Oxfam VP on Anderson Cooper at 10/7

Hi everyone,

We just got word that Oxfam America Vice President Jim Lyons will be on Anderson Cooper 360 tonight at 10:00 ET (7:00 PT) on CNN, to discuss the Farm Bill. Make sure you tune in and let us know what you thought.

Thanks!

Tim Fullerton, Oxfam America

ONE Member Jake Back from South Africa

My wife and I recently traveled to Mamelodi, South Africa (30 minutes outside Pretoria) with 300 other volunteers from Crossroads Church in Cincinnati, OH. I wasn’t sure what to expect, since I had never been to Africa before, but I was very excited to experience the culture and develop relationships with the people there. I was amazed at the love, joy and hope that seemed to radiate from the townships despite the fact that most people we met were either unemployed (80%), had HIV/AIDS (40%) or did not know where their next meal would come from.

While we were there we built 10 homes, planted over 250 sustainable vegetable gardens, provided a library full of 7,000 donated books and had a children’s camp each day for over 1,000 kids! While all that is definitely an accomplishment, the most fulfilling part of our trip was the amazing friendships we developed with the South Africans. I was so encouraged by their ambition and hope for the future — something that we, as Americans, have in common.

While I was there I wore my ONE bracelet every day just like I have for the past 4 months since I got it. On my last day, I took my ONE bracelet off and gave it to an awesome kid named Kevin—who I developed a good relationship with and who seemed to like me as he was by my side every time I turned around.

The experiences I had in South Africa will last a lifetime and it has encouraged me to become more involved in the ONE Campaign and try harder to get other people involved to help make a positive difference in Africa. ONE can have a tremendous impact on people living in poverty and I believe it’s my responsibility to help support ONE’s efforts.

-Jake Armentrout, ONE Member, Cincinnati, OH

The Netroots: Helping Us Turn the Pages of History A Little Faster

We’ve always known that ending poverty would be no small feat and we’ve been betting that a couple of strategic decisions - like bipartisanship and leveraging technology - will help us turn the pages of history a little faster. Later this week, a few of us from ONE, Weldon Kennedy, John Ryan, Aaron Banks, our CEO Susan McCue and I, will head to Chicago for YearlyKos, the annual superbowl for the progressive netroots.

At the conference, Susan, Bread for the World’s CEO David Beckmann, Rwandan turned U.S. citizen and AIDS lobbyist Anathalie Sugira and FireDogLake blogger Christina Siun O’Connell will speak on a global poverty panel (Aug 4, 9:15am) to urge the 2,000 new media-savvy attendees to become leaders of the cause.

We’ll keep you posted as the event draws closer.

Clinton Works Through Crowd to Not Miss ONE

I met and banded Senator Hillary Clinton at the College Democrats of America (CDA) Convention at the University of South Carolina.

Despite the mad crush of people surrounding me with cameras and pieces of paper to sign she came straight over to me when she saw my ONE Vote ‘08 shirt and said “I certainly don’t want to miss you.” Senator Clinton put on the ONE band and a member of her staff took a photo of us. In her speech, she spoke about her desire to improve America’s reputation in the world.

House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn also spoke at the CDA Convention. The South Carolina Representative talked about the work Congress is doing with the Farm Bill. He also emphasized the importance of environmental sustainability and reducing subsides for big farmers, issues that can have an impact at home and abroad.

-Mekell Mikell

Edwards and Oreos

Senator John Edwards headlined the College Democrats of America (CDA) block party on Friday evening. Members of his campaign were sporting the ONE band.

The presidential hopeful spoke to students, many of whom were wearing ONE shirts and bands, about the urgent need to combat AIDS and poverty in Africa. He also discussed the need for clean water and improved sanitation in the continent. The crowd responded enthusiastically to Senator Edwards’ call to action on pressing global issues that are central to the ONE Campaign.

Another man we met at the block party also tackled the issue of world hunger - one oreo cookie at a time.

Aaron Rubin used giant versions of the classic comfort food to demonstrate the size of the U.S. budget and how small the segment actually is that goes to help feed millions of starving people.

Mr. Rubin also came over to the ONE table and added his name to our declaration.

-Mekell Mikell

Durbin Spotted in ONE Shirt in Nashua

On Friday night I was stopping at a red light in Nashua, NH, when I noticed someone in a ONE shirt on the corner. I always get excited to see people in ONE bands and ONE shirts as it is a simple way to show support for the ONE Campaign and the world’s poorest people. So I rolled down the window and yelled to him and gave him the thumbs up. He laughed and waved.

Then I looked at him again and asked, “Are you Senator Durbin”?, and he very surprisingly and excitedly said “Yes”! I tried to get a photo, but the light turned green, so I quickly parked my car and tried to find out where he, and the person he was with, were going.

