Independent (Youth) Week in NYC: Charter Revision Hearings and National Action Network Conference

Last week was a busy one here in NYC for independents and youth, and independent youth:  2 public hearings for the NYC Charter Revision Commission, one in 'da Bronx on Monday and one on Staten Island on Tuesday, where young independent activists are speaking out in favor of nonpartisan elections. Then off to the National Action Network conference at the Sheraton in Manhattan where Dr. Lenora Fulani brought the house down at the Education panel discussion, calling on the conference to "close the discussion on the achievement gap," and start paying attention to scientific breakthroughs in human development, discussions that are taking place internationally but that US leadership refuses to investigate.

"...Here in the US, we are doing publicity tours with Newt Gingrich to promote public awareness of the problem. With all due respect to Reverend Sharpton and my sisters and brothers in the National Action Network, that is insufficient for Black America and for all America..."

Dr. Fulani is recognized as having created the contemporary independent movement with her historic run for President in 1988 when she became the first woman and first African American to ever be on the ballot in all 50 states. She ran as an independent, collecting over 1.5 million signatures nationally and a quarter of a million votes. Fulani is a co-founder of the All Stars Project, Inc. and founder and director of Operation Conversation: Cops and Kids.

Up this week, Charter Revision hearings tonight in Queens and Tuesday night in Brooklyn. Watch the April 19 Charter Commission Hearing Live from Long Island City, at LaGuardia Community College, via Webcast at 6pm Monday.

Meanwhile...

• Voters in West Virginia  and North Carolina are becoming more independent.
• Oregon  Washington experience says YES! to Top Two open primary. [Thanks to Richard Winger at Ballot Access News for this correction. Apologies for my East-Coast-centricity! All you West Coast states don't *really* look alike -- but you do have a certain independent streak that I really appreciate!]
• 5 out of 6 Pennsylvania gov candidates support open primaries (bill introduced by Eugene DePasquale) for the Keystone State.
• California Dem Party rejects open primaries.
• Florida Gov Charlie Crist says he's not gonna run for re-election as an independent but lots of folks wish he would.
• Nationally speaking, the Top Two right now are Barack Obama and Ron Paul.
• Today's Pew Research polls finds Americans are living in Distrust, Discontent, Anger and Partisan Rancor.