Friends --

March

Have a Green International Women’s Day, March 8

By Marci Henzi (Allegheny)

International Women’s Day (IWD) will be celebrated on Friday, March 8, this year.  But did you know that the first “Women’s Day” (No, not the still famous magazine first published in 1931 as a free leaflet for A&P grocery shoppers, almost exclusively women.) was celebrated on February 28, 1909, and that it was organized by the Socialist Party of America in NY City? Then it caught on throughout Europe, and in 1917, March 8 was declared a national holiday in Russia, right after women gained suffrage. That date stuck, and the day was associated with movements of the far left until the late ‘60’s women’s movement and the day’s adoption by the United Nations in 1977.

Now IWD has become more of a celebration of womanhood in the West, but in other parts of the world it is still marked by protest and calls for radical change. This twenty-first century contrast in meaning and significance has not gone without criticism.  Claims have been made that Western corporations have commercialized International Women’s Day and diluted its meaning. But still, the United Nations declares a yearly theme. This year’s theme is based on the United Nations 68th Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) priority theme: “Accelerating the achievement of gender equality and empowerment of all women and girls by addressing poverty and strengthening institutions and financing with a gender perspective,” or simply, “Invest in Women: Accelerate Progress.”

And did you know that there are colors associated with International Women’s Day? They are purple -- signifying justice, dignity and loyalty to cause; green -- symbolizing hope; and white -- signifying purity. 

Maybe you are thinking of one of the Green Party’s Ten Key Values (TKV). And, I wish you would this IWD!  Here it is, TKV # 7: Feminism and Gender Equality.

“We have inherited a social system based on male domination of politics and economics.  We call for the replacement of the cultural ethics of domination and control with cooperative ways of interacting that respect differences of opinion and gender. Human values such as gender equality, interpersonal responsibility, and honesty must be developed with moral conscience. We recognize that the processes of determining our decisions and actions are just as important as achieving the outcomes we want.”

Please consider the intersection of TKV #7 and TKV #3: Ecological Wisdom through Ecological Politics: Ecofeminists and the Greens by Greta Gaard, https://tupress.temple.edu/books/ecological-politics

Hoping you remember to have a Green International Women’s Day! 

Marci Henzi has been a Green Party of Allegheny County (GPOAC) delegate to the Green Party of Pennsylvania State Committee since 2019. In the past, she was also a member of the GPOAC Executive Committee.

PA Green News

Edited by Chris Robinson

Montco Greens Elect New Leaders

Andrew Chiang tells GREEN STAR that the 2/19 meeting of the Green Party of Montgomery County “was a joy for me. Thank you to Brian Gillen and Alex Noyle for once again stepping up as Chair and Secretary, respectively (plus stepping up to positions of state delegate). Also thank you for electing me as Treasurer once again for this year.”

Allegheny Greens Elect 2024 Executive Committee

Jay Ting Walker tells GREEN STAR that the Green Party of Allegheny County (GPOAC) had a hybrid convention on 2/6 with 30ish members in attendance. “We elected a new Executive Committee and a new class of delegates to GPPA. We also prioritized multiple, potential issues-based campaigns for us to pursue in 2024.” The new GPOAC Executive Committee will be Chair Jay Ting Walker, Vice Chair Zarah Livingston,  Secretary Kelly Kuzemchak, Treasurer Steven Martinez, Media Coordinator Theron Gilliland, Jr., Neighborhood Group Coordinator Riley Mahon, and Working Group Coordinator Matthew Nemeth.

Green Party Elects New PA Leaders

Newly elected Co-chair Theron Gilliland, Jr. (he/him) (Allegheny) responded . . . "I had worked with Jeremy Griffin a bit in late 2023, and I felt that he and I have a complementary skill set. Jeremy is great at connecting with people, generating enthusiasm, and having the 'big ideas' that motivate others; I work best more behind the scenes, ensuring that the organizational structure we put in place runs smoothly. In a presidential election year, the Green Party needs both kinds of people at the helm."

Before his election, Gilliland had been a member at large of the GPPA Steering Committee and media coordinator of the Green Party of Allegheny County (GPOAC).  Last year he had also taken on the leadership of the party’s Green Wave Team, which organized the Green Party’s 2024 Presidential Primary Election.

Also elected by the State Committee was new GPPA Treasurer Jeff Kondrich (Westmoreland) who explained, “I accepted the nomination for Treasurer for two reasons. The first and foremost factor was the necessity of the position contrasting with members who were willing to step into the role. The second (and older) reason is that it's important to me that the Green Party grow stronger and execute substantial plans to garner reputation, requisition, and especially relevance in what are sure to be intense and trying years to come in our near future. I appreciate the opportunity, and I plan to make a positive difference.” 

