By Elias “Eli” Valentin II

As a former coach, I am a lover of quotes. One of my favorites is from Henry Ford, and he says, “Coming together is a beginning, staying together is progress, working together is success.” As we look at where we are as a Party here in Greenville, these words must ring true if we want to see the electoral change we desire. 

Thinking about ways to enhance our partnerships, I wanted to create an opportunity for stakeholders to come together in fellowship and recommit to our common purpose. This concept has transformed into a long-term vision. Our leadership team here at GCDP is happy to announce we are hosting the Inaugural Greenville County Democratic Summit next month. Of necessity, this summit will be held virtually. But we hope it will be an ongoing program that can be held in person in 2022.

We are bringing together the leadership the GCDP, the  Democratic Black Caucus of Greenville, Democratic Women of Greenville County,  Young Democrats of Greenville County, and Greenville High School Democrats during this day’s long event. This is the first step in combining all of our efforts and collectively working together to get Democrats elected and advance our issues. 

So what will happen at the Summit? 

Purpose:  To build connections and collaboration, understand the vision, goal, and plans for all Democratic groups in the County of Greenville. To unify our actions, amplify our messages, and maximize our efforts to get more Democrats elected. 

Overview: The summit will be an engaging, informative, and relevant workshop, which will lead to action and a deeper understanding of the roles each of the partner organizations plays in achieving electoral success. Each organization that helps make our Democratic Party what it is will share its roadmap over these subsequent election cycles. We are also inviting our esteemed elected officials to engage with us during the day. Working to amplify their work in the community and provide perspective on the multitude of ways they can help the local party and, in turn, ways we can support their efforts. 

Goals: Our administration is updating and rewriting the Strategic Plan we first created in 2017 under Kate Franch’s leadership. This project is essential to our continued growth as we must chart the course for success as we build political power in the Upstate. This summit and other dynamic workshops and training our team will participate in, including an Equity, Inclusion, and Diversity training, will inform our new strategic vision, codify these foundational values, and ensure they are executed. 

I loved the 2016 Campaign slogan Hillary Clinton used for her bid to become President. We are always ‘STRONGER TOGETHER”, but can we make sure, as Henry Ford said, we are working together. There is so much work to get done. Let’s get busy! 

Democratically yours,

Elias Valentín II