As I hit Main Street in Nashua, I spotted the senator walking into an Irish pub down the street. I was about to enter the pub when I ran into a ONE member named Al Kitomari in his ONE shirt. Al is a college student who is originally from Tanzania.

I asked Al if he was wearing his ONE shirt for a specific reason (as if he was going to meet Sen. Durbin), but he told me that he always wears his ONE shirt with pride. I told Al about Sen. Durbin being inside the pub so we quickly went in for a picture of Al and Sen. Durbin in their identical ONE shirts.

Sen. Durbin was very warm and graciously took the photo. He was in New Hampshire to help campaign for Sen. Obama’s presidential bid. He asked Al and me to sit down and have dinner with him and the Obama staffer he was with. Al was going to meet a few friends, but I sat down and over dinner we discussed ONE and ONE Vote ‘08 (noting Obama sporting the ONE band in state and Sen. Daschle as national chair).

Sen. Durbin told me how he would partner with Republican senators like Sen. Brownback and Sen. DeWine, to offer amendments that would help fully fund US efforts to fight global AIDS and extreme poverty. I told him how, as a ONE volunteer, I clearly remember as I have called the Senate many times to ask my own senators to support these amendments with his name on it.

We talked about the Global Fund, MCC, and PEPFAR and even mentioned the Clean Water event that he attended in Chicago a few months ago. Sen. Durbin was very responsive and we even discussed the need to reform the Farm Bill to allow poor African farmers an opportunity to trade their way out of poverty.

It was an incredible chance meeting that shows no matter where you are - DC or Main Street in NH, and no matter who you are - a US Senator or an African student, the ONE Campaign is bringing people together across the political divide, and across the ocean, to unite as ONE and make poverty history!

Next Round

After we posted that the Fairness Amendment failed, an anonymous member added this comment.

An excerpt:

“This year…I and the 2.4 million other members of ONE learned about the farm bill and how it effects the lives of small farmers here and around the world, and we — for the first time ever– were given a chance to act.

By the thousands and the tens of thousands and the hundreds of thousands we made our voices heard. We wrote letters to the editor of papers all over the country. We called our congressmen and our senators. We met in their offices and made our case eye to eye. We sent faxes. We forwarded information to our friends, who passed it on to their friends. We turned decades of silence into the first globally conscious movement to change the farm bill ever.

Yes, it’s now clear the cynical defenders of the status quo that have been preparing a well oiled, massively funded lobbying machine for years will get most of what they want. But not all. Because this year, the billions who live or die by the decisions made in Washington finally found a voice to echo for them down the corridors of American power. They found my voice. They found your voice. The found our voice.

This round we learned to to speak for and with the people of the world, together as ONE. No, we did not win all we had hoped. But we have forever changed the game. Next round, there will be millions more of us speaking with greater strength than ever before.

Tommy’s Thumb: up

ONE staff drove to Waterloo, IA, to see Gov. Tommy Thompson at Beck’’s Sports Bar and Grill. Gov. Thompson is in the middle of his intense 99-county tour before our state’s August 11th Straw Poll.

At the event, ONE members asked him about his plans, if elected, to continue his previous work as Secretary of Health and Human Services, advocating for the issues of global poverty and disease. Gov. Thompson spoke about a program he and former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan created to fight disease in 135 countries. He also spoke about his desire to rid the planet of malaria and how attainable the goal is.

After, Gov. Thompson chatted with ONE members and thanked us for our questions. He restated his strong desire to eradicate malaria and told us how much he liked ONE. He ended with a thumbs up and told us to “keep up the good work!”

- Sarah Sauber, Iowa ONE Vote

Clinton and Obama Staff On The Band Wagon

The Clinton campaign partnered with College Democrats to host a party in the Vista in SC complete with food, music, and free tokens to take advantage of the air hockey, arcade games, and pool tables. Campaign workers and convention delegates at the party wore ONE bands and T-shirts, and several people told me how much they love the ONE Campaign and the work we are doing. We banded more people, and many said they’d visit our table at the convention to sign up.

After a short walk down the street we made our way to the Students for Barack Obama after party, which was held at another local hotspot. We met and banded one of the hosts, South Carolina State Representative and USC law student Bakari Sellers at the event. Obama staffers and guests were also wearing their ONE shirts and bands as they danced along to a mix of hip-hop and reggaeton, with a little bit of old school thrown into the mix.

We received compliments and questions about ONE at this party, and banded even more people.

-Marie-Louise Ramsdale

Fairness Amendment Failed (117-309)

Disappointing but not surprising. This was an amazing effort by all. Never before has such a diverse group come together to support reform that would benefit family farmers here at home and abroad.

Thanks for all the calls, letters, meetings, statements and releases. This was never going to be easy but we made major strides toward reform. The House took the first step, now it is up to the Senate to capitalize on the momentum that has been built.