Cville Dems

"Turn Out the Vote Thursdays" at Ix Art Park
2023-09-21 16:00 - 19:00, 2023-09-14 16:00 - 19:00, 2023-09-07 16:00 - 19:00, 2023-08-31 16:00 - 19:00, 2023-08-24 16:00 - 19:00, 2023-08-17 16:00 - 19:00 (America/New_York) | Ix Art Park, 522 2nd St. SE, Charlottesville, Virginia, 22902, United States
“Turn Out the Vote Thursdays” 4-7pm at the Ix Art Park on the Brazos Tacos lawn, weather permitting. Come when and for how long your schedule and mood dictate; it needn’t be every week or the entire three hours!
For the past three years, we’ve been fortunate to have so many dedicated people join us at Ix Art Park to eat, drink, chat, and pitch in together to help our Democratic candidates win. In 2022, we had 100+ volunteers who attended at least one time, with many attending almost every week. If you’ve joined us before, please join us again. If you haven’t tried it yet, come on down and meet fellow Dems and enjoy yourself while working for a big win on November 7!
At various times the group will be:

Writing postcards and making follow-up phone calls to newly registered voters. That combination has been very successful, resulting in this group voting at a consistent 75-80% rate in 2021-2023.
Distributing “walk sheet” name and address lists of Dem-leaning people for our campaign canvassers to visit.
Sending some specific issue-message postcards (a new idea we’re considering).
Writing postcards and phoning Albemarle residents we’ve registered.
Writing postcards and phoning for campaigns near Charlottesville.

If you can, bring a chair to sit on and a clipboard or something similar to write on.

C'Ville Sabroso Cultural Festival
2023-09-16 14:00 - 21:00 | Washington Park, Preston Ave
When: Sept. 16, 2–9pm
Where: Washington Park, 1001 Preston Ave
As the region’s only Latin American music, dance, and culture festival, C’ville Sabroso has become a treasured regional celebration over its 11-year run; attendance should approach 5,000! It’s a safe space for our diverse Latin American community to showcase and share the rich cultures of their countries of origin and of Latin America generally.
Some highlights from this year’s event, organized by local immigrant services nonprofit Sin Barreras:

Continuous music and dance on the main stage—including the festival’s first-ever band from South America.
A new adult-only beer garden.
A kid’s area with face painting, the JMRL bookmobile, and supplies for making traditional paper flowers and garlands.
Cultural representation from Argentina, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Panama, Peru, Puerto Rico, and Uruguay.
Food, food, food: twice as many vendors as last year!

For more information: https://www.facebook.com/cvillesabroso
The Spanish language flyer is below.
Note: before coming out to Sabroso, consider taking in the much shorter Democracy & Constitution Days Celebration the same day (2:00-3:30pm) at the Free Speech Wall that the Cville Dems are cosponsoring.

Democracy & Constitution Days Celebration (9/16/23)
2023-09-16 14:00 - 15:30 | Charlottesville Free Speech Wall, 605 E. Main St., Charlottesville, VA, 22902
When: Sept. 16, 2:00–3:30pm
Where: Downtown Mall Free Speech Wall
As Republicans nationwide disenfranchise vulnerable populations with voter suppression laws, and online platforms polarize our politics and sow distrust in our institutions, voters are recognizing the urgent threat to our democracy and are looking to push back… hence this event!
Speakers at this pro-democracy rally include our own Josh Throneburg, Meg Heubeck, Chair of the League of Women Voters of the Charlottesville Area and Director of Instruction at UVA’s Center for Politics, and Prof. Bruce Williams from UVA Media Studies Department.
Local musicians Theocles, Jon Nafziger, and the Green Grannies will also participate. The League of Women Voters will register voters and provide important voting information.
For more information, check out: https://www.facebook.com/events/1479365319505121
And before or after this short but very important event, check out at least part of the other nearby event (fun and celebratory) going on that same day, the C’Ville Sabroso Cultural Festival.

