WE ARE NOT BEYOND REPAIR...
Happy Pride Month!
Dear Fellow Democrat,
It's nice to begin the month on the upbeat for a change! We don't take things like the freedom to love out loud, whoever you want, for granted and that's a great reason to focus on this life-affirming celebration of the strides made for so many who don't fit neatly into the narrow categories so many want to believe we fit into. But evolution alone didn't change things. It was the persistence of the heroes of this struggle - Harvey Milk, one of the first openly gay elected officials in history, Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera, Black and Latina transgender women who were pivotal in the 1969 Stonewall uprising, Bayard Rustin, a key Civil Rights leader who organized the 1963 March on Washington, up to our own friend and neighbor Mark Phariss, who fought for and won the the right to marry his longtime love, Vic Holmes, right here in Plano, Texas. And the challenge to live fully free to be our authentic selves continues. This month we celebrate with our friends and family and wish everyone a beautiful RAINBOW month!
The tenacity shown by people across the spectrum, who just want to have freedom, equal rights, peace and prosperity, the ability to earn a living wage and access to healthcare is what we are made of... it's who we are as a community. Whether it's the right to love who you choose, to vote, to be paid an equitable wage or just to breathe clean air, it's the people who continue to fight for those rights who make it happen. So when it seems too much to hope that we will win back democracy in this country, I hope, like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, "that many more people will ignore the fatalism of the argument that we are beyond repair. We are not beyond repair. We are never beyond repair."
Monday night in Plano, TX was evidence that the People are in this to WIN this!! Over 4000 people stood for taking back our country, race by race, county by county. Representative Mihaela Plesa of HD70 was on FIRE when she exploded onto stage to talk about her race, the unlikely first Democrat to win in Collin County in 30 years, in the district that Ken Paxton got his start in! She talked about the work she and her supporters did and continue to do to win in that district, and what it will take to win across the state. She introduced her colleague (and surprise guest!) Representative Gina Hinojosa who is running against the Greg Abbott Corruption Tax for Governor of the state of Texas! Gina brought such energy that the crowd couldn't sit down, chanting GINA, GINA, GINA!!! If they didn't know her name before, Collin County Does NOW!! Then came James Talarico and brought the house down!! Texas is ready for change! Thirty years of Republican control has left us with a withering education system, a vanishing healthcare system, and civil rights violations on every front. It's time for a change.
Our RAD book club is meeting on June 11th and this month we are reading one of the most impactful, important books we've read to date! The Persuaders - At the Front Lines of the Fight for Hearts, Minds, and Democracy by Anand Giridharadas is absolutely mandatory reading for anyone who wants to know how to navigate these fraught, divisive times. With direct conversations with changemakers like the founders of Black Lives Matter and AOC (wonder where I got that quote above?!), this book reminds us what brought us to where we are and the people who are stepping out of the lines to persuade *others* to see things their way. We meet at 7:00 in person and on Zoom, so please respond to this email if you want to join us, or just pick up the book and dig in! You'll be so glad you did!
This month, our Happy Hour is going to be a little different... We are working with Texas Coalition of Black Democrats Collin County to bring you a beautiful celebration of freedom - Juneteenth Eve Party! We are meeting on June 18th from 6:30 to 8:30 at Northside Drafthouse & Eatery for LIVE Music from our own Gabe Meadows with his Lush Life Trio!! FOOD! Community!! CELEBRATION! Please Plan To Join Us!!
As usual, we continue to show up weekly, ROARing on the bridge and with our signs! You can join the ROAR Bridge Brigade on Thursday evenings from 4-6 and Saturday mornings from 9-10 on the Collins Blvd Bridge over I-75 (park at Cafe Max on the east side and walk up!). They are always happy to have more hands to hold the banners and flags and wave at the honking cars on Central! We also meet every Saturday morning from 10-11 on the southeast corner of Campbell & 75 to let our community know that there is a resistance in Richardson! Join Us!
So much is happening so fast... since our last newsletter we have an official Lt Governor candidate - Vikki Goodwin! and an official Attorney General candidate - Nathan Johnson! Congratulations to both of them!! We are officially into the serious business of getting Democrats elected from the top of the ticket to the dog catcher!! If you haven't found your place in the efforts, step in... there is powerful work to be done and we need all of us rowing in the same direction to get us to the victories that are ours for the taking. Are you in?? You can sign up to volunteer and we'll get you to work.
~ See You Soon ~
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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.
