Unite for Democracy 2023

The Williamson County Democratic Party is thrilled to host the Unite for Democracy Celebration on Saturday, October 28th from 6:00 to 9:00 PM at the Williamson County Enrichment Center. Join us for fun, food, fellowship, music, and inspirational speakers, as we celebrate our democratic ideals and values. All ticket donations will support local efforts to elect Democrats.

The Celebration, which includes heavy hors d’oeuvres, alcoholic beverages and soft drinks and musical entertainment, will feature as special guests, Charlane Oliver, Tennessee State Senator, Hendrell Remus, Tennessee Democratic Party Chair, and Shaundelle Brooks, Gun Violence Prevention Advocate. Live music will be provided by two accomplished performers, Geary Moore and Lucy Seifferth. Please see the speaker and musician bios below.

Tickets for the event are $75 per person. The dress is business casual. Hope to see you there!

Purchase tickets online at  https://secure.actblue.com/donate/unitefordemocracy.

 

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SPEAKER BIOS

Senator Charlane Oliver, Tennessee State Senator, District 19

Senator Charlane Oliver is serving in her first term representing Senate District 19 in the Tennessee General Assembly. Tennessee became her home over 20 years ago when she moved to Nashville as a college student bound for Vanderbilt University. There, she earned a Bachelor of Science in Human & Organizational Development and later a Master of Public Administration from the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. Charlane has over 20 years of experience in government, nonprofit management, grassroots organizing, communications, and community engagement.

Sen. Oliver is the co-founder of The Equity Alliance, a statewide 501(c)(3) nonpartisan, nonprofit advocacy organization whose mission is to unapologetically build independent Black political and economic power and keep government in check. Under her visionary leadership, she turned $250 of her own money into a $2.5 million-dollar powerhouse organization in just five years. Her successes through TEA earned her the prestigious recognition of 2020 People of the Year by The Tennessean and numerous accolades. 

After the election of President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, Charlane was named among 8 Black women fighting for voting rights in the South. She honed her policy expertise while serving as a congressional aide and communications strategist for U.S. Congressman Jim Cooper, where she advised the congressman on voting rights and criminal justice reform issues. As State Senator, she plans to serve the people with a progressive legislative agenda that champions women, children and working families; addresses the childcare 
shortage; protects our most vulnerable citizens; protects our constitutional rights; ensures our democracy works for all of us; and brings significant investments to the District. A resident of Bordeaux, Sen. Oliver is proud to be married to her partner of 18 years, Captain Leshuan Oliver, with whom they have three children together.

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TNDP Chair Hendrell Remus

On Jan. 16, 2021, Hendrell Remus became the first Black man or woman to be elected party chair in Tennessee history. Remus served as an Ex-officio member of the Tennessee Democratic Party Executive Committee and as the National Committeeman for the TN Young Democrats.

With a commitment to Democratic values, Remus has worked on a number of TN campaigns. From serving as a strategic advisor to mayoral and state house candidates to assisting local school board, city council and county commission races, he has been an asset to Democratic candidates and causes. Often driven by the same volunteerism that led him into politics during the 2008 campaign of Barack Obama.

Prior to becoming Chair, Hendrell Remus worked as the Assistant Director of Emergency Management at Tennessee State University, a role that followed his tenure as the Middle TN Operations Manager for Allied Universal.

His background in business management and operations, coupled with a passion for progressive politics, sets the tone for his leadership at the helm of TNDP. Chair Remus is focused on building a stronger TN Democratic party infrastructure and beginning the hard work to register more voters and elect more Democrats.

The Memphis, TN native is a graduate of Excelsior College and currently resides in Nashville, TN with his wife Marlene and their two children.

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Gun Violence Prevention Advocate Shaundelle Brooks

Ms. Brooks' son Akilah Dasilva was 23 years old when he was murdered on April 22, 2018, with three others at a Waffle House in Antioch, Tennessee. Akilah was a musician whose music spoke against guns and violence. He was a beacon of hope. He was a brilliant writer, engineer, videographer, producer, photographer, a genius with a mission. Ms. Brooks' second son, Abede, was shot in June 2023 after leaving a venue at which he was performing as a DJ. Ms. Brooks has turned her pain into activism and founded the Akilah Dasilva Foundation.

