Newsletter for Aug 25, 2021

In this Newsletter:

Message from the ChairGubernatorial candidate, Sen Mia McLeod, to headline Floyd’s Fish Fry & Cookout
GWCDP NewsPrecinct Leadership update
Getting out into the Community
Upcoming Elections & Voting RightsJohn R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act Passes
Candidate Spotlight: Krystle Matthews
Our CommunityOn the passing of Councilman Brown
City of Greenwood Ward 2 Community Meeting
Bench painting at Boys & Girls Club
News & NoteworthyRental assistance made easier in South Carolina
Legislative UpdatesSCDP Caucus Spotlight: Education
Upcoming Events 

Message from the Chair

Greenwood, SC is not Charleston. We’re not Myrtle Beach or Columbia or Greenville. We’re not an exit off a major highway. But Greenwood can take some pride in the fact that the road to victory has often come through our little county that could. Just ask Kamala HarrisJoe Biden, or Barack Obama.

It is with delight that we can announce SC Senator Mia McLeod, candidate for Governor, will be speaking at the Floyd’s Fish Fry & Cookout on Sat, Sept. 11. We appreciate any candidate who recognizes the importance of reaching out to all corners of our state and we enthusiastically welcome those who come out to Greenwood.

Make sure to secure your tickets now before they sell out! Click on the poster to the right for more information. As additional speakers are confirmed, we will share a detailed agenda for what promises to be a wonderful celebration of our community and the people who make it a great place to live!


GWCDP News

Precinct Leadership Update
On Thursday, we held our first Precinct Leaders meeting with members who answered the call to represent 10 of the voting precincts in Greenwood County. It was an excellent start to building a network of active Democrats across all 50 voting precincts. 

Leaders received information packets about their precinct and we saw how neighboring precincts can be wildly different in their makeup. We also discussed how our strategies need to adapt to this diversity.

If you are interested in learning about how YOU can be part of this effort, you can join us TODAY, Wed Aug 25, at 5:15 pm at the Greenwood Library Veteran’s Auditorium or you can join us on Zoom. In 30 minutes we’ll show you how our Crawl-Walk-Run program can help anyone succeed in their voting precinct! Register in advance here.


Getting out into the Community
We have two upcoming events where the GWCDP will have a presence in the community, registering voters and sharing information.

The rescheduled 2nd Annual Black Market Commerce event is this Sat, Aug 28, from 11 am to 7 pm. We will have a tent there and also have Floyd’s Fish Fry & Cookout tickets for sale! Click on the poster to the right for more information.

On Wed, Sept 8, we will also have a table at Lander University’s CommUniversity 2021 event. We look forward to joining retailers and community organizations from all over Greenwood to share with the students what our county has to offer.

If you would like to help staff either of these events, please reply to this email and we’ll bring you into the team!


Upcoming Elections & Voting Rights

John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act Passes
The John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act passed the Congressional House on Tuesday (with 0 Republicans voting for it, of course). This is “a bill to refortify and restore the key civil rights law that bans racial discrimination in voting and redistricting.”

You can read more about this landmark legislation here.

Heather Cox Richardson, a prominent US historian, provided additional context on its importance:

On Tuesday, Representative Terri Sewell (D-AL) introduced H.R. 4, the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act of 2021. In 1965, a bipartisan majority in Congress passed the Voting Rights Act to protect the right to vote in America. That law was reauthorized on a bipartisan basis as recently as 2006.

But in 2013, the Supreme Court struck down a vital piece of the Voting Rights Act, the piece requiring that the Department of Justice approve proposed changes in election rules in states with a history of racial discrimination before they went into effect. Immediately, states began to restrict access to the ballot. Then in July 2021, in Brnovich v. Democratic National Committee, the Supreme Court decided that rules that impacted different populations unequally were not unfair. This decision opened the door wide to different forms of voter suppression.


Candidate Spotlight: Krystle Matthews

SC House Representative Krystle Matthews is running for US Senate to replace Tim Scott in 2022.

She has a proven track record of taking on and overcoming long odds. Rep Matthews unseated a long-time Republican incumbent to win her seat in 2018. Recently, she spoke in Washington DC at the “Recess Can Wait” rally to demand action on Voting Rights!

She is a champion for women & girls, veteran’s issues, economic development, and infrastructure. She is also an Engineering Planner for Boeing. Most importantly, she is a single mother of 5 and fiercely lives up to her reputation as “one tough mother”. 

Visit matthewsforsenate.com to learn more about Rep Matthews and her campaign for US Senate.


