Cville Dems

The Charlottesville Democratic Committee

Thank You, Will Evans, For All of Your Help!

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Will Evans, our co-secretary, is moving away to take a new position in the Nation’s Capital. We thank him for all his above-and-beyond efforts in the year he served us: helping to train and place interns into effective roles during the election cycle and performing data analysis, in addition to duties as secretary. Good luck, Will!

We’ll be filling in the co-secretary vacancy, so let us know if you would be interested. Contact Josh Throneburg (joshuathroneburg@gmail.com) or Nancy Damon (nancycdamon@gmail.com) if you have interest. We particularly need help with data analysis.Headshot of William Perry Evans, who was co-secretary in 2023-2025

Dems Keep Control of VA Senate with Special Election Wins

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Headshots of JJ Singh and Kannan Srinivasan, winning Democratic candidates in Virginia's January 7, 2025 special electionsThree special elections were held on Jan. 7 for two VA Senate seats and one House of Delegates seat. In all three cases the party that previously held the seats retained them, so the Dems retained overall control of both chambers.

In Loudoun County, Democrat Kannan Srinivasan defeated Republican Tumay Harding in the VA-32 Senate race to succeed Suhas Subramanyam, the Dem elected to the U.S. House in November… and Democrat JJ Singh beat Republican Ram Venkatachalam to win Srinivasan’s vacated VA-26 House of Delegates seat.

In the 3rd race, to fill the VA-10 Senate seat that John McGuire vacated to primary Bob Good and then win the VA-05 House of Representatives race, Democrat Jack Trammell lost to Republican Luther Cifers.

Gov. Youngkin still presides as a Republican governor; more on the November 2025 gubernatorial race soon!

January Community Events Honoring Martin Luther King Jr.

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Nine African-American young adults onstage at an indoor Martin Luther King Jr. Day Celebration in Greeley Co are holding a big banner reading "Unity Begins with You: MLK March and Celebration"
“MLK Greeley 2019” by greeleygov

Alex-Zan’s Dr. M.L. King Community Celebration: “Continuing His Dream & Works”
Monday, Jan. 20, 1-3pm, Carver Recreation Center
The 12th Annual celebration is coordinated by author, award winner and education trailblazer Mr. Alex-Zan (aka Charles Alexander). Highlights will include the presentation of the 10th Annual Alicia B. Lugo Award – Apostle Sarah Kelly; Guest Speaker – Brother Eddie Howard of Abundant Life Ministries. Vocalists Jamori Harris and Precious A. Bland, and Spoken Word/Psalmist Nikya Green will present. Alex-Zan’s Lifesavers will be there: Janet Martin, George Rivera, Tristan Kabesa, Martize Tolbert, and others. Mistress of Ceremonies will be Amaya Mitchell of NBC- 29.

Race, Gender, and the 2024 Electorate
Tuesday, Jan. 21, 11:00am-12:15pm, The Miller Center (also online)
In this post-election analysis, panelists will discuss the complex interplay of race, gender, and age demographics as they affected the election outcome. Participants will also consider obstacles to achieving a level playing field for everyone’s voting rights. Speakers: Andra Gillespie, Bertrall Ross, Kevin K. Gaines (moderator). For more info and registration click here.

MLK Jr. Day Community Celebration
Sunday, Jan. 26, 4pm, Mt. Zion First African Baptist Church
All are welcome to attend the 40th Anniversary of the MLK Jr. Day Community Celebration! Former Richmond Mayor (2016-2024) Levar Stoney will be the keynote speaker and highlight the theme “Legacy: Honoring the Past and Trailblazing the Future!” This celebration will reflect on past MLK Charlottesville Community Award recipients as well as highlight young community trailblazers. Enjoy the rousing singing of the community choir, as well as the addition of a new children’s choir. The gathering will begin at 4pm with a “prelude” of musical offerings from community members, followed by the main program at 5pm. Download and share this flyer if you’d like to help promote this event.

2025 Community MLK Celebration Keynote Address
Thursday, Jan. 30, 6pm, Paramount Theater
Michele Norris, award-winning journalist, New York Times bestselling author, and one of the most recognized voices in radio, will deliver the 2025 Community MLK Celebration keynote address, followed by an on-stage discussion with Melody Barnes, Executive Director of UVA’s Karsh Institute of Democracy. The event is presented by the UVA Division for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, in partnership with UVA’s School of Data Science and Karsh Institute of Democracy. Michele Norris will engage the audience in candid discussion about current events, social issues, and bridging the divide in America. This event is free and open to the public. More info and tickets are available via the Paramount Theater website.

Indivisible Charlottesville is Forming Working Groups

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Logo of Indivisible Charlottesville. Shows a light blue map of Virginia with a red star where Charlottesville is located and the words "Democracy in Action: Indivisible Charlottesville Va05"

Around Thanksgiving time, progressive groups all over the country held reorganization/revitalization “Worth Fighting For” meetings to start preparing for Trump’s return to power. In Charlottesville, the meeting organized by Indivisible Charlottesville drew 150 attendees (!), including a good number of local Dems. Here’s the list of organizations, including ours, that were flagged as important to support.

Five issue action workgroups are now organizing and starting to meet in late January/February:

  • Abortion Access/Reproductive Rights Protection
  • Building Alternatives (organizing locally to transform power–climate, housing, gun safety, etc.)
  • Climate Change/Protecting the Environment
  • Defending Civic Institutions (safeguarding democratic institutions–elections, gov. agencies, etc.)
  • LGBTQ+ Rights/Protection

You can get on the mailing list of one or more of these groups here:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdEKRjgEJPm32nEm53Yx57BrnzxfnLq1MbeatOvtOQERJcTmw/viewform

Every little bit of organizing we do makes a difference… momentum builds on momentum… by getting out there and taking action to help your community, you’ll see how much power is actually in your hands!