Saturday night’s prom was not your typical political fundraiser. I’ve been to a lot of fundraisers, and I expect most of them to have quite conversations as a lot of white men in their fifties and their wives eat hors d'oeuvres and sip white wine. I don’t want to dismiss these sorts of fundraisers. Campaigns need money to operate and to place adds and rich white middle aged men are a great resource.
However, the twenty-somethings wearing prom dresses and drinking a punch that would seem more at home at a frat party than a fundraiser are people that we need to get involved with the campaign. Saturday was also the first day that civil unions were available to a group of people that have too long been denied the same rights as other couples and it was great to hear about folks celebrating civil unions.
This week has some more tradition groups that are reached out to in campaigns. On Saturday, Mayor DeStefano will attend a Columbus Day ceremony in New Haven and on Sunday, he will be at the Columbus Day parade in Hamden. Where I grew up, Columbus Day wasn’t a big holiday, but when I moved to Little Italy years ago, I found a group of people who take Columbus Day very seriously.
Later on Saturday, Mayor DeStefano attends the Latino & Puerto Rican Affairs Commission Eighth Annual Gala-Awards Banquet. New Haven Police Chief, Francisco Ortiz will be receiving an award as Latino Citizen of the Year.
The event takes place at Foxwoods, a good place to remind us that almost all Americans are immigrants. Whether you are young or old, rich or poor, and whatever path led you to this country, we are at our best when we all work together. Are you doing anything special this week to celebrate the diversity that helps make our state and our country strong?
