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.
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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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.