Good Morning!

I wasn’t going to speak as the HC Democratic Chair today, originally.  But then I  realized that the best way for me to honor Congressman John Lewis, was to own my beliefs that aligned with his.  

So I say, I am a proud Democrat, as was he!  I admired John Lewis all of my life.  Despite all that he endured, he still believed our country could heal from the stigma of slavery and Jim Crow. I want to believe that as well, but it is getting harder with our country’s current leadership. He professed to love his abusers/enemies, as he did his friends.  I aspire to that, but I’m not there yet.  

It seems to me that a large portion of white Americans are hell bent on dragging this country, my country, our country,  back to those dark days.  As a US Army Veteran, a patriot, a retired civil servant and a visionary of what John Lewis called “our beloved community,” I will resist this with every fiber of my being.             

Despite what you are being told, and hearing, Democrats believe in the equality of all people, the power of education, the dignity of work, and our responsibility to each other. 

It’s the only party that has put forth policies and programs throughout our countries’ history that help the poorest live with some measure of dignity. 

I am HERE because:

•        I understand that public policy affects the everyday life of every person;

•        I  see my neighbors and family suffering, struggling, being terrorized;

•          I see the largest wealth gap in history of the world, and a crippling national debt; injustice and inequality in our courts; the rule of law applied haphazardly depending on your politics or mean tweets; 

•        I see public policy as a means to bring about positive change to our communities, when our leaders lead with compassion and competency; 

•        I know we can do better;

•        I want to do better; 

•        I vote, and I know that is not where my civic duty stops;

      .

Alabama Politics has been inefficient for decades. And our collective apathy over the years has now infected our federal government.  Let’s face it only part of the blame can lie at the feet of our elected officials.  As individuals we grew weary, and apathetic, using our frustration as an excuse for being uninvolved.  We failed to hold our leaders accountable for their behavior in office. 

We the people need to take charge of our government, it is our birthright!  And that starts with individuals, you and me, returning to the discussion, creating space for those discussions and having civic leaders/organizers and disrupters with workable plans to guide us. 

The goal is to create a state that we can be proud to leave behind to our children and grandchildren.  John Lewis was a progressive, he never stopped pushing  a progressive agenda. Let us finish his work. 

Today and every day forward, I stand in solidarity for equality for all people, and a return to our guiding document, The Constitution.  

Serving to Build, 

Linda Turner, Chairwoman