Our Community

On the passing of Councilman Brown

As was all of Greenwood, we we saddened to learn of the recent passing of Councilman Steve Brown. He was a steady voice of reason on the County Council and as the testimonies of his legacy piled up it was clear he had touched the lives of many.

We particularly remember him for the utterly sensational speech he gave at the Faith for Black Lives Rally at the Courthouse last summer. His words rendered hundreds in the crowd speechless.

Councilman Brown was truly a servant of the people and will sorely be missed.


City of Greenwood Ward 2 Community Meeting
Councilwoman Patricia Partlow is holding a Community Meeting & Voter Registration drive on Thursday, Aug 26 at 6 pm at The Hut. 

Click the image on the right to see the full poster and turn out to speak with a City Council member who is working hard to represent YOU!


Bench painting at Boys & Girls Club
On a beautiful Saturday morning, while local Republicans held an anti-vaccination rally in front of Self Regional Hospital, local Democrats donated their time and talents to touching up the picnic benches at the Boys and Girls Club of the Lakelands Region. We can only imagine the faces of the children when they arrived on Monday to new bright blue benches outside!

Thank you to George Swindell, Ricardo Searles, Alaine Sullivan, Chad Farrell, Claudia Thomas, Bill Kimler, and Denise Waldrep for their service to the community. A special THANK YOU to Lowe’s Home Improvement of Greenwood for the generous donation of paint and supplies for this effort! 


News & Noteworthy

Rental assistance made easier in South Carolina
As was recently reported in the Index Journal, housing officials in SC have made the application process for Rental Assistance easier and more accessible. 

The SC Stay Plus program s a rental and utility assistance program, funded by the U.S. Department of Treasury, that launched in May 2021 to assist those who are experiencing financial hardships and housing challenges as a result of the COVID-19 global health emergency that has disrupted the lives of so many.

The program can help impacted households get back on track by providing up to 12 months of rental and utility assistance dating back to March 13, 2020; up to three months of future rent to stabilize those with housing insecurity; and cover other housing costs (including moving expenses, motel/hotel stays, storage costs and security deposits) for those who have been displaced because of the pandemic. 

This program is here to help! Please share this information with anyone who may benefit from it.


Legislative Updates

SCDP Caucus Spotlight: Education
The South Carolina Democratic Party has 16 issue-focused caucuses to help shape policy and create a network of activists for topics that concern you. At our last Breakfast Meeting, we had representatives from the Black Caucus and the Single Parents Caucus speak to us about how to get involved. 

The SCDP Education Caucus has a meeting coming up on Aug 31 from 7 pm to 8 pm. It will be conducted virtually over Zoom and is a perfect forum for parents, educators, and anyone else passionate about the state of schools in South Carolina.

The agenda will include: an overview of the Democratic positions on education, updates on Covid issues in our schools, and generate a list of topics and issues you want to discuss or take action on in the future.


Upcoming Events

Precinct Leader Info Session
Wed, Aug 25
5:15 pm – 5:45 pm
Greenwood Public Library
Register

Search & Support Committee
Wed, Aug 25
6 pm – 7 pm
Greenwood Public Library

City of Greenwood Ward 2 Community Meeting
Thu, Aug 26
6 pm – 7 pm
The Hut
1310 E Cambridge Ave

2nd Annual Black Market Commerce Event
Sat, Aug 28
1 pm – 6 pm
Uptown Greenwood @ the Fountain

Floyd’s Fry Planning Committee
Sun, Aug 29
2 pm

SCDP Education Caucus Mtg
Tue, Aug 31
7 pm – 8 pm
Zoom

Floyd’s Fry Planning Committee
Sun, Sept 5
2 pm

LABOR DAY
Mon, Sep 6


 GWD County Council
Tue, Sep 7
5:30 pm
Greenwood Public Library
Watch on YouTube

CommUniversity 2021
Wed, Sep 8
Lander University
11 am – 2 pm

Floyd’s Fish Fry & Cookout
Sat, Sep 11
11 am – 3 pm
Boys & Girls Club
Tickets on sale now!
 
Exec Committee
Thu, Sep 16
6 pm
Location TBD

Greenwood City Council
Mon, Sep 20
5:30 pm
Municipal Building
520 Monument St
Watch on FB Live

GWD County Council
Tue, Sep 21
5:30 pm
Greenwood Public Library
Watch on YouTube

SC House Redistricting Hearing
Tue, Sep 21,
6 pm – 8 pm
Piedmont Tech – Medford Center

Breakfast Meeting
Sat, Oct 2
9 am – 11 am
This entry was posted in Newsletter. Bookmark the permalink.