Kevin Myles

Name:	Kevin Myles
Location:	Wichita, KS
Where I blog:	The Wichita NAACP Blog

My Experience in progressive politics:

I am a sitting NAACP Branch President engaged in Social Justice Activism and advocacy on a daily basis. Our activity is primarily local with emphasis on School Board, City Council, County Commission, and State Legislature issues.

My personal volunteering highlight:

In 2005 I co-wrote (along with State Senator Betts) the Kansas Racial Profiling Bill - since passed into law and hosted Governor Sebelius's signing ceremony and celebration in our branch office. In 2006 I co-wrote (along with Kyle Smith of the KBI) the Kansas Drug Paraphernalia Act - since passed into law. In 2007 I wrote a Wrongful Termination bill that would make Kansas a "Just Cause" state. It was introduced in the State House by Representative Melody Miller, but was denied a hearing in the Fed & State Committee. It will be reintroduced next session.

Steps I've taken to combine on-line and off-line action:

We created our Blog site and our Yahoo discussion group to advance our issues beyond traditional off-line action. We recenly launched our Youtube channel and will soon launch our blogtalkradio channel as well.

Why I want to attend Netroots Nation:

I am interested in connecting with other progressive bloggers; networking our voices to bolster and add additional clarity to our arguements. I am interested in exploring the confluence of our concerns and learning how we can use our respective platforms to amplify the causes and concerns of the progressive movement.

What I want to get out of Netroots Nation:

I hope to become more directly connected, engaged, and involved in advancing the goals of the progressive movement. I also hope to work towards reconnecting the social justice agenda of the late 60's and 70' to the new progressive agenda.

What is a progressive activist:

A progressive activist is one who works to advance the causes and concepts of "the common good".

The movement has suffered over recent years because we allowed the other side to reframe the idea of "the common good" as socialist and/or elitist. A true progressive activist/advocate is one who works to reclaim the notion of the Common Good and restore those principles and ideals to our democracy.

How I think blogs fit into the progressive movement:

Blogs are a very important tool in the progressive movement because they provide an accessible mechanism to engage in the ongoing war of ideas...

How I think Democracy For America fits into the progressive movement:

By connecting progressive bloggers through events like Netroots, you serve as a platform for honing and projecting the progressive message. And you also have a very strong base from which to engage and lead strong internet advocacy campaigns...