Sara El-Amine, National OFA Organizing Director, was the powerful opening keynote presenter at last night’s LMOFA Chapter Action Planning Session. OFA is a non-electoral, issues-based group working on national issue legislation with an eye toward state legislation as well. El-Amine’s talk centered on “what’s at stake” with OFA’s current issues of focus: gun violence prevention, climate change, health care, women’s issues, comprehensive immigration reform, and the economy. El-Amine shared the background of OFA and explained its motto: Respect. Empower. Include. Act. She stressed that in scope and scale “there’s nobody else in this country who can hold lawmakers accountable” due to the targeted focus and great capacity of the OFA group: “Clap all at once and make a louder boom.”
El-Amine detailed that the three goals of OFA are to build organization “to elevate the voices of everyday constituents and make sure their voices are heard louder than special interest groups,” to change the conversation around misinformation, and to influence key decision makers. “It’s not enough for members of Congress to support these issues. We need champions. Don’t just vote – go out and be a champion for this law,” El-Amine challenged the lawmakers.
Following a question and answer session with El-Amine, a panel of the LMOFA issue team leads presented information about their respective issues and shared past and future efforts to effect change. These efforts include conducting phone banks, holding candlelight vigils, attending training, getting petitions signed, participating in rallies, writing letters to the editor, meeting with Congressional staff members, sharing personal stories, and distributing informational flyers. Following the panel presentation, panel members took questions from the audience. At the conclusion of the evening, members of the enthusiastic crowd were given the opportunity to sign up to volunteer for one or more issue team of interest. They were also encouraged to register for upcoming LMOFA Chapter events at www.barackobama.com/events and to visit the LMOFA website www.LakeMcHenryOFA.com for additional information.