From an interview the Tennessee Lookout, Ms. Brooks said, "Every year we go to the Capitol in D.C., we go to the Tennessee Capitol, and along the way, we’ve looked for changes,” she said. “I can’t believe it’s been five years, and no laws are in place to protect our kids.”

You can read more from Ms. Brooks at this article in the Tennessean as well.

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Representative-Elect Aftyn Behn, Tennessee State House District 51

Representative Aftyn Behn is the newest member of the Tennessee House of Representatives, serving House District 51, where she is the first female representative in over 50 years. She is the youngest serving woman in the Tennessee House and the only woman representing Nashville.

She's currently the Campaign Director for RuralOrganizing.org, overseeing the organization's electoral strategy and execution and shaping the political and policy landscape impacting small towns and rural communities. Previously, she worked at the Indivisible Project as the Distributed Organizing Manager, building out national programs, including Indivisible's national rural program, one of the largest in the country. She also supported Indivisible's distributed network in long-term power building as the former senior regional organizer for Kentucky and Tennessee.

Before Indivisible, she organized with the Tennessee Justice Center in 2017 during the national Medicaid and Affordable Care Act congressional fights. In 2016, she consulted with Switzerland's United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), developing community-based protection policies for special-interest refugee groups.

Aftyn is from East Tennessee and received her MSW from the University of Texas at Austin Steve Hicks School of Social Work, specializing in public policy.

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Purchase tickets online at  https://secure.actblue.com/donate/unitefordemocracy.

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MUSICAL GUESTS

Geary Moore

A native of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Geary Moore lived and performed in the New York and New Jersey area for many years and has lived in Nashville since 2005. His fluid, inventive and authentic style attests to the thoroughness of his background in Jazz, R&B and Pop music. He has traveled across the country and internationally sharing is music. An accomplished composer as well as a master technician, Mr. Moore has composed a repertoire of original songs and has completed two albums. His second album “For You”, a tribute to his late daughter was released in 2023.

A protégé of George Benson and Jimmy Ponder, Mr. Moore has performed with numerous accomplished and highly respected musicians including Arthur Prysock, Peaches and Herb, Joe, Slide Hampton, T.S. Monk, Bob Cranshaw, Claudio Roditi, Mickey Roker and local bassist John Birdsong to name a few. He has traveled and performed in Israel, Bermuda, Mexico, the Bahamas, Martinique, St. Lucia, Haiti and
was named a Jazz Ambassador by the Kennedy Center in New York traveling throughout Africa to Angola, Cameroon, Namibia, Nigeria where he gave lectures and taught master classes.

Mr. Moore performed a tribute to Wes Montgomery at the Frist Art Museum where he previously volunteered to perform his music. He also brings joy to senior citizens playing for a local organization, Music for Seniors, as well as performing at local venues and private events.

Lucy Seifferth

Lucy Seifferth is a 30-year resident of Williamson County and has raised 4 children through the FSSD and Williamson County school systems. Originally from Singapore, Lucy has been studying, teaching, and performing piano since 1968. Through the Associate Board of Royal School of Music, she has been certified at several levels, most recently receiving her Music Performance with Piano Diploma in 2007.

With 30 years of experience, Lucy has played in recitals & competitions, with middle and high school choirs, church services and choir camps, ballet and tap schools, weddings and music theatres. Additionally, she has served as an adjunct judge in local competitions, teaches for the Lipscomb Music Academy, teaches private home lessons, and volunteers for TPAC and the Nashville Symphony.

In her spare time, Lucy has joined the ranks of Pickleball players, Mahjong players, and novice Painting classes in the local community.

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Purchase tickets online at  https://secure.actblue.com/donate/unitefordemocracy.

 

WHEN
October 28, 2023 at 6:00pm - 9pm
CONTACT
Robert Britton