Moni's Headed To Netroots Nation 2012

It's been in the works for two months, but now I can make it official.  Moni will be in the house in Providence, RI for the 2012 edition of Netroots Nation.

So what's Netroots Nation?    Each year, thousands of bloggers, newsmakers, social justice advocates, labor and organizational leaders, grassroots organizers and online activists come together to make new connections, hone their organizing skills, share best practices and build stronger relationships with others working on the issues they care most about. And each year, some of the brightest minds in progressive politics come to Netroots Nation to speak with and hear from our community.

If you're a political junkie like moi you've probably watched C-SPAN cover some of the Netroots Nation events, keynote speeches and panel discussions from this conference.  Like the Congressional Black Caucus' ALC and the National Black Justice Coalition's Out On the Hill that I finally got to attend last year, it's an event that I've always wanted to attend but could never make it compatible with my work schedule. 

The seventh annual Netroots gathering will be held from June 7–10 and Netroots Nation 2012 will include 70 panels, 30 training sessions, and inspiring keynote speeches.  Keith Olbermann is the first confirmed speaker for this edition of Netroots Nation.   In addition there are film screenings and other engaging sessions designed to educate, stimulate and inspire the nation’s next generation of progressive leaders and introduce some new ideas and concepts to those of us grizzled veterans who have been in the liberal-progressive trenches for a while..

The best part is I'll finally get to meet in the flesh and speak to many of the people in liberal-progressive world I only get to talk to on the phone or online.  So yeah, it's a Big Fracking Deal that I'm going.

The reason I'll be at Netroots Nation 2012 is because I'm participating in a panel discussion that will be moderated by fellow Bilerico Project blogger Dr. Jillian Weiss. 

My fellow panelists are Autumn Sandeen of Pam's House Blend, Jennifer Levi of GLAD, and Jos Truitt of Feministing.


It's entitled Blogging for Transgender Equality: History, Challenges and Progress and I'm looking forward to being in the house, representing the African-American trans community, talking about our issues and injecting our perspectives into this conversation to the best of my ability. 

See y'all in Providence.  And oh yeah, for those of you who can't be there and my TransGriot readers, you know I'm planning to do posts about the happenings there and my take on what's going on.