Cville Dems Executive Committee Meeting (8/2/2023)
2023-08-02 18:30 - 2023-08-28 20:00 | VA
Due to scheduling conflicts, we won’t have our regularly scheduled July 24 Full Committee meeting; instead, there’ll be an Executive Committee meeting on Wednesday, August 2, 6:30pm at Rives Park. The agenda includes:

plans for this year’s “Turn Out the Vote” (Thursdays at Ix Art Park, see below)
Summer Bash and Summer Picnic wrap-ups
discussion of Primary results

If you have any topics to add to the agenda, please let John know: cvilledemschair@gmail.com

Albemarle & Cville Democratic Party Picnic (7/30/2023)
2023-07-30 14:00 - 17:00 | Darden Towe Park, 1445 Darden Towe Park Road, Charlottesville, VA, 22911, United States
Summer Fun in the Sun! Come meet all our great candidates and help launch their November campaigns!
Date & Time: Sunday, July 30, 2pm-5pm (original 6/26 was rained out)
Where: Darden Towe Park Picnic Shelter — Enter the Park, turn right at the T intersection, take the road to the end to reach the picnic shelter and Dog Park).
We provide: Hot Dogs/Burgers/Vegan food options + games for adults and kids (we’re bringing cornhole, balls for soccer/kickball, bocce/petanque, and bubbles for little ones; feel free to bring more of the above or your own favorite picnic games/activities!).
You bring: Non-alcoholic beverages, a side dish or dessert, 1 chair per person, family and friends (kid-friendly!), and your Democratic Spirit!
Food, games, meet candidates, and lots of Dems… what’s not to like? Bring family and friends (especially those who aren’t as politically engaged!) and help spread the word!
RSVPs (optional but helpful) to: karencombs6522@gmail.com

2023 Juneteenth Celebration at the Jefferson School
2023-06-17 09:00 - 21:30 | Jefferson School African American Heritage Center, 2nd floor (JSAAHC), 233 4th Street NW, Charlottesville, VA, 22903, United States
The Jefferson School African American Heritage Center (JSAAHC) is celebrating Juneteenth this year with a full day of events:

9am Parade
11am Libation ceremony
12pm-3pm Concert (3 bands!)
7:30pm CPG’s presentation of Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom

For more information and to sign up (to walk in the parade, to get tickets for the evening play) click here.
Note: for additional community Juneteenth events visit our Juneteenth events post.

Black Empowerment Coalition Candidates Forum (LOCATION CHANGE)
2023-06-13 18:00 - 20:00 | Beyond Fitness, 1538 Rio Rd. E., Charlottesville, VA, United States
Meet these candidates (maybe your last chance before the primary!):

Bellamy Brown
Katrina Callsen
Creigh Deeds
Sally Hudson
Amy Laufer
Dave Norris
Kellen Squire
Dashad Cooper
Bob Fenwick
Natalie Oschrin

2nd Annual Summer Bash Fundraiser!
2023-06-02 18:00 - 20:00 | Jefferson School African American Heritage Center, 2nd floor (JSAAHC), 233 4th Street NW, Charlottesville, VA, 22903, United States
2nd Annual Summer Bash Fundraiser is just Days Away!

Charlottesville City Council Candidates Forum — TONIGHT (Wednesday 5/24)
2023-05-24 18:30 - 20:00 | Buford Middle School, 1000 Cherry Ave., Charlottesville, 22903, United States
DETAILS ARE SET: The Cville Dems candidates forum for the three seats on the Charlottesville City Council will be THIS WEDNESDAY, May 24, 6:30-8:00pm, at Buford Middle School, 1000 Cherry Ave.
Attend in person, or watch it virtually on Zoom:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87396492694?pwd=[REDACTED]
The five candidates are Dashad Cooper, Bob Fenwick, Natalie Oschrin, Michael Payne, and Lloyd Snook.
Lewis Combs will moderate. Each candidate will have a four-minute initial statement (lottery determines order), then they’ll answer questions submitted by the audience.

Cville Dems Full Committee Meeting (5/22/2023)
2023-05-22 18:00 - 20:00 | Forest Hills Park, 1000 Forest Hills Park Ave., Charlottesville, VA, 22903, United States
The Full Committee will meet, weather permitting, at the Forest Hills Park picnic shelter, 1000 Forest Hills Park Ave., starting at 6pm; the unusual start time gives primary candidates a final Full Committee opportunity to informally meet and chat with members before the primary. Please bring your own chair and an extra if possible. If rain (or snow!) is forecast, we’ll email everyone to switch to Zoom.

