The Delta Grassroots Caucus (DGC) is a broad coalition of grassroots leaders in the eight-state Delta region. DGC is also a founding partner of the Economic Equality Caucus,
which advocates for economic equality across the USA.

Delta Caucus at Clinton Presidential Center, February 5-6, 2009--Please RSVP

Posted on October 08, 2008 at 01:15 PM

The Mississippi Delta Grassroots Caucus annual conference at the Clinton Presidential Center will be Thursday, Feb. 5, 2009 and Friday, Feb. 6, 2009. We will be inviting President Bill Clinton, former Gov. Mike Huckabee, Sen. Thad Cochran (R-MS), Gov. Mike Beebe (D-AR), representatives of whoever turns out to be the next Presidential administration, and grassroots leaders from around the region to this event. It will focus on jump-starting the economy at this time of distress in the region and nationally, with job creation, renewable energy expansion to cut gas prices, housing issues and rebuilding our transportation and other infrastructure being among the key issues.

The opening session will be Thursday evening, Feb. 5, 2009, at the Clinton School of Public Service, from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., and the main session will be Friday, Feb. 6, 2009 at the Great Hall of the Clinton Presidential Library in Little Rock, Arkansas.

Please note that we will have a new policy that the registration fee of $85 will have to be received by January 29, 2009. For those who wait beyond that date or try to pay at the door, please be advised that there is limited seating and if you do not pay ahead of time there may not be space for you. If there is space, you will have to pay $125 if you pay late at the door.

This policy is necessary because we have had many people who said they were coming but either did not pay the fee or did not attend, and this costs us money, because the costs for the two meals and rental space for the Great Hall have to be paid ahead of time, and the costs are based on how many people are expected. A problem is that some people have come to the events unannounced and not paid any registration fee, which is obviously unfair to the great majority of people who do pay the fee.

The Clinton School of Public Service will be the site for the opening session, because the Clinton School has had many of its graduate students engage in public service projects in the Delta, and that school is turning out many graduates who will be future leaders in the Delta. We will invite Dean Skip Rutherford to speak at the opening session. We appreciate Dean Rutherford’s leadership at the Clinton School and his strong interest in the Delta.

We are just starting to line up grassroots leaders who will be speaking. State Representative Tommy Baker of Osceola, Arkansas has already agreed to speak on one of the economic development panels. Mississippi County, Arkansas is one of the most important counties in the heart of the Delta, and there are many important economic development initiatives going on there. That county has many strong grassroots leaders like Rep. Baker, Mayor Barrett Harrison of Blytheville, Sam Scruggs of the Mississippi County Equal Opportunity Commission, the Great River Road Economic Development Foundation, all the people at Nucor Yamato Steel and Nucor Steel of Arkansas, and many others.

We always like to promote good books about the Delta. We will have Mary Gay Shipley of That Bookstore in Blytheville, Arkansas, bring a selection of books about the Delta to display on tables during both days of the event. That Bookstore has received great publicity as one of the best bookstores in the region and we are pleased to give them this recognition. We will also have one or two other authors or publishers there as well with books to purchase about the Delta region.

PLEASE RSVP BY SENDING IN THE $85 REGISTRATION FEE BEFORE JANUARY 29, 2009.

Please make out the check to “Delta Grassroots Caucus,” with a note “For 2009 fees,” and mail it before JANUARY 29, 2009 to:

Delta Grassroots Caucus

(Attention: Lee Powell)

5030 Purslane Place

Waldorf, MD 20601

With the new requirement of paying fees ahead of time, this may mean the overall turnout will be 100 to 120 or so, which is somewhat smaller than the usual turnout for the Arkansas conference, but a smaller group is less expensive and easier to manage. 100 to 120 is still a good turnout. We would actually prefer a smaller, less expensive and more manageable group, but if people send in the fees on time, we doubt that anybody will be turned away. Our costs for meals and rental space are based on how many people come.

The group hotel is the Comfort Inn Downtown at the Clinton Library. The group rate for the night of Feb. 5 is $79, which is a good rate for downtown Little Rock. Please call the hotel at (501) 687-7700 before January 12, 2009 and say you are with the Delta Caucus to get the group rate.

People would only need to stay that one night, Thursday, Feb. 5, because they can check out in the morning and store their luggage and come back and pick it up in the afternoon.

Thanks very much–Lee Riley Powell, executive director, MDGC (202) 360-6347