Another exciting addition to the campaign is the launch of Educators for Dean. Educators across the state are supporting Karl because he is committed to making public education a top priority. Our co-Chairs for Educators for Dean are Jolinea Pegues and Penny Ferguson.
Read MoreAugust 2nd was a great day for Shelby County. Many people worked for years to see this day. Democrats won every county-wide seat and captured an 8 to 5 margin on the County Commission. Now, Republicans control only one county-wide seat and many are predicting that it will be very difficult for Republicans to launch any concerted take-back effort starting from such a small base. Congratulations to all the winners and to the candidates Future 901 endorsed – Lee Harris, Michael Whaley and Tami Sawyer. The citizens are indeed optimistic and looking for that New Era in Shelby County.
Read MoreMost progressives realize that our electoral system needs restructuring, from campaign finance reform to ending voter suppression tactics like photo ID laws and aggressive registration purges. But there’s an equally important national electoral reform movement that gets under-discussed, and Memphis happens to be the current ground zero for it: Instant Runoff Voting (IRV).
Read MoreHealth matters. Making sure our community has access to quality and affordable health care should be a high priority for all of our residents and particularly those in office representing the best interests of we the people.
Read MoreOne hot summer day two years ago, my neighbor Robert Donati and I sat on my front porch, talking politics. With so many local, state and Congressional elections coming up in 2018 and 2019, we agreed it was important to start to gather a group of politically like minded people and work to recruit, support and elect strong candidates with progressive values in these upcoming local elections.
Read MoreVoter suppression is a real issue for our community. The State Legislature has already made it more difficult to vote by requiring a state or federal issue ID be presented in order to vote. Now, the Shelby County Election Commission is piling on by only opening early voting sites at three sites for the first four days of early voting. Two of those three sites are in the district in which I am running – TN House District 83.
Katrina Robinson is a 37 year old single mother, entrepreneur, nurse and advocate who's stepping up to the plate in State Senate District 33, running against 12-year incumbent and conservative "Democrat" Reginald Tate. Robinson got in the race to bring her voice to Nashville and represent working people, and working women especially, in a political climate that often ignores them.
Read MoreLately, it seems like a lot of people are counting us out.
In the last few days after the primary election, one writer after another in the Commercial Appeal, our daily paper, has offered up an analysis that, more or less, says Lee Harris's campaign can’t win.
The Shelby County Democratic Party ceased to exist in the summer of 2016. Despite intense efforts, it had become dysfunctional and no longer served the needs of Democrats in Shelby County. At the request of many, Mary Mancini (chair of the Tennessee Democratic Party) pulled the charter and dissolved the SCDP. It fell to individual Democrats and Democratic organizations (such as Democratic Women, Germantown Democratic Club, and Young Democrats) to step up and ensure Democrats had a presence during the 2016 election.
Read MoreVoting is one of the most important tools to our democracy. It enables all of us regardless of gender or race to participate in choosing who we want to represent us in government. Therefore, it is paramount that we utilize our voices through our voting so we can ensure we are electing qualified men and women who truly care about the needs of us all.
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