Tentative agenda item highlights (after the candidate time ends):

Assuming we can get a quorum (so please attend if you can!!), vote to amend our bylaws to reflect precinct redistricting necessitated by the 2020 census (details in last month’s newsletter). The proposed amendment language, with full explanation, is here.
Volunteers will be needed to staff current polling places and the two old polling places (Alumni Hall and Tonsler) on Primary Day to answer voters’ questions and thank them for coming out to vote.
June 2 Summer Bash Fundraiser report (see below).
Charlottesville City Council Candidate forum on May 24 (see below).
June 26 picnic with Albemarle Dems (see below).
Zoning info forum (see below).

Court Support for Swords into Plowshares (flexible hours)
2023-04-09 09:30 - 17:00 | Charlottesville Circuit Court, 315 E High Street, Charlottesville, VA, 22902, United States
The Jefferson School African American Heritage Center (JSAAHC) continues to be harassed by Confederate-sympathizing plaintiffs suing it to try to further delay the Swords into Plowshares repurposing of the Lee statue into inclusive art (a project already approved by City Council).
Please join us on Tuesday April 25 (rescheduled twice from February) at Charlottesville Circuit Court, 315 E. High Street to show our support for the project. The trial will last for some hours, but based on your schedule you can come late, court space permitting, and leave when you need to.

2023 Liberation and Freedom Day Event: Descendant Power — A Rubric for Engaging Slavery Descendant Communities
2023-03-04 14:00 - 18:00 | Montpelier, 13384 Laundry Road, Montpelier Station (Orange), VA, 22960, United States
Join Niya Bates (PhD Candidate at Princeton University, Founding Member of DEC-UVA), James French (Montpelier Foundation Board Chair), Matthew Reaves (Director of Archaeology, Montpelier), and moderator Justin G. Reid (Cultural Organizer, Griffin Blvd Archives) Saturday March 4, 2-6pm, at Montpelier as they discuss Descendant Power: A Rubric for Engaging Slavery Descendant Communities.

Transportation will be provided with buses leaving from the Jefferson School African American Heritage Center beginning at 12:30pm.

Take a Highlights of Montpelier Tour or East Woods Hike at Montpelier starting at 2pm. Highlights of Montpelier Tour slots continue until the Rubric conversation at 4pm. Hors d’oeuvres and refreshments provided.

Jefferson School Annual Liberation and Freedom Day Reparations Run/Walk
2023-03-04 06:50 - 09:00 | Jefferson School African American Heritage Center, 2nd floor (JSAAHC), 233 4th Street NW, Charlottesville, VA, 22903, United States
The Jefferson School African American Heritage Center is sponsoring its annual 8k Reparations Run fundraiser to benefit Black-led organizations on Saturday March 4, from 7-9am, in celebration of the 2023 Liberation and Freedom Day being commemorated March 3-5.

Sign up here to participate in the 8K run as an individual; last year Cville Dems raised over $1000 to benefit these organizations!

Liberation and Freedom Days Celebration (presented by DEC-UVA)
2023-03-03 12:00 - 16:00 | University of Virginia (UVA) — Newcomb Hall, Charlottesville, VA, United States
The program for this Descendants of Enslaved Communities at UVA (DEC-UVA) presentation:

12 pm: Moment of Silence as the Chapel Bells Ring
Performance by Chihamba
Welcome Address
My Serpentine Reading by Jayla Hart
Featured Performance & Presentation: Geechee Gullah Ring Shouters

Update 3/1/23: New location due to weather: Newcomb Hall Ballroom

Cville Dems Executive Committee Meeting (2/27/2023, Zoom only)
2023-02-27 18:30 - 20:00 | VA
Agenda and Zoom link will be emailed a day or two before the meeting.

Show Your Support for Swords into Plowshares!
2023-02-16 09:00 - 09:30 | Charlottesville Circuit Court, 315 E High Street, Charlottesville, VA, 22902, United States
RESCHEDULED to Thursday Feb 16th (from 2/1): the Lee statue trial case. 9:00am rally, the court case begins at 9:30that morning!
Wear your “Swords into Plowshares” T-shirt if you have one to show your support for the Jefferson School African American Heritage Center and the SIP project!

