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Message from the Executive Director
 After a very busy summer, August is DAWN's quiet calm before the storm. Many of us are still buzzing over DAWN's 3rd Annual Dinner, the DC Africa Festival, and the President's Forum with African Youth Leaders. But believe it or not, there's even more to come!
We have an exciting series of events, drives
and initiatives coming this fall, beginning with our DAWNer Membership Drive this
September! If you have been wanting to
join DAWN, visit our website and find out how you can apply!
DAWN is also working hard to improve how we communicate with our members and ensuring
that you are satisfied with our programming and events. We invite
you to stay in touch with us and share your thoughts, ideas,
comments and questions by emailing us at feedback@dawners.org. It's critical that DAWN fulfills its mission by truly giving DAWNers and DAWNistas the kind of support they need and want.
Semhar Araia
Executive Director and Founder of DAWN |
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DAWN's 3rd Annual Reception & Dinner - The Rise of DAWN!
With
a full house of DAWNers & DAWNistas, DAWN began its celebration by officially launching
its SEEDS Program, which provides mentorship, professional development and
leadership programming to its mentors by upholding the Core Principles of Sisterhood, Excellence, Empowerment,
Diversity & Service (SEEDS). For a full slideshow of our spectacular evening, click here!Thank
you to everyone who helped make the evening a success!
- Volunteers:
Esraa Bani, Sara Abdelrahim, Joy Mbajah, Maame Boakye, Kaade Wallace, and Eddine
Mureke
- Sponsors:
Putumayo Records & Khalid Sukkar
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DAWN Fall 2010 Membership Drive
Sign up to join DAWN! Drive is from September 1 - 31, 2010
It's that time of year again! Throughout the entire month of September, DAWN will be holding its Fall 2010 Membership Drive from September 1 - 30, 2010. DAWN looks forward towelcoming new,
dynamic women of the African Diaspora who have a proven commitment to
the continent and her community. DAWN is rising and we are looking for amazing women to join us!
If you are interested in joining DAWN, please apply at http://www.dawners.org/join-dawn.html or if you know of women who are eligible for DAWN, please encourage them to submit an application. For more questions or information, please contact Nicole at outreach@dawners.org.
Also, if you are a current DAWNer, don't
forget! Your annual membership dues will be automatically
renewed via Paypal in September or the date of your last
membership dues payment. Please deactivate it if you do not want to
automatically continue your membership with DAWN. We'd hate to see you
go, but DAWN wants to make your membership continue as seamlessly as
possible.
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Introducing SEEDS by DAWN
It is with great pride and honor that DAWN introduced its new SEEDS logo at our Third Annual
Reception & Dinner. As we continue to grow and gain momentum, DAWN wanted to capture our mission through our Core Principles of SEEDS: Sisterhood, Excellence,
Empowerment, Diversity, and Service. As a permanent campaign of
motivation and mentorship programs, SEEDS by DAWN deserves to shine as
its own star. So voila', here is our new package for the DAWN SEEDS!
The DAWN MOMs programming and DAWNista Mentorship Program are just two of the ways DAWN will carry out its SEEDS Core Principles. The
logo represents two hands in the process of reaping and/or planting
sprouts. The tangerine red buds form a heart that symbolizes care and
passion, which are at the base of the mentorship program and are the
qualities we look for in our mentees. Earthy, warm brown hands form an
arch around the heart, representing nurture and guidance, which are
offered by our mentors. And finally, the gold seed symbolizes our core
principles and the bright, positive, energized foundation for our
future.
DAWN thanks everyone for your support and input for the SEEDS! |
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DAWN at The President's Forum with Young African Leaders
Earlier this
month, DAWN was invited to participate in the President's Forum with African Youth Leaders, an initiative with approximately 120 young leaders from Africa's
civil society and the private sector representing more than forty countries in
sub-Saharan Africa. The participants shared
their insights on key themes of youth empowerment, good governance, and
economic opportunity.  Titled "Speaking Truth to Power: Overcoming Obstacles to Change", DAWN spoke briefly to the delegates about best practices
for effective networking, organizing and advocacy skills. It was a lively discussion with nearly one-third of the delegates in attendance. DAWN shared the floor with the Africa Society and also attended the plenary session where Secretary
of State Hillary Clinton and Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs
Johnnie Carson delivered remarks to the delegates.
- For a full
transcript of President Obama's Town Hall Forum with the leaders, click here.
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DAWNer of the Month
Elinor Tesfamariam
 Elinor K. Tesfamariam is a managing member and immigration
attorney at Plenpovo Law, PLLC. She has well-rounded experience in all
forms of immigration law, particularly family petitions; adjustments of
status; asylum; Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) petitions, detention
and employment-based visas. Elinor is particularly knowledgeable about
detention processes and has successfully negotiated with U.S.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on behalf of many clients. Prior to establishing Plenpovo Law, Elinor was the co-founder and
Managing Member of Immigration and Human Rights Law Group.
Passionate about ensuring justice for all, she has vigorously
developed areas of expertise and taken action regarding key human
rights issues such as: female genital mutilation (or cutting) (FGM or
FGC), genocide and Immigrant's rights. Elinor has provided Know Your
Rights seminars for Immigrants; assisted in the creation of a human
rights curriculum for the transitional Somali government; assisted in a
US death penalty appeal case and contributed in the creation of fair
anti-drug enforcement laws and sentencing guidelines.
Elinor is originally from Eritrea. She earned her law degree from
Seattle University School of Law. She earned her bachelor degree from
Western Washington University. She is a member of the Washington State
Bar Association.
Congratulations Elinor! We are proud to have you as a DAWNer!!!
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African News
New literary series views Africa through African eyes
Tired of reading accounts of Africa through the eyes of outsiders, 14
African writers have set out to document the diversity of their content
in a series of books and blogs partly inspired by the soccer World Cup. Read More
Somalia: Getting an education against all odds
Five years after a local charity opened a university to offer this
bullet-scarred city's youth an alternative to militia life and
emigration, the first degrees have been awarded. Read More
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Upcoming Events
AUGUST 27
What: DAWN Monthly Dinner Time: 6:00PM - 8 PM EST
October 8-10
What: Breast Cancer Walk
Time: TBD
About this event: Once again, DAWN will participate in this year's Susan G. Komen's Walk
for the Cure. It will be taking place October 8-10. If you are
interested in volunteering with fellow DAWNers in supporting the cure
for breast cancer, contact Milen Zerabruk via e-mail at milenzerabruk@gmail.com.
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DAWN's Monthly Inspiration
"We're
going to keep helping empower African youth, supporting education,
increasing educational exchanges like the one that brought my father
from Kenya, in the days when Kenyans were throwing off colonial rule
and reaching for a new future. And we're
helping to strengthen grassroots networks of young people who believe,
as they're saying in Kenya today, yes, youth can!"
-Barack Obama, President of the U.S.A
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African Independence Summer Dates
Eritrea - May 24
Mali - June 20
Senegal - June 20
Mozambique - June 25
Madagascar - June 26
Djibouti - June 27
Seychelles - June 29
DRC - June 30
Somalia - July 1
Burundi - July 1
Rwanda - July 1
Algeria - July 3
Cape Verde - July 5
Malawi - July 6
Comoros - July 6
São Tomé & Principe - July 12
Benin - August 1
Niger - August 3
Burkina Faso - August 5
Côte d'Ivoire - August 7
Chad - August 11
CAR - August 13
Congo - August 15
Gabon - August 17
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