Three new Steering Committee members at large were elected by the State Committee. Two of them shared their background and why they ran for the GPPA leadership.
READ THE FULL STORY HERE

Green Party of Phila. Hosts Presidential Candidates Forum

By John Cole

Four Green Party [presidential] candidates persevered at a forum presented by the Green Party of Philadelphia on [3/23], giving their pitches for why they should represent the environmentally conscious political party. The candidates met at the Poor People’s Economic and Human Rights Campaign (PPEHRC) office on Kensington Avenue, and all four mostly agreed on hot button issues like addressing climate change, affordable housing, and criminal justice matters.
READ THE FULL STORY HERE

Team Reports

Edited by Patrick O. McNally

Communication Team

During the last six months, your ComTeam has published the writings of Green Party members from Allegheny, Bucks, Delaware, McKean, Montgomery, and Philadelphia Counties. Please send your draft to [email protected]. You may also attend the next ComTeam meeting.

   Please join the Communication Team right here.
www.gpofpa.org/team_communications_join

Green Wave Team

Election year work for state-wide races continues, and there are many ways for you to get involved. The Green Wave team is looking for people who support the Party's values to run for state races of Attorney General, Auditor General, State Treasurer, and U.S Senator. Do you know someone who would make a great Green Party candidate for one of these statewide races? Please email Theron Gilliland, Jr. of the Green Wave team at [email protected] with your suggestions before the State Committee meeting on March 10. 

In advance of the general election, there are also several roles to fill. Nineteen presidential electors from Pennsylvania will need to be identified and prepared to serve as representatives to the U.S. electoral college in the case that our POTUS candidate wins. Delegates to the GPUS Presidential Nominating Convention (PNC), and the Committee to Replace are also needed. More details on the specifics of the GPUS PNC schedule and its delegate requirements will be shared at the next Green Wave team meeting in early March. On March 10th, the selection of these electors and delegates will be made during the State Committee Meeting. 

Additionally, the GPUS also has opportunities for those looking to support nationwide elections, through their Ballot Access, Credentials, Presidential Campaign, and Green Senatorial Campaign committees. Please see https://gpus.org/ or connect with the Green Wave team for more info.

Once the GPPA Primary is completed, we will begin the signature collection process. The Green Wave team will offer petitioning training on Zoom and go over the requirements for collecting signatures in detail. Petitioning coordinators will be needed for each county to lead local efforts. Petitioning is a critical piece in getting our candidates on the ballot and giving voters a real choice. If there are events and locales in your community that would be good spots for our petitioning work, please reach out to the Green Wave team, and join us at our next meeting.

Please join the Green Wave Team right here.
www.gpofpa.org/team_greenwave_join 

 Global Green News

Edited by Hal Brown

Green Women’s Network to Advance Swiss Feminist Struggles

Created in 2019 by the Green Party of Switzerland (Green-E-S), the Green Women’s Network aims to strengthen collaboration between Green women from all regions of Switzerland, and in particular facilitate the start of young people in politics.

“We need more women in politics . . . because for us, equality is part of our DNA. There is no Green without equality. It is therefore not surprising that the Green’s Monica Zingg was the first president of a national party in 1985. It is therefore also not surprising that we have the youngest and most female parliamentary group in the Federal Palace, that we are first in terms of percentage of women in the cantonal legislatures (49%) and in executives (43%). Nor that the statutes of the Green-E-S be written in the feminine language,” we can read on the green party website.
READ THE FULL STORY HERE

2024 U.N. Biodiversity Conference in Columbia

The biodiversity summit called Cop 16 will be held [in Columbia] from October 21 to November 1 this year. Several hundred participants from different nations are expected during this event.

In a letter sent to President Gustavo Petro, 22 members of Congress from all political parties asked the government to advocate for Bogota to host this United Nations Conference . . . They highlighted the reasons why Bogota is the ideal option to host this event of international importance.
READ THE FULL STORY HERE

Swiss Greens Demand Better Pay for Farmers

“The Greens stand in solidarity with the farmers who are demonstrating for better production prices and who denounce the ‘grow up or disappear’ agricultural policy carried out in recent years,” underlines Sophie Michaud Gigon, Green-E-S national advisor. The hard and demanding work of land professionals must be fairly compensated. “Instead of intensifying and becoming ever more industrialized, we must establish a sustainable agri-food economy, favoring healthy foods, from regional and environmentally friendly production, and fair prices.” READ THE FULL STORY HERE

GPPA Meeting Date for 2024

All State Web Conferences will begin promptly at noon.

Sunday, March 10. Please RSVP for Zoom information, https://www.gpofpa.org/gppa_state_20240310

Sunday, June 9, via Zoom
Sunday, September 22, location to be announced
Sunday, November 10, via Zoom

GPPA Communications Team
Issue Credits

Editors: Hal Brown, Patrick O. McNally, David Ochmanowicz, Jr. and Chris Robinson

Contributors: Alex Casper, Andrew Chiang, Jeff “J.J.” Kondrich, Theron Gilliland, Jr. Jeremy R. Griffin, Marci Henzi, Chris Robinson and Jay Ting Walker

Layout: Hal Brown, Sherri Miller, and David Ochmanowicz Jr.

Graphic Arts: Kevin Richardson

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 The GREEN STAR is an official publication of the Green Party of Pennsylvania Communications Team * 2024.

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