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Social trust is the key to relational organizing, and now more than ever, we must empower volunteers to use their social networks for good. Marginalized communities tend to be tight-knit groups of people who value trust and relatability. Team is an app that allows you to activate your supporters into trackable, manageable digital volunteers who can help you reach voters you cannot reach anywhere else. As organizers, we have to meet people where they are — online. In this session, you’ll learn how to direct your digital volunteers in friend-to-friend communication on Facebook and over text – the mediums they actually use to talk to their friends! In particular, we’ll focus on leveraging digital to help you conduct true, trust-based relational organizing with respect and authenticity.

Trainers: Shola Farber

It’s currently estimated that 1 in 5 people living in the US have a disability, and that number is set to grow to 1 in 3 in a few years.   Yet people with disabilities remain a mostly untapped population within the larger progressive movement. This caucus provides a space for people with disabilities, family members, disability advocates, and those interested in disability issues to discuss advocacy for the full inclusion of disability in education, the workforce, in society, and in the progressive agenda.

Led by: Rachna Heizer, Kayley Whalen

The consulting industry is incredibly attractive when working more than 60 hours per week in a campaign office as a field organizer. As a young person, getting started is challenging, but growing can be even more difficult. In this caucus we will discuss how millennials can start and succeed with their own businesses.

From local to state to national politics, the grassroots movement for Palestinian rights is taking on and transforming power. We are joining together organizers who are interested in Palestine solidarity within a progressive foreign policy, with an emphasis on joint struggle and the power of forging genuine cross-movement connections. This caucus is welcome to people in all parts of the social justice ecosystem with an interest in learning from or joining with the Palestinian rights movement in the US. The first 20 attendees with receive our limited edition “From Palestine to Mexico, All the Walls Have Got To Go” tote bags! Join us!

Led by: Ramah Kudaimi, Leah Muskin-Pierret

https://www.facebook.com/NetrootsNation/videos/10156400114539827

Join us for a discussion of key election issues leading into the 2018 midterms with the Democratic election officials on the front lines of protecting the vote, including gerrymandering, voter suppression and Russian hacking. Democratic Secretaries of State take the lead in fighting back against voter ID laws and partisan gerrymanders that favor Republicans, expanding the electorate and the franchise through voter registration and flexible voting reforms, and protecting elections from foreign cyberinterference. This is an opportunity to ask questions and hear them talk about their role in ensuring the 2018 election, and all future elections, remains free and fair.

Led by: Adam Bonin

Panelists: Jim Condos, Denise Merrill, Denise Merrill, Alex Padilla

https://www.facebook.com/NetrootsNation/videos/10156400116139827

Progressives around the country are fighting back against the recent decision by the Federal Communications Commission to repeal net neutrality rules. In fact, some states have already passed laws or signed executive orders to protect net neutrality in our states. Join Gov. Steve Bullock of Montana and others for a discussion about net neutrality and what we can do to protect a free and open internet.

Panelists: Gov. Steve Bullock, Travis LeBlanc, Jessica Rosenworcel, Mayor Randall Woodfin

Patrik Hermansson infiltrated and lived within America’s Nazi alt-right for over a year. You won’t believe what he caught on hidden camera.

Led by: Melissa Ryan

Need a break to regroup and recenter? Join us for a mid-day mindfulness moment to reset after the morning sessions.

Come learn about the latest voting, organizing, campaigning, make-the-world-a-better-place technology solution—and cast your vote for the best ones. The New Tools Showcase is a great way to get the inside story on new tools that are being designed and built, the impact they’re having on campaigns and organizations, and what they can do to help yo become a more powerful and effective activist. At this event, select presenters will make a live pitch for their app, product or technology. Attendees will vote on their favorites in each category and for an overall winner. Hosted by Netroots Nation and New Media Ventures.

Our finalists, alphabetical by category are:

Best new feature or product
Ballot Ready
Buzzmaker
DSP Political
FII Marketing
Relay Dialer
Ranked Choice Voting for Colorado
Soapboxx
Sum of Us

Best use of existing technology
Community Place
ShopForCause
Whistleblower

Best startup technology 
Campaign Greenhouse
Civic Eagle
Gather Voices
GroundUp
MobilizeAmerica

Led by: Cayden Mak, Wesley Panek, Julia Rosen

The blue wave doesn’t stop in 2018. With state elections in Mississippi, Louisiana, Kentucky, Virginia, & New Jersey as well as local elections across the country, 2019 will be a critical year for progressives—and our work begins now.

