Governor Bill Lee has finally made the call on whether or not the TN Leg is going to have a special session as promised. The answer is yes, and the starting date is August 21. You can read the official announcement of the session at the TN.GOV website.
While most Republican elected officials have vowed not to allow any laws to pass that constrain who can tote around long guns in downtown Franklin, for example, at least Governor Lee is attempting to do right by the parents, educators and students of the Covenant School. Per the announcement, "Gov. Lee will present legislative and budget priorities during the public safety special session to keep Tennessee communities safe, support law enforcement and address mental health, all while preserving constitutional rights."
There is a great deal of information online about the Second Amendment, but nearly all legal scholars agree that reasonable gun safety legislation does not violate the Constitution. Since, as many studies show, "the use of guns in self defense by private citizens is extremely rare," we can hope that our legislators do the Constitutional thing and enact some common sense legislation to protect children, schools, and the citizenry from gun violence.
Make sure you contact your elected officials and let them know your thoughts before the session, during, and after! They need to hear from us as much as they need to hear from donors, lobbyists and each other.
Lift Your Voice! in Democratic celebration and renewal at the TNDP's annual Three Star Dinner, Saturday, August 26th! There is an exciting lineup of speakers and will honor the Tennessee Three, so come out for an inspiring evening of motivation.
WCDP will have a table at the event. If you are interested in seeing if there are seats left at the table instead of getting individual tickets, you may contact our Chair Deborah Sparks. As the dinner was described by an attendee to a previous dinner - "It is an elegant yet fun-filled evening in beautiful Nashville."
Tennessee used to be a blue state? How did it shift so dramatically? The Tennessee Lookout is doing an article series called "A Deeper Shade of Red" examining the political shift in our state that might be of interest to WCDP members. As one of their interview subjects, Pastor Riggs, observes, "Christianity and politics are big in Williamson County. Riggs says even if you want to be elected for the lowly — and, in Williamson County, make-believe — office of dogcatcher, you need to go church, even if it’s just every so often. And, you need to make sure people know that you go."
Tennessee's turn to the dramatically backward has intensified during the current political climate, and understanding why might be crucial in understanding how to counteract the extremism.
Meet and Greet dates and times!
Our Williamson County District Captains now have several future meetups scheduled for Williamson County Democrats! While these will be listed in the calendar at the end of every email, we wanted to bring special attention to them here so everyone is aware they are happening.
If you don't see your district listed, feel free to contact us to get in touch with your District Captains or make plans to attend a gathering in a different district!
District 3, Spring Hill area: August 19 Ice Cream Social (3-5 pm). Contact the organizer to learn more!
Districts 8 & 10, Fieldstone Farms area: September 9 Cookout (12-3 pm). $23 Donation requested per family to build back blue. Here is the link to RSVP: https://forms.gle/fr8uNv7eYfSgrihz6.
District 11: Just had a meet-up in July that was very successful!
The more we hear from folks interested in getting together, the more meet-ups we can have!
Here is a fantastic resource for anyone seeking to understand laws that affect our educational system in Tennessee presented by the Tennessee Alliance for Equity in Education -- their Advocacy Resource Hub. If you sign up for their newsletter, they will be announcing registration for a very useful Zoom session later in August about the recent Affirmative Action ruling by the Supreme Court.
August 12 @ 11AM - 3PM: Franklin Justice and Equity Coalition Back 2 School Block Party
August 17 @ 12 PM via Zoom: NDTC presents a panel about climate change issues at the local level. Register here.
August 19 @ 3 PM: District 3, Spring Hill area Democrat Ice Cream Social. Contact the organizer to learn more!
August 24 @ 7 PM via Zoom: WCDP Monthly EC meeting -- all are welcome! RSVP via the website.
August 24 @ 7 PM via Zoom also: The National Democratic party presents "Pop the Disinformation Bubble-Take Control and Counter the Lies"
August 26 @ 6 PM: TNDP Three Star Fundraising Dinner. County parties can buy a table at a discount but individuals can also get tickets.
September 7 @ 7 PM via Zoom: TNDP presents "Civics for Change: Know the System to Change the System" in a virtual workshop
September 9 @ 12PM - 3PM: Districts 8 & 10 Fieldstone Farm area Democrat Cookout! Family friendly. RSVP: https://forms.gle/fr8uNv7eYfSgrihz6.
September 23 in Nashville, TN: Tennessee Federation of Democratic Women Annual Board Meeting. Details to come.
October 2 @ 12 PM via Zoom: Another NDTP training focused on how Democrats can win elections up and down the ballot...how to communicate values and connect with voters.