xuu on the DNCConvention isn’tgoing anywhereFollowing the passage of Amendment One in North Carolina,an outpouring of petitions have sprung up online in response tothe decision. The majority of these petitions have one focus, tomove the DNC out of Charlotte as a retaliation measure againstthe passage of the anti-LGBT amendment. Within 24 hours ofthe primary results on <strong>May</strong> 8, over 25,000 individuals had alreadysigned one petition like these. Despite the influx of petitions,there has been no report that the DNC is considering relocating.Taking a different approach on the issue, North Carolina mother and ally ShannonRitchie has created a petition through change.org asking the DNC to add gay marriage tothe party platform. Her petition went live following President Barak Obama’s public supportof gay marriage and has received as much support as some of the petitions trying to movethe DNC out of Charlotte.DNC Chair <strong>May</strong>or Antonio Villaraigosa has already spoken out in support of adoptingmarriage equality to the Democratic platform in <strong>2012</strong>, as have many others.Healthy children, healthy familiesA new effort is underway to promote healthy living for young people in Charlotte andMecklenburg County, as well as addressing childhood obesity. The Healthy Weight, HealthyChild initiative is part of a bigger community action plan called The Blueprint for a HealthierGeneration, 2020.The goal is to promote and encourage active living and healthy eating for all childrenand their families. The Host Committee for the <strong>2012</strong> Convention supports this importantissue by including it as one of its Legacy initiatives: Healthy Children; Healthy Families.On <strong>May</strong> 20, DVA Charlotte (DVA stands for donors, volunteers and ambassadors) duginto its third Legacy volunteer project. Green thumbs gathered at Winterfield Elementaryin East Charlotte to work in its community garden. Volunteers helped to weed, plant, paintgarden benches and donate gardening books for the students. This project supports one ofthe main Healthy Weight, Healthy Child goals, namely to create edible school gardens thatintegrate gardening and nutrition education while providing opportunities for physical activityand healthy eating.These events come following DVA Charlotte’s inaugural service events held on April15 when DVA members worked together to refurbish the Amay James Recreation Center— which will give neighbors and students at Reid Park Academy a place to go for physicalactivities — and teamed up with residents at Moore Place to build a community garden.It’s time you joined DVA Charlotte. Open to all area women, the non-partisan network isjoining together to support the Charlotte in <strong>2012</strong> Host Committee for the Democratic NationalConvention. The grassroots effort of Donors, Volunteers and Ambassadors — DVAs — providesopportunities for leadership, service, education, and celebration.Official BBQ sauces selectedSpeaking of healthy eating, the Charlotte in <strong>2012</strong> Convention Host Committee recentlyheld a contest to pick the Convention’s official BBQ sauces, the winners of which can bepurchased online. The Carolinas boast a proud rivalry in their different approaches to BBQsauces and preparation. BBQ in the Carolinas is usually pork and is served pulled, shreddedor chopped. The pork is slow-cooked and smoked, generally for a minimum of 16-18 hours ata very low temperature.Eastern Carolina BBQ typically uses the “whole hog,” where the entire pig is cooked andthe meat from all parts of the pig are chopped and mixed together. Eastern Carolina sauce isa thin, vinegar and pepper-based sauce and is used both as a “mop” (or baste) on the meatwhile it is cooking, and then as a finishing sauce at table side.Western North Carolina BBQ is typically made only from the pork shoulder and uses athicker, sweetened tomato-based sauce that is often called “dip.”South Carolina BBQ is often “whole hog” and typically uses a sauce made from a mix ofyellow mustard, vinegar, sugar and spices.In February, the Charlotte in <strong>2012</strong> Convention HostCommittee called upon BBQ sauce makers to competeto become the convention’s official mustardvinegar-and tomato-based BBQ sauces to showcasethe different BBQ styles from around the Carolinasand be sold in Charlotte in <strong>2012</strong>’s online merchandisestore. Kathleen Purvis, food dditor for The CharlotteObserver, served as one of the judges deciding onthe winning sauces.The sales of the “Flavor of the Carolinas” saucesare part of a grassroots fundraising effort, theproceeds of which go toward funding the convention.Charlotte in <strong>2012</strong> is the first Host Committee in modern convention history to not acceptmonetary contributions from corporations, lobbyists or political action committees. Instead,monetary contributions now come from foundations and charitable organizations and individualslike those who purchase these winning sauces online.10 <strong>qnotes</strong> <strong>May</strong> <strong>26</strong>-<strong>June</strong> 8 . <strong>2012</strong>
<strong>May</strong> <strong>26</strong>-<strong>June</strong> 8 . <strong>2012</strong> <strong>qnotes</strong> 11
Change language