Join us for lunch as we break down the strategies to run progressives everywhere, up and down the ballot, in 2019 and beyond. Click here to RSVP for this lunch and discussion: https://www.crowdpac.com/rsvp-netroots. RSVP is required.

Join Black activists and leaders from around the country to address the challenges of being Black in America, as well as how we can engage our communities in the #resistance and fight for justice. This is a closed caucus.

Led by: Reuben "Tihi" Hayslett, Wagatwe Wanjuki

Your voice is needed at every decision-making table to fight for what matters to you and your community. You don’t have to have years of political experience or a degree to run for office. Your commitment and passion is the only requirement, and there is no better time than now to be a part of this incredible movement when so many women are stepping up. Join EMILY’s List​’s​ renown​ed​ candidate training for pro-choice ​D​emocratic women. In this ​comprehensive and interactive training,​ you will ​learn​ from seasoned ​campaign experts about the steps you can take now​ to get ready​, grow your network​,​ and raise the money you need to win a seat at the table! Registration starts at noon on Saturday, August 4, and the training is from 1-5 p.m. Space is limited, so click here to apply for a spot now. Pre-registration is required to attend.

We know the new tax law tilted the tax code further in favor of millionaires, billionaires, and wealthy corporations. But the old tax code was already a key accelerant of the racial wealth gap—which the new tax law will widen even further. With the corporate tax benefits being passed to shareholders and not workers in the form of new jobs or higher wages, the economy is working hard for those at the top but leaving everyone else behind. Combined with cuts to federal programs proposed by Trump and his allies in Congress, the fight over taxes is far from over. We’ll recap lessons from last year’s tax fight and look ahead to reclaiming our power to shape a tax code that actually works for workers and their families.

Panelists: Nicole Gill, Rakeen Mabud, Delvone Michael, Rebecca Vallas

Do you think GIFs are the smallest unit of change? We do! We’ll share strategies for creating compelling GIF stories to intervene and change popular discourse around issues that affect our communities. We will create GIFs using the best free tools online. Participants will have gained important skills in transforming existing videos into GIFs and editing existing GIFs to reframe narratives online.

Trainers: Kedar Reddy, Theeba Soundararajan

While the right uses social media to label voters for manipulation, progressives are better served in the 2018 elections and beyond by using social media to better understand what issues matter to voters, what language they are using to talk about issues and what lenses they use when looking at the issues. Social listening is key to bringing the resistance more deeply into the political process. Social media is filled with voices of real people who are crying out for progressive change. This training focuses on tools and methods for discovering what real people are saying on social media—and how understanding the national conversation will help us better connect with voters, energize our base and deradicalize the opposition.

Trainers: Beth Becker

We’ll walk through how to develop principles for your digital communications that align with the same strong values you hold when building and maintaining offline relationships. We’ll discuss the downsides of blasting out one-way emails or texts to big lists and the upsides to thinking through creative ways to have personal conversations with a bunch of supporters at the same time. We’ll talk about using data and digital tools in a way that ensures that you’re having the right conversation with the right person at the right time while expanding your reach and relationships. And, lastly, we’ll run through how to build a team that reflects the digital principles you’re developed.

Trainers: Vanessa Butterworth, Jay Carmona

Hour 1: News breaks on social media of a truck attack in Lower Manhattan. Hour 2: Initial media reports speculate on the suspect based on traffic cameras. Hour 3: Local law enforcement hold press conference. The first hours after a major crisis can be trying, even for the most experienced comms pros. ReThink Media has worked for eight years with the Muslim, Arab and South Asian community to coordinate a collaborative communications approach to crisis response incidents. We’ll guide participants through an hour-by-hour crisis response simulation. In teams, participants will walk through every action they would take in response to the developing story and how they can shape the media narrative.

Trainers: Firdaus Arastu, Guthrie Graves-Fitzsimmons

Events are powerful experiences. They are spaces in which people come together to build vision, to strategize and to learn from each other. In this session, we will go over a standard event planning cycle and best practices. We will share actionable tips for planning more diverse and inclusive events while walking you through how to plan an event that will move your audience to action and further engagement with your cause long after your event. Regardless of your experience, you will walk out of this session feeling ready to plan your next campaign launch, organizing training, panel discussion, and more, just like a pro!

