Before The Party, Get To Work! -- The Inauguration Weekend Advocacy Summit

Apparently, a million or so progressive Americans will be coming to Washington, DC next week to Get Their History On. But in many ways, the huge turnout will be more than just a big party. It will be a manifestation of the pent-up demand in America's grassroots for progressive change.

And before the big party, Campaign for America's Future is working with DC For Obama (a grassroots group unaffiliated with the Obama campaign) to put together the Inauguration Weekend Advocacy Summit, a grassroots summit aimed at promoting strategies that will bring about progressive change in health care, energy, the economy, foreign policy, education and immigration.

Featured speakers include:

* Ilyse Hogue, Campaign Director, MoveOn

* Celinda Lake, President, Lake Research Partners.

* Richard Kirsch, National Campaign Manager for Health Care for America Now

* Khalid Pitts, Director of Strategic Campaigns, Service Employees International Union

* Michael J. Wilson, International Vice President of the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union

* Judy Feder, Professor and Former Dean, Georgetown Public Policy Institute, and Health Policy advisor to the Obama team

* Dean Baker, Co-Director, Center for Economic and Policy Research

* Mike Signer, Senior Policy Advisor and Director of the Homeland Security Presidential Transition Initiative, Center for American Progress

* Dianne Dillon-Ridgley, Chair, Plains Justice and Chair, the Environmental Advisory Board Green Mountain Energy Co.

* Mary Giovagnoli, Director of Advocacy, National Immigration Forum

It would be a waste for a million progressives to come all that way and not get together for a little business. There's simply too much to do.

The summit takes place noon Saturday at the Naval Heritage Center in Washington, DC. More details at DC for Obama.

Views expressed on this page are those of the authors and not necessarily those of Campaign for America's Future or Institute for America's Future