The current term of the U.S. Supreme Court includes some of the most important cases in decades. By the end of the term—quite possibly just as Netroots Nation is getting underway—the Court will issue decisions that will have a huge impact on who can get married, who can vote and who can go to college. This panel will discuss these seminal cases affecting marriage equality, voting rights and affirmative action; propose action steps to build on favorable decisions and counter the impact of adverse decisions; and reinforce the urgent need to press the Obama administration for a progressive judiciary.

Led by: Nan Aron

Panelists: Rick Jacobs, Pam Karlan, Tom Saenz

Over the past year, grassroots campaigns have taken on some of the biggest Wall Street corporations in the country and scored real, tangible victories against behemoths like Walmart, Bank of America and Hyatt. Come learn from the strategists and on-the-ground organizers running these campaigns and hear their case studies to learn what they did, how they did it and where they’re headed next.

Led by: Brian Young

Panelists: Evelin Cruz, Nathan Henderson-James, Peggy Mears, Jamie Way, Cathy Youngblood

America’s addiction to incarceration has reached a crisis level. More than 2 million people are currently locked up, we spend more on lock-up than on higher education. One in 15 black men are behind bars. Join us for a panel that exposes the problem of mass incarceration. We’ll also explore how we can change the terms of the debate to turn the tide. The mainstream media labels whole classes of people as lifelong “criminals” and creates an atmosphere of fear that the beneficiaries of the prison economy use to quell reform. The Netroots can change that, and we’ll talk about how.

Led by: Jakada Imani

Panelists: Lenore Anderson, Julianne Hing, Jakada Imani, Kiran Savage-Sangwan

Hydraulic fracturing, otherwise known as fracking, is one of the biggest threats to our environment. Companies and our government are allowing this process to go unregulated and untested. An emergence of activist groups and NGOs have surfaced to help fight and ensure our rights are protected. Join us to hear the real story about fracking and how you can get involved.

Latinos played a decisive role in the 2012 presidential role and their record turnout in support of President Obama was one of the reasons the President won in a landslide. What worked—and what didn’t—in engaging Latinos this past election cycle? And what are the best methods to increase Latino voter participation in non-presidential elections?

Led by: Nicole Rivera

Panelists: Eddy Morales, Raquel Simental

Labor found itself under siege in 2012 with the loss in the Wisconsin recall election and the passage of Right to Work laws in Indiana and Michigan. These laws have immediate implications for both the workers they disempower and the unions they attempt to dismantle. Left unchecked they will stifle the voice of labor, and irrevocably skew the electorates of these key states in the wrong direction. One has to look no further than Governor Snyder’s justification for signing the law (“We have to keep up with Indiana!”) to see the threat of a domino effect, with states like Ohio and Pennsylvania next in line. How we settle these disputes in the Midwest will set the tone for how we move the national economy forward. Find out how progressives will contain the damage done and recover the losses sustained.

Led by: Julielyn Gibbons

Panelists: Bob Burke, Karli Wallace, Sara Wallenfang

Recent success of the Internet rights activism shows that issues like copyright reform, universal access to open networks and online privacy resonate deeply with people in the U.S. and around the globe. The hacker collective Anonymous has mobilized an unknown army of online activists in defense of Internet freedoms worldwide; pro-democracy dissidents across the Middle East and North Africa have used the Internet as a vital tool for organizing protest and fighting censorship; the death of Aaron Swartz has amplified support for his fight to free knowledge and make it accessible to all, and new coalitions of organizers and technologists are building community networks to connect people in the poorest communities. The community is diverse and widespread but do we really get along? We’ll hear from representatives from each of these movements in a frank discussion about common values and objectives as the broader Internet freedom community gains momentum.

Led by: Timothy Karr

Panelists: Ellery Roberts Biddle, Tiffiniy Cheng, Rainey Reitman

We’ve danced globally combating violence against women, and we’ve given micro-grants out the wazoo to women’s initiatives around the world. So why are we still fighting for gender equality in 2013? What revolutionary tools are working for us? What does Bra Burning 2.0 look like? Join digital activists for a discussion about gender inequity and how to proactively move the needle on womens’ issues day by day.

Led by: Stephanie Block

Panelists: Aimee Allison, Susan Celia Swan, Clare Winterton, Gayle Karen Young

The press release was born in 1906, before the internet, mobile phones or television and just 10 years after the invention of radio. Since its birth, we’ve revolutionized the way we communicate. With everyone except media, that is. In 2013, most PR professionals rely on an expensive media database to produce their overly broad pitch lists, then blast that list with a one-size-fits-all message. This training will provide an overview on how to set goals, develop a pitch list without an expensive database and craft pitches that stand out in inboxes.

Trainers: Chris Cassidy

A handful of progressive organizers have built a new tool for finding the absolute best social posts on the web. We’ll both talk about how to use the tool to improve your own feeds but also share all the best practices we’ve learned from monitoring nearly 10,000 Facebook Pages for the last year. Hint: There’s a secret from Ebony’s Facebook Page that you should be using every single day.

Trainers: Brandon Silverman

Think of your favorite book and the way you feel when you open it. Now imagine: wouldn’t it be nice if advocacy emails were actually fun to read, too? In this session, we’ll teach you how to make your emails reach people at a deeper level through storytelling, the power of voices and language that speaks to people’s senses, not just their sense of outrage. We’ll use case studies to illustrate effective email structure and how to create a theory of change that makes sense and how to implement creative writing techniques to craft emails that people want to read all the way through. We’ll discuss finding authentic voices for your content, and connecting with your audience on a deeper level.

Trainers: Jess Livoti-Morales, Evan Sutton

First-time Netroots attendee? Not the hugest fan of conferences? Scared about meeting all these people? This session’s for you. Networking gets a bad rap, but we’ll unpack some tips and tricks, as well as workshop specific strategies for getting past our own insecurities to further the goals we have, the goals of our organization, and the goals of the movement.

Trainers: John Brougher