Trainers: Devorne Hormeku, Suhayl Santana

Appealing to a variety of audiences can be tricky. Targeting an audience, then successfully reaching them, requires planning, messaging and coordination. This training addresses what it takes to carry out a successful field operation from a small grassroots initiative to a nationwide political campaign using proven strategies. By using data driven information, precise messaging and effective volunteer management, you can grow a successful movement or campaign. We will address the subtleties of outreach to specific populations and building credibility within diverse communities. This training will appeal to everyone from novice to expert.

Trainers: Westley Bayas, Mary Pritchard

In the wake of the 2016 election, Catalist undertook an expansive, research project that sought to consider voters from a “people first” perspective—without preconceptions—in order to provide the progressive community with a more complete view of the electorate and how to engage with them. Join us for a discussion on how to better ground your content with a more multi-dimensional understanding of what motivates the people you want to be your voters—the substance of their lives and beliefs—and how to design messages and media plans to open conversations with new segments of the electorate.

Led by: Christina Coloroso

Panelists: Valerie Coffman, Jon Fraser, Amber Phillips, James Slezak

https://www.facebook.com/NetrootsNation/videos/10156400117419827

While we use the internet to do crucial work bringing voices from the margins to the mainstream, the tactics of the reactionary right are unforgiving and make our work incredibly difficult. Sociologist Zeynep Tufecki suggests that in this “golden age of free speech,” it’s inexpensive to speak, but attention is dear. In today’s media environment, organizers must rise to the challenge of finding people, building trust and moving them to effective action. This panel will examine these shifts for activists working online. We will consider the future: What can we do now to strengthen our organizing? What can, or should, we ask the state or the platforms to do? What are our responsibilities for new practices for action?

Led by: Cayden Mak

Panelists: Evan Greer

A robust conversation about race is critical to converting the aspiration of a New American Majority into an energized and cohesive force. For the last year, Demos, Anat Shenker-Osorio (ASO Communications), and Ian Haney López (author of Dog Whistle Politics) partnered in an ambitious multi-phase project to craft an effective new narrative on race, class, and democracy. The central question we’ve explored is how to engage simultaneously around race and class in ways that strengthen social solidarity, reduce division and scapegoating, and create a viable foundation for progressive policy victories. We’ve crafted, empirically validated, and field-tested a range of narratives, and compared these to existing frames. Join us to hear our key takeaways, how state partners are integrating the research findings in their campaigns and organizing efforts, and help inform our plan to refine what we learned and win in 2020.

Trainers: Anika Fassia, Alexa Howart, Causten Rodriguez-Wollerman

https://www.facebook.com/NetrootsNation/videos/10156400121714827

This is the SCOTUS vacancy fight of our lives. Federal courts are holding the line against some of Trump’s worst attacks on our rights. But this bulwark is at risk, with Trump potentially filling a second Court vacancy and over 100 federal judgeships. Brett Kavanaugh met Trump’s two political litmus tests – gutting Roe v. Wade and overturning the Affordable Care Act – and believes presidents can be above the law. But we’ve won before, including defeating a judicial nominee who called transgender youth part of “Satan’s plan,” and we can win again. Advocates for LGBTQ rights, communities of color, women and workers are uniting against Trump’s court takeover. Hear from leaders about why they’re doubling down on courts, lessons learned from successes, and how you can join the fight.

Led by: Mary Cathryn Ricker

Panelists: Drew Courtney, Amber Goodwin, Helen Gym, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson

California Governor Jerry Brown is organizing a Global Climate Action Summit in San Francisco September 2018 to cement his legacy as a climate leader; but he’s never come to grips with California’s role as one of the largest oil-producing states in America and home to the dirtiest oil on the planet. This panel will use the summit, and progressive response to same, to explore California’s role as a nation-state setting a global agenda, and whether any state can fully phase out fossil fuels.

Led by: Jason Kowalski

Panelists: David Braun, Kassie Siegel, Kevin de León

While much of the 2016 election centered on the Rust Belt, the next and future elections will have more to do with the Brown Belt—states with significant and increasing numbers of Latino voters stretching from California through the southwest to Texas. This panel will discuss how building political power by focusing on the large young Latino population in these key states will help narrow the gap in voter participation and influence upcoming critical elections. We’ll take a look at recent elections like those in Virginia and New Jersey where progressive groups worked to turn out Latino voters.

