In this Newsletter:

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 Harris, Joe 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.

In this Newsletter:

Message from the Chair

I was interviewed recently on Cheryl’s Morton‘s Finding Me podcast. Co-host Rev Natasha Gresham asked how members of our community can begin to get involved in the important political discussions that are happening today.

That was a huge question! Of all the things that immediately sprung to mind, one thought rang louder than all the others: ARM YOURSELF WITH KNOWLEDGE AND SEEK OUT THE TRUTH.

We can disagree on any number of topics, but as long as we come at it from an informed and honest place then we can have a constructive conversation and perhaps minds can be changed. But if we cling to Facebook memes and inflammatory headlines as our source of knowledge then there’s no point in having a conversation at all.

Recently, my House Representative made the following statement directly to me:

Let me ask you this: Do you think this statement came from a place of knowledge? Do you believe he actually read the 100-page document created by respected scholars from across our nation? It’s freely available online and I have indeed read it. And I encourage you to do so as well!

“But I have a right to my opinion!” some cry. And indeed we do. An opinion formed from knowledge is respectable. But an opinion formed without information is merely prejudice.

GWCDP News

August Breakfast Meeting in the books
We had an incredible meeting at the Morris Chapel Baptist Church Family Life Center this past Saturday. There was a lot of information and inspiration shared! If you weren’t able to make it, or just want to review & share what you witnessed, we’ve captured everything and posted it all to YouTube! 

Bishop McCray welcomes us, Party updates are shared by the Chair	Testifying in front of the SC Senate Committee
Volunteer of the month & Motivations

Congrats to Denise Waldrep for earning our Volunteer of the Month award for August! We were happy to gift here with a commemorative portrait of the White House with Champ and Major sitting on the lawn.

In this Newsletter:

Message from the Chair

In a recent discussion, someone mentioned how overwhelming it is to keep up with ALL of the issues that affect our nation. Informational and emotional overload can understandably cause someone to withdraw into a shell and not get engaged.

My recommendation? Pick just ONE issue that you’re passionate about and get involved in that. Get educated. Educate others. Discuss possible solutions with likeminded people. Lobby our elected officials to act. 

A great way to launch yourself in the process is to join a South Carolina Democratic Party Caucus. You will find a welcoming community of people from all over the state who are just as interested as you in any of the specific topics you see below.

Last month, I conducted an informal survey and saw that we had NO Greenwood Democrats active in any of the 16 caucuses that have been established. At our next Breakfast Meeting, we will have two SCDP Caucus chairs join us to talk about how to get involved in one and why it’s important to do so. We need to do more than just talk about these critical issues. We need to be part of the solution!

GWCDP News

Breakfast Meeting on Sat Aug 7
Last month’s meeting was nothing short of astounding and we’re looking to do even better with the amazing lineup of speakers who will be joining us on Saturday, Aug 7 from 9 am – 11 am.

Please RSVP here to help us prepare with an accurate headcount. There’s no charge to show up but if you wish to bring some breakfast items to share (muffins, donuts, etc), please coordinate with Cathie Swindell (cats.dems@gmail.com or 864-992-2182). It would be greatly appreciated!

We will also have Floyd’s Fish Fry & Cookout tickets available for sale (see below) so come prepared to get yours!

Greenwood Democrats featured on Finding Me Podcast
On Tuesday, GWCDP Chair Bill Kimler was interviewed on Cheryl Morton’s “Finding Me” Podcast. Lady Morton and co-host Rev Natasha Gresham conducted a discussion covering politics on a national and local scale. From voting rights to Critical Race Theory – it was an hour full of information, humor, and important topics of which we all need to be aware. You can catch a recording of the broadcast online!