Courage Campaign Success Stories
Video from Camp Courage East LA: Historic bilingual training attracts more than 200 participants
When the history of marriage equality in California is written, one significant turning point will be Camp Courage East Los Angeles — an unprecedented bilingual marriage equality training event in East LA that attracted more than 200 participants representing the deep diversity of the marriage equality movement.
Camp Courage East LA, in August 2009, is now regarded as one of the most successful training camps the Courage Campaign has held, following tremendously successful events in Los Angeles, Fresno, San Diego and Oakland earlier in the year. To an even greater degree than our previous camps, this bilingual training event demonstrated the importance of building a strong multicultural coalition for marriage equality, the power and energy of new activists, and the potential of personal stories to persuade voters often neglected by the LGBT community.
The success of Camp Courage East LA was the result of an extraordinary partnership with community activists and organizations in the Latino, Asian-Pacific Islander, and faith communities. The participants gathered at the Gloria Molina East LA Service Center were a snapshot of the diversity of Los Angeles: Latino, Asian-Pacific Islander, African-American, and Anglo; young and old; LGBT and straight allies. Many participants brought parents, siblings, and even their entire families. Nearly 30 attendees spoke only Spanish (monolingual speakers) and nearly half of the participants were straight allies.
To see what happened at Camp Courage East LA, check out this brief highlight video we produced:
The primary goal of Camp Courage is to empower each participant to discover, understand and communicate their own personal and heartfelt stories — the most effective method of persuading voters to support marriage equality. Camp Courage East LA demonstrated the power of this approach to voter outreach. For example, participants were moved to tears by Stella, a Chinese-American woman in her 60s, who spoke of her love for her daughter and her new daughter-in-law; and Alma, a straight Salvadoran immigrant teenager who spoke of her commitment to fight for the rights of her lesbian sister.
As one attendee wrote, “Camp Courage gives voice to every individual and shows how we can all be leaders in the movement to create a better world.”
During the weekend, attendees enrolled in two of nine workshops in community organizing and campaign skills, including canvassing, faith outreach, the art of persuasion, and online organizing. Several attendees decided to join or form Courage Campaign Equality Teams, committing to organize and canvass in their own communities, making the case for marriage equality one heart and one mind at a time.
Another significant highlight of the weekend was the debut of a Spanish-language marriage equality ad, produced by the Courage Campaign and our community partners. To watch this unique TV ad, click here:
Camp Courage East LA was the result of the tremendous organizing skills of our community partners. Please take some time to explore the actions and events of these grassroots LGBT and allied groups:
Asian Pacific Americans for Progres: http://www.apaforprogress.org/
Bienestar: www.bienestar.org
California Faith for Equality: www.cafaithforequality.org
Equal Roots Coalition: www.equalroots.com/
Here to Stay Coalition: www.heretostaycoalition.org/
Honor Pac: www.honorpac.org
Latino Equality Alliance: http://sites.google.com/site/latinoequalityalliance/
Satrang: www.satrang.org/
South Asian Network: http://www.southasiannetwork.org/
The Wall/Las Memorias Project: http://www.thewalllasmemorias.org/
To find out more about the Camp Courage training program, meet the trainers and see photos, videos and news reports from previous events, click here.