Led by: Jessica Reeves

Panelists: Sarah Audelo, Natalie Montelongo, Nelini Stamp

Join us for a discussion centered around mid-to small size city organizing in the deep south when relationships and trust are everything and there is plenty on the line. Attendees will attain key takeaways as to why organizing in deep red territory often looks so different from more progressive cities across the country. Not only will we center the voices of organizers doing the work, but we’ll talk about how strategies attained can be used elsewhere in reframing work and navigating policy, respectability culture and getting results.

Led by: Amanda Hollowell

Panelists: Edward Gresham, Molly Lieberman, Coco Papy, Moncello Stewart

https://www.facebook.com/NetrootsNation/videos/10156400118709827

2018 marks many of the first federal elections since Donald Trump was elected to office. False claims of voter fraud and fears of foreign interference have shaken many people’s trust in our elections—so how can voting rights advocates stop playing defense and instead drive progressive, inclusive voting policies? This panel will discuss how we can reclaim the narrative on voting rights using communications, digital, on-the-ground, and state-based strategies.

Led by: Shaneice Simmons

Panelists: Kat Calvin, Jonah Minkoff-Zern, Myrna Perez, Adrienne van der Valk

As graphic designers and media makers, how can we best develop strategic visual communication to win campaigns and stay accountable to the leadership of community organizers? Join us for a panel discussion on best practices and case studies. As people of color, women and immigrants, we will reflect on opportunities and challenges we face as media makers doing this work.

Led by: Tanzila Ahmed

Panelists: Sabiha Basrai, Candice Dayoan, Yash Mori

In less than three years, more than 1,200 workers across more than 12 digital media companies have organized unions with the Writers Guild of America, East. At this panel, union members and activists will share their experiences and recommendations for winning worker-led union campaigns. Topics will include best practices in organizing a geographically diffuse workforce, successful use of social media and digital tools in campaigns, and what is (and isn’t) distinct about organizing professional workers.

Led by: Megan McRobert

Panelists: Kim Bellware, Sarah Lloyd, Hamilton Nolan

With a constant stream of news about Trump and an ever increasingly saturated social media space, this panel will cover how to break through the noise. From direct action to creative tactics, the panel will discuss how to create actions that get noticed—and how to amplify their reach through social and earned media. From giant screens on the mall to multi-day sit-ins, panelists will discuss how to create actions that cannot be ignored.

Led by: Natalie Green

Panelists: Elizabeth Cuna, Yasmina Dardari, Bruce Darling

NUNS ON THE BUS: Rebel nuns fighting to save our democracy. Come see a special sneak-peek from this documentary in-progress, filmed over the past 6 years with intimate, behind-the-scenes access. Attacked by the
Vatican as “radical feminists,” NUNS ON THE BUS tells the story of Sister Simone Campbell and her band of feisty nuns as they fight for the poor and marginalized — and challenge the Catholic Church and US government to do better. The nuns wrestle with their own power and voice as they journey across an increasingly divided America. Join the filmmaker to brainstorm ways we might amplify the nuns’ “hero’s journey” to empower people of all political stripes to shift our national conversation beyond party politics and division toward middle
ground for care, conversation and reshaping our nation to work for the 100%. Join us on the bus!

Led by: Matthew Filipowicz, Melissa Regan

The LGBT People of Color Caucus at Netroots Nation provides an organizing and facilitated discussion space for queer, bi, pan, fluid, intersex, asexual, lesbian, gay, and questioning people who also self-identify as people of color. This is a closed caucus.

Led by: Faith Cheltenham, Ashton P. Woods

A caucus of POC/Allied external communicators coming together to discuss the internal and external pressures to code switch and assimilate to a default “white voice” for an assumed/identified white audiences. Examining strategies to broaden your organizations voice in order to capture more diverse listeners.

Led by: Jadon-Maurice Forbes

¡Mi gente! Join Latinx activists for a discussion about the issues facing our community, from immigration reform to family separation, and strategize about how to mobilize our community for the midterm elections.

