Reports from the board from January 2024 annual meeting

The annual meeting is when the DWGC reports to the membership. And asks the membership for its views of how we did in the previous year and what we might change or focus on for the coming one.

Here are the reports from each board committee. The links provided to watch will take you directly to that portion of the meeting video.

Programs

Laura Haight, president
Watch here

we’ve had some very strong programs this year bringing in important speakers from across the state, like SCDP Chair Christale Spain, and Emerge ED Jessica Bright, Jannelle Rivers, education lobbyist for the South Carolina league of women voters, Josh Malkin of the ACLU, Vicky Ringer from Planned Parenthood to name just a few. And we worked hard to ensure our programs had an advocacy component. That you learned something and we’re given actionable steps to take.

You showed your support by showing up in significant numbers every month – just as you are this month. 

When we lost our first vp in May, we were lucky enough to get two dedicated members – Anita LeBold and Roxanne Cordonier – to join me on a programs committee. And through their efforts we’ve got some great programs scheduled already through June. We think the programs we’ve lined up this far will be just as good – maybe even better than last year.

• In February, we’ll welcome my friend Mike Roosevelt. In addition to the lofty title of being my friend, he’s also a retired CIA analyst who worked the Russian desk and was Biden’s daily briefer during the 2008 transition. He’s going to talk about how foreign actors can influence this year’s election and also may give us some insight into why so many classified documents seem to go missing.
• In March, Pat Scales, a highly recognized state and national figure in the Freedom to Read movement (and a resident of Greenville) will be our guest. We’ll be looking for some members to read passages from some of the banned or “hidden” books (let me know if you’re interested).
• In April, Melody McFadden , a 3-time gun violence survivor will join us and share her story. This will help kick off our efforts to turn out significant numbers for Wear Orange Weekend (June 2). Additionally, Phil Ford, whose company has been hired to run the coordinated Priority 6 campaign, will be here to explain how that will work and how we can work together to make it work. Whole lot of working in that sentence.
• In May, Tina Belge and Tiffany Santagati will be here to discuss affordable housing and the impact of gentrification on foundational Greenville communities. 
• And in June, for PRIDE month, Susan Ward, president of PFlag, will be our guest.

And we’re maintaining our flexibility to so we can bring in timely speakers on important issues as they arise. Of course, we will have candidates but we don’t know who those will be yet.

As our numbers grow, I hope that with our work together, our programs, and our camaraderie, we will have the very great problem of having to open up the sliding wall and expand this room, in order to accommodate our audiences in 2024!

Financial

Dr. Valerie Brooks Madden, Treasurer
Watch here

Membership

Peggy Schotsch, 2nd vice president and membership chair
Watch here

Advocacy and Community Action

Evelyn Nocella, Secretary, ACA Chair
Watch here

I hope everyone had a happy and healthy holiday.  Best wishes for a bountiful 2024. 

First, I want to thank our Dem Women members for the many, many hours worked and miles walked. And thank you to our brilliant candidates, Michelle and Dorothy. We are so proud of having worked for you!

Most activity for this committee centered on the Dem Women’s Squad, which provided support for our Democratic Candidates in Greenville County. Through Sign Up Genius, Dem Women recruited volunteers to canvass, phone bank, and staff house parties and block parties. Sixty-seven members worked 211 shifts at those candidate volunteer events. Many volunteers skipped signing up once they knew the specifics of the event, so those numbers are a low estimate of participation. Dem Women members also worked tirelessly to support the GCDP door knocking and Literature Drop events. In addition to those recruited via Sign Up Genius, many volunteers got the call to help our candidates at the Dem Women’s luncheons. 

At the October luncheon, we had a postcard writing event and the 70+ attendees completed informational postcards for the candidates. By all accounts, the candidates found all of this  support essential to their campaign efforts.

Goals for 2024 include similar support for declared Greenville County candidates who are members of Democratic Women of Greenville County.  We’ll need even more help with disseminating election and candidate information and turning out the vote for an increased number of candidates, so that will require many more committed volunteers.

In addition, we are looking to devote more attention to the community action mission of this committee. Our organization is looking to become more open and responsive to the needs of Greenville County’s African American communities. We need new members on this committee so that we can get a better feel for community issues, increase awareness of community needs, and bring in new members. 

Right now I’m asking you to work with me in this effort. Please scan the code on your table and leave that feedback. Or you can email us at Demwomen@greenvilledemocrats.com and say that you’re interested in working on this committee.

Before I turn over the mic to Jen for her Outreach report, I want to thank our president, Laura, for her exceptional leadership and hard work on this committee and for Dem Women of Greenville County.

Outreach

Jen Boffey, Outreach Chair
Watch here

2023 Outreach Report

Goals for 2023: Promote the organization, gain members.

• Instagram: Began Jan 2023, 671 followers, 315 posts. Linktree- current links & info
• Facebook Page: 785 followers, 614 likes
• Facebook Discussion Group: 1,700 members
• Logo- new & improved
• Merchandise sold at meetings Buttons 39, Keychains 16, Magnets 40, Bumper Stickers 6, Clings 6, Tervis 2 rest speaker gifts
• Online store items sold. Bucket Hat 1, Ballcap 3, Visor 1,Tank Top 2, Polo 1, T Shirt 7, Long sleeve T-shirt 3, Mug 1, Tote bag 2, 
• Book Club- 6 meet ups, approximately 25 attendees
• Cocktails & Conversations- 2 meet ups, approximately 15 attendees
• Charitable Endeavors- 2, Hands on Greenville & Period Project, approximately 45 participants

Goals for 2024

• Increase age & race diversity among new members. Invite specific community members
• Continue to expand social media presence.
• Create Outreach committee members to represent DWGC at community events.
• Monthly Book Clubs- 4th Monday of each month
• Cocktails & Conversations- every other month
  Charitable Endeavors- one per quarter
• Merchandise-  Inventory to be sold: Buttons 111, Keychains 34, Magnets 10, Bumper Stickers 44, Clings 44, Tervis 34

Meetings, events and fundraising

Linda Derector, events and fundraising chair
Watch here

In my role as Meetings and Events Chair it is my task to provide good food at meetings and create special events that are fun, promote community and camaraderie, and it doesn’t hurt if we make a few dollars.

