My friend (and former
Angry Reader of the Week) Tanzila "Taz" Ahmed is trying to get to the annual Netroots Nation convention on a scholarship. Will you help her get there? It's easy. She just needs your
vote to take advantage of this awesome opportunity. But what is Netroots Nation? Read on:
Netroots Nation amplifies progressive voices by providing an online and in-person campus for exchanging ideas and learning how to be more effective in using technology to influence the public debate. Through our annual convention and a series of regional salons held throughout the year, we strengthen our community, inspire action and serve as an incubator for ideas that challenge the status quo and ultimately affect change in the public sphere.
And why does Taz want to go? In her own words:
I've heard about this conference for quite some time and people were always telling me to go. But I just didn't really see why I would go. The jobs that I had in the progressive community never incorporated an online side. I always did blogging for myself, as a way to speak my mind on the injustices I was seeing in the world and how I saw my life. Somewhere along the line that turned into telling stories of my journey in developing my political South Asian identity. And that in some serendipitous way is why I choose the work that I do and taken the professional path I have.
To me they go hand in hand - writing about what I see in the world, connecting with people, to working in the progressive movement. After all, it's all about building community and creating a grassroots power from this built community.
I think it's time that I check out Netroots Nation and see what it's all about. Last August after I got laid off from my job, I decided to risk it and take the time to do what i always wanted to do - which is to write. A bunch of adventures, and many stories collected later - I think that I should go to Netroot Nation to see how other people incorporate all both activism and writing. And how they get paid to do it. I hear there aren't many people of color that represent at this conference usually, much less South Asian Americans so I'd really love to be able to go and provide that voice on the margins. Maybe help take this margin voice mainstream!
Taz is a dear friend. If you know her, you know that she's super cool. And if even if you don't know her, I'll vouch for her -- she could use your vote! She's currently in the top ten, but if she gets into the top three, she's in. Voting ends June 13. To learn more and vote for Taz, go to Democrazy for America
here.