Led by: Mayra Macias, Jess Torres Woolford

Become a graphic ally! Learn how to tell visual data stories to inspire policy change and mobilize information at the grassroots level. In this hands-on workshop, we’ll explore and apply principles of conscious and responsible design to a real-world infographic project. Participants will leave with an actionable list of design strategies, and with experience creating an infographic for a local nonprofit or community group.

Trainers: Jessica Bellamy

ICE continues to surveil and abuse immigrant rights across the country. Join us for a session on how to use the cameras in our pockets to help fight deportations and hold ICE accountable. Participants will learn basic digital security, tactical tips for filming ICE, strategies for making the biggest impact with video, and how to protect valuable footage. You’ll walk away knowing how to safely, ethically and effectively film ICE for evidence and advocacy.

Trainers: Palika Makam

From the historic mobilization of young people for the 2017 Virginia election to the unmitigated organizing effort around Parkland and the nationwide fight led by young people against gun violence, young people are leading the way toward a more progressive future. Learn from NextGen America organizers who mobilize young people through leadership development and activation—while understanding that young people are not a monolith and different tactics work in different geographic areas. The NextGen America Rising program has organizers in 10 states who will share what worked on the ground through the campus and cities (non-college) programs.

Trainers: Hannah Bristol, Erin Carhart

Many criticize the call-out culture but few offer concrete skills-building techniques to create a “call-in” culture that strengthens our movement. This training by an experienced anti-fascist black feminist will teach how to call each other in to strengthen our resistance and focus. Participants will learn the dos and don’ts of calling in and how to intervene when others are calling out. You’ll leave with skills to discern between offenses, micro-aggressions, triggers and threats, as well as increased self-reflection skills for engaging in debates or dialogues.

Trainers: Loretta Ross

Tech=power in organizing. Websites, apps and digital tools can amplify actions into the power of the crowd, and turn your organizing ideas into national movements. But finding good tech people to partner with can be difficult. There’s a strong professional language barrier between organizing and tech, and the tech world brings its own culture of power and oppression that can be difficult to navigate. In this training you’ll learn how to find tech partners, how to navigate tech culture and filter out arrogant and unhelpful tech people. You’ll even have the opportunity to practice creating formal requests for proposals to find tech partners for projects, and evaluate proposals.

Trainers: Courtney Eimerman-Wallace, Ann Lewis

Campaign data can turn into a mess very quickly. We want to show you some innovative ways campaigns are using the PDI National software platform to visualize their data and make their organizations as efficient as possible. We strive to make data understandable and usable from the most advanced data directors, to new campaign staff who are trying to learn as they go. Come see how to show over 250,000 voters and a national precinct file on a map. See how you can use data dashboards to understand your data and make quick, useful decisions about campaign tactics and strategy. This training is sponsored by PDI.

Trainers: Nic Zateslo

https://www.facebook.com/NetrootsNation/videos/10156400124164827

The past 18 months have been a whirlwind for public interest litigation, starting with the Trump travel ban, and ending … never. And one of the things we have learned—just as Republicans did in the Obama years—is that courts matter, and that even without political power, policy can still be impacted through litigation. Our panelists are on the legal front lines, fighting in the courts to protect basic civil and economic rights on every issue from public access to Twitter accounts, to Department of Education loan forgiveness, to keeping refugee families together, to combating a resurgent white supremacist movement.

Led by: Arjun Jaikumar

Panelists: Rebecca Buckwalter-Poza, Aunna Dennis, Neil Sawhney, Vincent Warren

The individual and collective health of minority communities struggle with the inequities, inefficiencies, and injustices of American health care. Some health disparities have improved with the Affordable Care Act while others have persisted or worsened. As progressives build the groundwork for Medicare for All, how do we engage minority communities who have been overlooked or under-prioritized by American health care? How do we build enthusiasm for reducing health inequities? Our panel of public health experts, physician activists, and community organizers want to prioritize health justice in progressive movements building Medicare for All.

Led by: SANJEEV SRIRAM

Panelists: Yolandra Hancock, Ari Rabin-Havt, Jean Ross

https://www.facebook.com/NetrootsNation/videos/10156400123094827

Basic American principles of inclusion, refuge, and religious freedom are all intertwined when lawmakers discuss admitting refugees. However, to other lawmakers, the term “refugees” is a dog-whistle that evokes national security fears and suppresses voter turnout. In this panel, we’ll discuss how and when refugees have been used in campaigns to talk about bigger democratic principles and inversely when “refugees” have been used in elections to ignite fears of uncertainty about national security and jobs. Finally, we’ll talk about what we can do, locally and nationally, to prevent refugees from being used as political footballs in 2018 and improve our own framing to protect candidates who protect our values.

