It's Important to Acknowledge Loss and Grief
It comes as no surprise, but ~
Dear Fellow Democrat,
The passage of the voucher bill is still shockingly sad. Texas GOP, which no longer resemble anything like a "grand old party", voted in the early morning hours of April 17th to support welfare for the rich at the expense of public education. Democrats remained united and presented amendment after amendment to try to make this bill less horrible, but Republicans shot every one of them down. A companion bill, HB2, gives a meager $395/student extra to schools, raising the allotment to $6555, the first adjustment in five years, and far less than the $1300 adjustment needed to account for inflation in the last five years. The voucher will give $10,000 per student for private education. It is a clear effort to resegregate education, as the bill does not require the private institution to provide equal opportunities for all children to be admitted. It is indeed a sad day in Texas.
It truly feels like there is a tsunami of bad news. If you are a regular reader of this newsletter, you know that we try to keep things encouraging and find the silver lining. And yes, there are glimmers of resistance and sparks of life for the rule of law. But even those seem unconvincing, considering this lawless and cruel reign. For my part, I find joy in nature, I find inspiration in poetry, I find comfort in gathering with my community. I sincerely hope you are finding a way to balance the overwhelm.
Tonight, April 17th, is RAD Happy Hour! We'll be meeting at Four Bullets Brewery at 6:30, as usual! We're looking forward to hearing from Chrissy & Sean Cortez-Mathis, local Master Naturalists, about local environmental opportunities. RAD-endorsed, mayoral candidate Amir Omar will be speaking with us about his campaign! Several others will bring local news and opportunities, so please come enjoy a lovely evening with YOUR community. Sign up here for details! And remember, they have a great food truck with soft drinks, so come even if beer isn't your thing!
This Saturday, there is another nationwide call to show up and Protect our Democracy! Despite the Dallas Morning News failure to report about it, thousands gathered downtown Dallas on April 5th in solidarity with groups across North Texas and the nation to tell this administration, Hands Off our freedoms, our rights, our monies, our bodies!! Millions gathered then and we are building a movement! Let's outdo that! This weekend, there is a gathering in McKinney and another in Fort Worth. Stay tuned for more info on the next one!
And put EARTH DAY on your calendar for April 22nd! RAD, along with the Student Government Association at Richland College, are joining with other area clubs to present a screening of Chasing the Tide. This is a beautiful documentary made by our friend Jay Kleberg and his wife Chrissy, who will be joining us to talk about their 370 mile trek along the entire coast of Texas. It will be April 22nd, 7:00-9:00 at the Richland Branch of Dallas College, Red River Hall. Space is limited so please Register to Join Us!
One more event in honor of Earth Month! We had to cancel the April RAD hike in Connemara Meadow due to the weather. We've rescheduled it to May 17th, which will be even better as the meadow will be in full bloom with wildflowers! Put it on your calendar now and look for your invitation soon!
We still have RAD t-shirts for 2025! You can order yours for $30 or get a t-shirt and membership for $50. T-shirts will be available at our NEXT in-person meetings or can be shipped. Our t-shirt design is an homage to Jimmy Carter, who said, "We become not a melting pot but a beautiful mosaic. Different people, different beliefs, different yearnings, different hopes, different dreams."
~ Stronger Together ~
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Once again, if you haven't done so yet, we invite you to join or renew your membership in Richardson Area Democrats. Your suggested donation of $10/month will help us continue to build this inclusive community! Thanks for all you do.