Our lunches have mostly been provided by minority owned or not for profit organizations whose values align with ours.  I’m on a budget so there’s only so much I can do… but, the effort is made to serve high quality food, varying the menus hoping to accommodate most palates.

While we are an organization of a serious nature, I envisioned elevating the food enough that lunch would add to the desire to attend meetings and people would want to invite friends!!?? Not sure if that was accomplished. That goal is ongoing, so, I welcome your feedback. if you have used a food service provider that you would like to recommend, do not hesitate to share that information with me.

We’ve had 2 successful fundraisers, the Garden Party and our pre Christmas shopping spree!  I don’t know about you, but I had a blast! Creating events and bringing people together is one of my favorite activities. You all rock and I loved getting to know more of you better. Your support made it possible for us to make respectable contributions to our fantastic candidates Dorothy Dowe and Michele Shain a big Thank you!

This year, we will have more than 2 candidates to support. That means fundraising. As long as my house can accommodate us, what do you think of making the Garden Party a signature DWGC event? Let us know. 

Finally, I always need volunteers. If you are interested in helping I want to hear from you!

I so enjoy my role here, I am proud to be a small part of the DWGC

And I’m proud of what we achieved in 2023.

ONWARD IN 2024

Legislative

Linda Hardman, Legislative chair and former DWGC president
Watch Here

The 125^th South Carolina Legislative Session encompasses a two-year period which began in January of 2023 and terminates in May of 2024. The General Assembly always begins on the second Tuesday of every January and ends on the second Thursday of May, although the session can be extended under special circumstances. There are 124 House members and 46 Senate members.  Currently, there are 35 Democrats, 88 Republicans and 1 vacancy in the House. The Senate has 30 Republicans and 14 Democrats, with one Independent and one vacancy.

At the beginning of its two-year session last January, the South Carolina General Assembly focused their attention on 5 major issues:

1. Funding for South Carolina religious schools and education voucher programs
2. Restricting LGBTQ healthcare
3. Banning abortion access
4. Gun legislation and broadening the scope of constitutional carry
5. Passing a hate crime law

To a degree, they were successful on all fronts, except for the hate crime law. There seems to be little enthusiasm to prosecute people who commit crimes against others based on the victim’s race, religion, gender, sexual preference, or ethnic origin. That bill currently languishes in committee. Senate Bill 39, or the Education Scholarship Trust Fund Voucher Program was passed into law in October, 2023. On August 23^rd of 2023, the Fetal Heartbeat and Protection from Abortion Act was passed into law. This bill “protects” life by prohibiting abortions after a fetal heartbeat has been detected, with exceptions for rape or incest during the first twelve weeks of pregnancy, medical emergencies, or fatal fetal anomalies. In March of last year, a bill to ban gender-transition surgeries, hormone therapy, and puberty blockers for people under the age of 18 passed a Senate subcommittee and is currently before the Senate Medical Committee. This legislation will garner much attention during this session and is expected to be passed into law. The South Carolina House passed a bill allowing one to purchase a firearm if one has a concealed carry permit or an instant background check. The governor signed HB.3094, making it legal for South Carolina residents with a CWP (Concealed Weapons Permit) to open carry. However, municipalities may temporarily restrict otherwise lawful open carry of a firearm on public property when a permit is issued for a public protest, rally, fair, parade, festival, or other organized event by posting signs prohibiting concealable weapons.

Each month I attempted to give an update on pending legislation in the South Carolina legislature. These updates were submitted to and printed in the Donkey’s Tale. In addition, topics of political and legislative interest were researched and submitted for publication in the Donkey’s Tale. After reporting on legislation being enacted upon in the January issue of the Donkey’s Tale, I reported on the South Carolina version of the obstructive Freedom Caucus in the February edition. In March, an update on Constitutional Carry was presented, along with the Public/Privatization of South Carolina Schools. Opportunities for involvement and advocacy were also listed in the Donkey’s Tale.

In response to a series of school shootings and other mass shootings in April, I wrote an article for the Donkey’s Tale entitled, “When is Enough, Enough?” which segued into my May report on our country’s gun culture which was published in the Donkey’s Tale. An update on South Carolina’s abortion bill, along with an article addressing this legislation, “South Carolina Women Deemed Incapable of Making Decisions Regarding Their Own Health,” was in the newsletter in June. “Indoctrination” Bills Have Been Extremely Altered and Not in a Good Way’ revisited the legislature’s public school actions in July, and in August, I wrote on article on SC’s abortion ban entitled, “It’s Called ‘Forced-Birth’, Not Pro-Life.”

In September and October, I did a deep dive into right-wing extremism in our country, publishing the first part on “Male Supremacy is at the Core of the Hard Right,” and the second part on what motivates right-wing extremism by examining the influence that Christian Nationalism has on the political climate. Finally, in November, I investigated Moms for Liberty and its radical actions in South Carolina and across the country and submitted my findings in the Donkey’s Tale. I further exposed some of the efforts by Ellen Weaver, South Carolina’s right wing Superintendent of Education to dismantle our public education system and remake it in her narrow vision of parochial/public fundamentalism.