Plenary sessions are meetings of all Convention participants, for the purpose of attending to the business of the organization.
During Plenary I on Friday morning, Convention participants will be welcomed and the rules and agenda will be adopted.
Plenary II on Friday afternoon will include a keynote speech by Barbara Smith. We will also honor NOW leaders and celebrate NOW's work.
The evening plenary on Friday (Plenary III) will begin with our opening ceremony. Inspirational, talented and visionary feminists will perform and speak during this session. The session is immediately followed by a PAC auction and entertainment.
Saturday begins with a plenary session (Plenary IV) that launches the small group work on vision. We will hear important directions on how the workshop sessions will be conducted, plus we'll be inspired to begin a very creative and high energy process. Saturday afternoon's plenary (Plenary V) will be packed full of exciting speakers and presentations, including Patricia Ireland, Geraldine Ferraro and Betsy McCaughey Ross.
The Saturday late afternoon session (Plenary VI) is a time for us to celebrate the accomplishments of women in elected office and to participate in our strategies for flooding the country with feminists! The Victory 2000 Reception honors our own -- don't miss this session.
Finally, on Sunday we meet together all day in Plenary VII and VIII. We begin the morning with feedback on the weekend's work, and then begin the discussion and debate around finalizing the vision document. Once the Vision Statement is finalized, all supporters are invited to sign this historic document. The work of the Convention culminates in this session.
On Friday we will explore our history and assess our current status. The beginning of creating a vision occurs in these roundtables and Friday plenaries. Creating a common understanding of where we have been helps launch the discussion of where we are going.
Presenters in these roundtables will provide some information and expertise, and then invite participation in the discussion. Each topic is offered twice to allow a greater number of people to share information and experiences on the same topics as we move into Saturday's small group work.
Small group workshops aimed at increasing our skills for grassroots organizing are also offered on Friday. These will be hands-on, interactive workshops. Participants will leave with new tactics and ideas to offer their chapters.
Caucuses provide a time for feminists who share a common interest to get together. This offers an excellent opportunity to meet others from around the country who share specific concerns. Pre-assigned caucuses include topics covered by NOW CICs (Conference Implementation Committees). If you are interested in convening a caucus on a separate topic, please sign up in the Convention Office. A limited number of additional rooms are available and can be assigned as late as 2:30 pm on Friday.
We encourage small groups to caucus during lunch and dinner breaks.
Check the vision insert for a detailed description of these small group vision workshops.