Led by: Jasmine El-Gamal

Panelists: Scott Cooper, Susannah Cunningham, Manar Waheed

NAFTA slammed working class families across racial and geographic lines. Trump hijacked progressives’ longstanding fight against corporate-rigged trade policies to win battleground states promising to stop job outsourcing by renegotiating NAFTA. We can take the issue back and win the House by revealing how GOP congressional leaders are blocking any new deal that removes NAFTA’s job outsourcing incentives or adds tough labor standards to stop corporations from moving jobs to Mexico to pay workers poverty wages. By promoting a People-and-Planet-First trade agenda the #ReplaceNAFTA campaign can drive a wedge between Trump and working class voters while activating young voters alarmed by Trump’s xenophobic NAFTA rhetoric and climate denialism.

Led by: Lori Wallach

Panelists: Ben Beachy, Celeste Drake, Colette Pichon Battle, Rep. Tim Ryan

https://www.facebook.com/NetrootsNation/videos/10156400125619827

The devastating effects of Hurricane Maria had a diaspora effect on residents of Puerto Rico. The impact of this forced migration will reverberate in the state and national political landscape. Estimates indicate Florida has welcomed at least 300,000 Puerto Ricans so far. If just one third of that group had the ability to vote in 2016, Hillary Clinton would likely have won the state. The importance of harnessing the potential of a Puerto Rican voting block in a swing state like Florida cannot be overstated. But there needs to be strategic, concerted efforts to integrate and mobilize this powerful new group of voters. Hear from some of the players who are working to do just that, as they discuss the methods that are being employed towards the midterm.

Panelists: Carmen Yulín Cruz Soto, Mayra Macias, Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito, Iris Y. Martinez, Amy Mercado

The cultural stigma around menstruation has impeded the implementation of good public policy, allowing the fundamental needs of the impoverished and incarcerated to be ignored. We need to address why menstrual supplies are not provided as freely as other products our society deems “essential.” Communities should continue to focus on practical solutions; however, we also need smart public policy mandates to regulate government, corporations, businesses, schools, prisons and jails. Join us to learn about the evolution of the Menstrual Equity Movement and and how a partnership between grassroots advocates, national leaders and state legislators successfully created sustainable, long term, institutional change in Virginia.

Led by: Catherine Read

Panelists: Jennifer Boysko, Mark Keam, Holly Seibold, Jennifer Weiss-Wolf

As the U.S. hurtles through “modernization” and gentrification, it is important that the histories and people at risk of being displaced are preserved for future generations and for their own survival. From the erasure of historical sites of Japanese American incarceration to the gentrification of metropolitan Chinatowns and ethnic enclaves across the nation, Asian American communities are taking matters into our own hands. We’ll share how the Internet fuels our organizing rooted in public memory, multi-media activism and inter-generational learning. We’ll discuss invisibilized histories of resistance, how that is shaping Asian American organizing today, and our vision for the future.

Led by: Laura Li

Panelists: Huiying Bernice Chan, Nina Wallace, Diane Wong, Maari Zwick-Maitreyi

Energy democracy is already here—for the 42 million members of America’s 860 rural electric co-ops. These democratically owned electric utilities could build the just transition to local, clean energy we need, while keeping $41 billion in annual electricity purchases in local communities and addressing deep inequities in racial and economic justice. But it will take a renaissance in democratic organizing at the grassroots across the country to win this future, particularly in rural places in the South and Midwest that have been a blind spot to many progressive campaigns and funders. Join a discussion with four of the nationally recognized grassroots organizers who are leading in this growing movement.

Led by: Jake Schlachter

Panelists: Jay Carmona, Stan Hammons, Nsombi Lambright

Accountable organizing and solidarity are central to healthy movements. Join us to hear from New Orleans organizers discussing strategies for accountability and successful movement building. How can those of us with privilege avoid falling into the savior mentality, and instead work effectively for liberation? In this interactive session, we’ll explore concrete examples including stories of organizing in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina.

