Inspired by the “Camp Obama” trainings that powered neighbor-to-neighbor organizing across America in 2008, Camp Courage is an intensive two-day training designed to teach the principles and skills of community organizing to activists working to restore marriage equality to California. Drawing on techniques honed for decades by progressive social movements, Camp Courage teaches empowerment, team building, leadership development, and grassroots organizing skills. The event is geared toward activists or those who have never engaged with the broader community about marriage equality as well as veteran LGBT activists and allies.

• WHEN: Saturday, August 1st (8:30 a.m.- 5:30 p.m.) AND Sunday, August 2nd (8:30 a.m. – 5 p.m.)
• WHERE: East Los Angeles (location provided once registration is confirmed)
• Sign up today at the Camp Courage website!

Camp Courage is sponsored by Courage Campaign, and is organized by Torie Osborn, Mike Bonin, and Lisa Powell. Osborn is a senior advisor to Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and the United Way, and former executive director of the Liberty Hill Foundation and the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force. Bonin is a former regional field organizer for Obama for America, a veteran campaign staffer, and a community activist. Powell is an attorney, longtime trainer, community leader, and co-founder of United Lesbians of African Heritage.

In addition, Dan Choi, a native of California and Army Lieutenant facing discharge under the military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy, will be attending to participate!

Sign up today at the Camp Courage website!

Courage Campaign sponsored video-taping and photography!

Equality California, Silver level sponsor

Silver Peso rail excursions, Silver level sponsor

We also want to give a shout-out to our wonderful donors:

• Jane W. – $100
• Todd O. – $50
• Robin M. – $50
• Charlene P. – $25
• Kip W. – $10

Finally, we also want to thank everyone who sent out e-mail blasts about the event, and helped promote it on Facebook and via e-mail. We could not have done it without you. You’re amazing, and your support is deeply, deeply appreciated.

Thank you again to everyone who helped make this happen. You’ve been a party of a truly special moment in history, and we here at Equality Network just feel privileged and humbled to have been a part of it!

For more information about the Teach-in (including continuing follow-ups!), and to learn about any upcoming Teach-in events, be sure to check out the Teach-in for Equality website and sign-up for e-mail updates!

• Walter L. Williams: professor at USC, specializing in GLBT history;
• Cleve Jones: friend and advisor to Harvey Milk (portrayed by Emile Hirsch in Milk), founder of the NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt;
• Torie Osborn: former Executive Director of the Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Center, and the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force;
• Jennifer C. Pizer: Senior Counsel and Marriage Project Director for Lambda Legal;
• Sheila Kuehl: first gay or lesbian person elected to the state assembly of California;
• Waiyde Palmer: former West coast organizer of ACT UP!;
• John A. Pérez: assemblymember of the 49th district of California, in Los Angeles;
• Marc Solomon: former Executive Director of Mass Equality, Marriage Equality Director of Equality California;
• Surina Khan: Vice President of Programs for the Women’s Foundation of California, former executive director of the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission;
• Roland Palencia: Director of Community Benefits at L.A. Care Health Plan, former Chief of Operations and Vice-President of the AIDS Healthcare Foundation;
• Talia Mae Bettcher: Director of the Center for the Study of Genders and Sexualities at California State University in Los Angeles, author;
• Jacob Hale: professor in the Department of Philosophy at California State University, Northridge;
• Rick Jacobs: founder the Courage Campaign, former Senior Advisor to Democracy for America, co-founder of Brave New Films, a director of the Liberty Hill Foundation;
• Chris Freeman: lecturer at University of Southern California in 20th century gay and lesbian studies, author;
• Julius Nam: associate professor of religion at Loma Linda University School of Religion in California, commissioned minister of the Seventh-day Adventist Church.

If you’re interested in meeting some of these speakers face-to-face and picking their brain for a while, we encourage you to sign up for the Breakfast with History event!

This is truly a landmark event, in which the Equality Network has assembled some of the greatest personalities in the LGBT civil rights movement over the last 20 years. Our purpose is to ensure that everyone who wishes to be a part of the fight for marriage in California has a thorough understanding of our history, and how we got here to this critical crossroads in our fight.

For more information, see our Teach-in website. To register your seat now, go directly to our ticketing system. If you have any questions, contact Jordan!

We have literally thousands of postcard-size information cards about the Teach-in, and full-size posters for the event. We need to get them up all over Los Angeles, and we need your help to make that happen!

On both Saturday and Sunday, we’ll be meeting at Java Detour at 12pm, and then go for a few hours until at least 3pm (and later, if you’re interested in staying!). During that time, we’ll do some tabling, and also send out a few cars and walkers to get those posters up, and the cards in the hands of potential attendees. We have plenty of things to do, so even if you don’t want to table, you can still help! Just show up on Saturday or Sunday. You can also see more info on the Facebook pages:

• Saturday
• Sunday

If you have any questions, contact David Comfort!