Citizens from across the lower Connecticut River Valley and shoreline will come together tomorrow, June 24, for a day of civic engagement to explore and challenge the current policies impacting democracy in the US, and emphasizing the importance of everyone exercising their right to vote.
The Blue Wave Fest will be held from 3 to 6 p.m. at the Chester Fairgrounds, Chester, Conn. Speakers include:
- endorsed gubernatorial candidate Ned Lamont;
- Secretary of the State, Denise Merrill;
- State Sen. Beth Bye;
- political pundit Bill Curry;
- musician Tyler Suarez, whose aunt Dawn Hochsprung was killed in the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School;
- lifelong activist and author Miriam Butterworth;
- Rev. John Selders, co-founder of Moral Monday and the Poor People Campaign-CT;
- Po Murray, co-founder of Newtown Action Alliance;
- Will Kneerim of Integrated Refugee and Immigrant Services (IRIS);
- candidates for the General Assembly seats in the region.
“We live in an unprecedented moment when civil discourse, freedom of the press, constitutional norms, protection from foreign interference in our elections, and even widely-shared facts about science are under daily attack,” said Marta Daniels, a Chester resident and Chair of the Fest. “The traditional institutional brakes on government interference are completely absent. Our first opportunity to remedy these assaults on our democracy is coming in November when citizens can go to the polls and vote. The Blue Wave Fest had its origins in this idea,” she said.
The Blue Wave Fest features local musicians, 20+ issue speakers, state and federal legislators, state and local office seekers and 35 information exhibitors offering valuable insight into how citizens, communities and organizations are taking action to face the most pressing challenges affecting our democracy today.
This big tent event is co-sponsored by the 15 Democratic Town Committees of Chester, Deep River, Essex, Clinton, East Haddam, Haddam, East Hampton, Killingworth, Lyme, Old Lyme, Old Saybrook, Portland, Westbrook, Madison and Colchester. All are welcome. There is no admission fee.
For the Blue Wave Fest line-up of presenters/speakers visit www.BlueWaveFeat.com