single mothers heading households and children.

In addition to the women who are heads of households, many households have two wage-earners nowadays, so increasing the economic contributions of women helps everybody.

The location is the beautiful, historic former synagogue in Helena-West Helena now called Beth El Heritage Hall. Other participants include:

–Mayor Arnell Willis, Helena-West Helena;

–Arkansas Children’s Hospital, Anna Strong, executive director, Child Advocacy and Public Health;

–Bob Nash, former Director of Presidential Personnel in the White House for President Bill Clinton, USDA Under Secretary for Rural Development, now President of Bob J. Nash & Associates in Arkansas;

–Kay Goss, Associate Director of FEMA for President Bill Clinton, nationally recognized disaster relief expert; author, Mr. Chairman, The Life and Legacy of Wilbur Mills; and Chairman, University of Arkansas J. William Fulbright College Fundraising Campaign for 2020;

–Mayor Bill Luckett, Clarksdale, Mississippi;

–Justin Burch, Foundation for the Mid-South, based in Jackson, Mississippi and active throughout the Delta region;

–Lynette Watts, Executive Director, Women’s Foundation of Arkansas;

–David Solomon, distinguished attorney and Delta community leader, Helena, AR;

–Vanessa Sneed, Southern Illinois University, Paul Simon Public Policy Institute;

–Mollie Palmer, Director, Together for Hope Arkansas project of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship based in Helena;

–Albert Nylander, the University of Mississippi, Director, McLean Institute for Public Service and Community Engagement;

–Scott Shirey, Executive Director, KIPP Delta Public Schools;

–George Miles, Rural LISC, based in Greenville, Mississippi, active across the Delta region;

–Millie Atkins, Century Link, Public Policy Manager and director for broadband access expansion in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Arkansas, based in Monroe, Louisiana;

–Robert Culler, Executive Vice President, First State Bank & Trust, Caruthersville, Missouri

–Matthew Pelkki, University of Arkansas at Monticellos and Nita McDaniel, Director, Monticello Economic Development Foundation, discussing innovative new renewable energy project based in Monticello utilizing wood pellets for energy;

–Minnie Bommer, first African American woman elected to the Covington, Tennessee City Council and veteran Delta regional advocate;

–Mildred Barnes Griggs, distinguished educator and nonprofit leader of the Arkansas Delta Seeds of Change to create jobs, promote better nutrition and aid small farmers in the Delta, working with Robert Cole and the East Arkansas Enterprise Community and other east Arkansas Delta community leaders;

–Charita Johnson, Chief Administrative Officer, Shiloh Distribution Center, based in Lexington, Tennessee, active across the Delta;

–Henry Snorton, Executive Director, Minority Economic Development Initiative (MEDI) of Western Kentucky, based in Hopkinsville, Kentucky;

–Will Staley, innovative new nonprofit called Thrive based in Helena-West Helena and active across the region.

3) HOTELS: Please make your hotel reservations ASAP, because this conference takes place at Halloween and that is a very busy time for the hotels. If you wait closer to Halloween they may be full up when you call.

The two best hotels in Helena-West Helena are the following:

Best Western Inn: Please call the hotel at (870) 572-2592 and say you are with the Delta Caucus group. The rates range from about $89 to $94 plus tax, depending on the size room you request for the nights of Oct. 30 and Oct. 31. Many people just stay the one night of Oct. 30.

THE EDWARDIAN INN: This is an elegant bed and breakfast in Helena-West Helena, set in a stately home built by a wealthy Helena cotton trader in 1904. Please call the Edwardian Inn at (870) 338-9155 and say you are with the Delta Caucus to get the lower rate of $83 for Oct. 30 and Oct. 31. Many people will just stay the one night of Oct. 30. We have a bloc of 10 rooms.

Please reserve your room at the Edwardian Inn as soon as possible, because the closer it gets to Halloween the greater likelihood may be that they will be full up.

Thanks so much for your interest in the Delta Grassroots Caucus activities. We hope you can join us in Helena-West Helena on Oct. 30-31. Lee Powell, executive director, Delta Grassroots Caucus (202) 360-6347