Led by: Jordan Flaherty

Panelists: Ashana Bigard, Ursula Price, Tracie Washington

ACORN and the FIRESTORM, from the award-winning filmmakers Reuben Atlas and Sam Pollard, reveals the story of Breitbart’s first victim, which fueled today’s political climate that paved the way for Trump, “fake news,” and a divided America.

Official Selection: Tribeca Film Festival, AFI.DOCS, Michael Moore’s Traverse City Festival. Winner! Montclair Film Festival, AmericaTruth Telling Jury Prize.

ACORN and the Firestorm chronicles the rise and fall of an organization that for 40 years empowered marginalized communities.

Its critics, though, believed ACORN exemplified everything wrong with liberal ideals, promoting government waste and ineffective activism. These competing perceptions exploded on the national stage in 2009, just as Barack Obama became president. Fueled by a YouTube video made by right wing undercover activist James O’Keefe, ACORN’s very existence would be challenged.

It’s a cautionary tale of what happened when a membership group of 400,000 working class men and women, white and people of color, threatened the power of a political party, the profits of large corporations and the ideology of unfettered free markets.

“ACORN and the Firestorm” takes square, belated aim at reviving the reputation of ACORN.” New York Times

“A convincing look at the scandal that sparked the Trump era.” – Indiewire

“A Must-See Movie.” – The Hollywood Reporter

“Disturbingly relevant… a documentary of our age. A refreshingly clear and balanced narrative about the controversy that swept up the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now during the 2008 presidential election.” -Salon

“Infuriating. A nimble analysis of the FOX echo chamber.” – Flavorwire “… sordid tale of the takedown of this once-proud-and-successful agency… this movie is an excellent bit of documentary history and journalism.” – Hammer to Nail

FIRESTORM is inspired by John Atlas’s book, Seeds of Change. The Story of ACORN, America’s Most Controversial Anti-Poverty, Community Organizing Group.

Led by: Steve Bradberry, Mike Lux, John atlas

Wondering how to take your Facebook content to the next level? How to create and plan content to maximize your reach and impact? Join a session with Facebook strategists to see the latest trends, understand the newest tools, and get the most out of your time on Facebook.

Led by: Carrie Adams

1.4 million people in Florida are permanently excluded from voting because of a past felony conviction. Florida is one of only four states with a lifetime ban on voting. It’s past time to return the eligibility to vote to Floridians who have already completed their sentence. These are our family members, friends, and neighbors who have earned back the opportunity to participate in and give back to their communities. Join us for a panel about Second Chances Florida – the ballot initiative in Florida that could restore the eligibility to vote to 1.4 million people – and learn what we can do nationwide to ensure this essential initiative wins in November.

Led by: Jonah Minkoff-Zern

Panelists: Reggie Hubbard, Myrna Perez, W. Mondale Robinson, Shaneice Simmons

This is a caucus for Black Women, Femmes and girls that are attending the conference. In this space we will debrief, brainstorm around shared issue based work and build community for local and national work. This is a closed caucus.

Led by: Brooke Butler, Krystal Leaphart

Wrap up your Netroots Nation weekend at our closing keynote featuring former HUD Secretary Julián Castro, candidates Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Kevin de Leon, Rep. Tim Ryan, NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio, Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin, Philadelphia City Councilmember Helen Gym and more.

Panelists: Julián Castro, Helen Gym, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Rep. Tim Ryan, Mayor Randall Woodfin, Bill de Blasio, Kevin de León

 Join us for a closing party to help wrap up the conference in style! A few short blocks from the convention center at The Howlin’ Wolf, we’ll party with a fantastic New Orleans band, a DJ, dancing, and complimentary open bar. Doors open at 9pm. A convention credential or Daily Kos issued wrist band (available at the door for registered attendees) is required for complimentary drinks. Space—and the free drinks—limited, so come early and stay late! Follow @DailyKos on Twitter and check the Netroots Nation convention app for late-breaking updates.

Please join us Sunday morning for our annual interfaith service. People of all faiths and no faith are welcome. We use readings from many faith traditions contributed by past attendees and others who cannot attend themselves, as well as additions from those gathered.

Stop by ActBlue’s happy hour for snacks, drinks, and some ActBlue swag! We’re excited to connect with the small-dollar donors, candidates, and activists who are using our fundraising tools to transform power structures. Like the small-dollar donor movement, this happy hour is for everyone!