Free Screening of "Repairing the World" Documentary (NEW DATE!!!)
2023-02-11 17:00 - 20:00 | Mount Zion First African Baptist Church, 105 Lankford Ave., Charlottesville, VA, 22903, United States
A free screening of “Repairing the World: Stories from the Tree of Life,” a documentary on Pittsburgh’s response to hate and anti-Semitism (with some photos and discussion of the hate groups’ connections to Charlottesville’s A12) will be shown on Saturday, February 11, 5-8pm, at Mt. Zion First African Baptist, 105 Lankford Ave. Light refreshments will be served (it was initially announced for 2/4).

After the screening, there will be a time of discussion and exploration about how we can respond to hate and antisemitism here in Charlottesville. The movie’s trailer is at https://repairingtheworldfilm.org/

The Charlottesville Clergy Collective, Mt. Zion First African Baptist Church, Congregation Beth Israel, and the movie’s producer, Not In Our Town, are sponsoring the showing.

Register to attend: https://docs.google.com/…/1FAIpQLSdZ6u71Bgp19y…/viewform

Full Committee Meeting (1/9/2023)
2023-01-09 18:30 - 20:15 | Central Library AND Zoom, 201 E Market St., Charlottesville, VA, 22902, United States

Executive Committee Meeting (11/28/2022)
2022-11-28 18:30 - 20:15 | VA

Canvass with Tom Perriello (Thursday 1pm)
2022-11-03 13:00 - 16:00 | Josh Throneburg Campaign Office, 302 Hickman Road #101 (lower level), Charlottesville, VA, 22911, United States
Former Democratic CD-5 Rep. Tom Perriello will be at Josh’s Headquarters for the start of the 1-4pm canvass; stop by to say hello and then canvass with us! We’ll meet at Josh’s Pantops office at 302 Hickman Rd. in the parking lot at the back of the building, where the office entrance is! Before you arrive, it’s a big time saver if you download the “Minivan” app we use to take down and input our canvassing data!

TONIGHT 7pm: Josh Throneburg-Bob Good Candidates Forum (semi-debate)
2022-10-26 19:00 - 20:00 | VA
The Forum is being held at Hampden-Sydney College’s Crawley Forum building. Space is extremely limited, so most of us will be watching remotely: you can stream it from Josh’s campaign website or look for it WSET (Lynchburg ABC 13).

Executive Committee Meeting (10/24/22)
2022-10-24 18:30 - 20:15 | VA
Agenda and meeting location will be sent out a few days in advance.

Josh Throneburg-Bob Good Candidates Forum: Wednesday night 7pm 10/26
2022-10-24 08:00 - 17:00 | VA
Hampden-Sydney College is hosting the forum in Crawly Forum building, and space is extremely limited, so most of us will be watching remotely: you can stream it from Josh’s campaign website or watch it on WSET (Lynchburg ABC 13).

"Protect Our Democracy" Community Forum (10/22 event at UVA's Newcomb Hall)
2022-10-22 12:00 - 15:00 | University of Virginia (UVA) — Newcomb Hall, Charlottesville, VA, United States
A coalition of a dozen community nonprofits and UVA student organizations, including Cville Dems and Albemarle Dems, has organized a “Protect Our Democracy” forum to be held at UVA (Newcomb Hall, 3rd Floor) on Saturday October 22, Noon-3pm. The forum will address current threats to our democracy and discuss where Virginia stands in the fight to preserve our democratic institutions.

Featured speakers include:

Bruce Williams, Professor of Media Studies at UVA
Clay Jones, award-winning political cartoonist and regular CNN contributor
David Pepper, author of Laboratories of Autocracy and three political novels and former chair of Ohio Democratic Party
Sally Hudson, Virginia House of Delegates, District 57
William Hitchcock, Professor of History at UVA and co-host of the Democracy in Danger podcast

Program Schedule:

Noon-12:30pm — Registration and organization tabling
12:30-1:30pm — Speaker sessions 1 or 2 (attendee choice)
1:30-2:00pm — Networking lunch (pizza) and refreshments
2:00-2:50pm — “Unconference” (student-led and facilitated session)
2:50-3:00pm — Concluding remarks

To RSVP if you’re pretty sure you’ll attend (space is limited):
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/protect-our-democracy-forum-tickets-429413396027

Questions? Call Kirk at 434-249-1439.

Here’s the flyer for the event:

Prof. Danielle Citron on Privacy, Surveillance, and Love in the Digital Age
2022-10-11 18:45 - 20:15 | Central Library AND Zoom, 201 E Market St., Charlottesville, VA, 22902, United States
UVA Law Professor and MacArthur Fellow Danielle Citron, an international expert on online privacy and abuse, will speak about the latest developments at the intersection of technology, public policy, and our daily Internet-driven lives at 6:45pm Tuesday October 11th at the Downtown Library’s Swanson Case Room and also on Zoom; please mark your calendars to join us! Prof. Citron will be “in conversation” with UVA History Prof. William Hitchcock, co-host of the Democracy in Danger podcast. Q&A will follow.
Copies of her new book The Fight for Privacy: Protecting Dignity, Identity, and Love in the Digital Age (coming out the week before she speaks!) will be available for purchase. From her publisher’s website:

“The essential road map for understanding—and defending—your right to privacy in the twenty-first century.
Privacy is disappearing. From our sex lives to our workout routines, the details of our lives once relegated to pen and paper have joined the slipstream of new technology. As a MacArthur fellow and distinguished professor of law at the University of Virginia, acclaimed civil rights advocate Danielle Citron has spent decades working with lawmakers and stakeholders across the globe to protect what she calls intimate privacy—encompassing our bodies, health, gender, and relationships. When intimate privacy becomes data, corporations know exactly when to flash that ad for a new drug or pregnancy test. Social and political forces know how to manipulate what you think and who you trust, leveraging sensitive secrets and deepfake videos to ruin or silence opponents. And as new technologies invite new violations, people have power over one another like never before, from revenge porn to blackmail, attaching life-altering risks to growing up, dating online, or falling in love.
A masterful new look at privacy in the twenty-first century, The Fight for Privacy takes the focus off Silicon Valley moguls to investigate the price we pay as technology migrates deeper into every aspect of our lives: entering our bedrooms and our bathrooms and our midnight texts; our relationships with friends, family, lovers, and kids; and even our relationship with ourselves.
Drawing on in-depth interviews with victims, activists, and advocates, Citron brings this headline issue home for readers by weaving together visceral stories about the countless ways that corporate and individual violators exploit privacy loopholes. Exploring why the law has struggled to keep up, she reveals how our current system leaves victims—particularly women, LGBTQ+ people, and marginalized groups—shamed and powerless while perpetrators profit, warping cultural norms around the world…”

Prof. Danielle Keats Citron teaches Law at the University of Virginia. A 2019 MacArthur Fellow, she serves as the vice president of the Cyber Civil Rights Initiative and lives here in Charlottesville. Her latest book, The Fight for Privacy: Protecting Dignity, Identity, and Love in the Digital Age, will be out in October 2022. Her first book, “Hate Crimes in Cyberspace” (Harvard University Press, 2014), was named one of the 20 Best Moments for Women in 2014 by the editors of Cosmopolitan magazine.

For the past decade, Citron has worked with lawmakers, law enforcement and tech companies to combat online abuse and to protect intimate privacy. In June 2019, she testified before Congress about the national security and privacy risks of deepfakes. She has been involved in reform efforts around the regulation of online platforms. In October 2019, she testified before Congress about Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act. From 2014 to 2016, Citron served as an advisor to then-California Attorney General Kamala Harris and as a member of Harris’ Task Force to Combat Cyber Exploitation and Violence Against Women. In 2011, Citron testified about misogynistic cyber hate speech before the Inter-Parliamentary Committee on Anti-Semitism at the House of Commons in the United Kingdom. Since 2011, she has been a member of Facebook’s Non-Consensual Intimate Imagery Task Force and an adviser and a member of Twitter’s Trust and Safety Task Force and as an adviser to the company since 2009. She is an adviser to the dating app Bumble, the music streaming service Spotify, and video sharing platform TikTok.

Prof. William Hitchcock’s work and teaching focus on the global history of the 20th Century, in particular the era of the two world wars and the cold war. He received his Ph.D. from Yale University in 1994, working under the supervision of Paul Kennedy, and taught at Yale for six years (and served as the Associate Director of International Security Studies). He is now writing “FDR and the Dictators: Fascism, Democracy and the Awakening of America,” which explores reactions in the United States to the rise of fascism in Europe from the 1920s to 1941.
