Hi Friends –
As I sat to write this note, I thought about the extraordinary resonance of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in these tumultuous times. Many people say 1968 was a more fractured time in our country. We lost King and Kennedy and felt the country splinter. Others say the only comparable time was before the Civil War. Just like now, these periods and every decade in between speak to the crux of the real battle for the soul of our nation: fighting racism and systemic inequality — our progress, and then the seemingly inevitable backlash we’re witnessing in all its ugliness now.
I can’t help but think of the last four years. Four years that openly exposed the rot of racism, from Black and Brown lives taken wantonly at the hands of the law to widespread, targeted voter suppression, even attempts to rig the census and close our borders to suffering refugees, ripping families apart and sending many back to certain death. Four years when it became easier to become a billionaire, but harder to find a job that pays a living wage — when racism wrote the rules for who has a better chance of contracting and surviving a pandemic.
Dr. King famously said, “The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.” And Wednesday’s Presidential Inauguration will feel like long overdue justice. But King’s words also implored us all in 1968 — not long before he made the ultimate sacrifice — and speak to us urgently now: It’s up to us to bend it, and we have a long way to go. He was not saying that justice is assured no matter what, that it will come as long as we’re patient. If the last four years — four hundred for that matter — have taught us anything, it’s that we must constantly reckon with racism and eventually eradicate its roots. Nothing less.
So I plead with you, don’t rest. We all have a duty to not just restore–but to reshape– the soul of our nation — and now we’ll have a president to lead us.
For today, the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday is an official day of service. If you wish to honor his legacy and help bend that arc just a little, I hope you’ll sign-up to serve your community, where it all starts and ends. Click here for more information on America Corps’ website.
Be well,
Jody LaMacchia
Chair, Oakland County Democratic Party
Upcoming Events in the next 2 weeks:
As a reminder, all of these events can also be found at ocdp.org/calendar! Visit our website to view upcoming events in a calendar format and to access event information.
Novi Democratic Club Meeting
Tuesday, January 19, 6:30pm
Zoom Virtual Meeting
Facebook Event Page
South Lyon Area Democratic Club Meeting
Tuesday, January 19, 7:00-8:00pm
Zoom Virtual Meeting
Facebook Event Page
Birmingham/Bloomfield Hills Democratic Club Meeting
Tuesday, January 19, 7:00pm
Zoom Virtual Meeting
Register HERE
Waterford Democratic Club Meeting
Tuesday, January 19, 7:00pm
Zoom Virtual Meeting
Facebook Event Page
MDP Webinar – Basics of Fundraising
Tuesday, January 19, 7:00pm
Virtual Webinar
Register HERE
**Inauguration Day Toast w/ OCDP**
Wednesday, January 20, 11:30am-1:00pm
Zoom Virtual Event
Facebook Event Page, Register HERE
Farmington/Farmington Hills Democratic Club Meeting
Wednesday, January 20, 6:30-8:30pm
Zoom Virtual Meeting
Facebook Event Page, Register HERE
North Oakland Democratic Club Meeting
Wednesday, January 20, 6:30pm
Zoom Virtual Meeting
Facebook Event Page
MDP Webinar – MDP Party Structure & Participation
Thursday, January 21, 7:00pm
Virtual Webinar
Register HERE
Oak Park/Huntington Woods Democratic Club Meeting
Thursday, January 21, 7:00pm
Zoom Virtual Meeting
OCDP Calendar Event Page
Royal Oak Democratic Club Virtual Bar Night
Thursday, January 21, 7:00pm
Zoom Virtual Event
Facebook Event Page
Sen. Bayer – Coffee, Computers, & Conversation
Monday, January 25, 5:30-6:30pm
Facebook Live Virtual Event
Facebook Event Page
MDP Webinar – Robert’s Rules & Parliamentary Procedure
Tuesday, January 26, 6:00pm
Virtual Webinar
Register HERE
MDP Webinar – Redistricting at the Local Level
Tuesday, January 26, 7:00pm
Virtual Webinar
Register HERE
West Bloomfield-Lakes Area Democratic Club Meeting
Tuesday, January 26, 7:00pm
Zoom Virtual Meeting
OCDP Calendar Event Page
11th District Democrats Meeting
Wednesday, January 27, 7:00pm
Zoom Virtual Meeting
Facebook Event Page, Register HERE
Indivisible Fighting #9 Meeting
Wednesday, January 27, 7:00pm
Zoom Virtual Meeting
Facebook Event Page
MDP Webinar – Social Media & Branding
Wednesday, January 27, 7:00pm
Virtual Webinar
Register HERE
MDP Webinar – Fighting Disinformation
Thursday, January 28, 7:00pm
Virtual Webinar
Register HERE
Troy Democratic Club Meeting
Thursday, January 28, 7:00pm
Zoom Virtual Meeting
Facebook Event Page
Southfield/Lathrup Village Democratic Club Meeting
Thursday, January 28, 7:00pm
Zoom Virtual Meeting
OCDP Calendar Event Page
Rep. Padma Kuppa’s Coffee & Chat
Friday, January 29, 6:00-6:30pm
Facebook Live Virtual Event
Facebook Event Page
If you are able, please consider making a small, monthly donation to the OCDP by clicking the “contribute” button below to ensure that we can continue to put on these great programs. Thank you!
We hope that you are all doing well, if you have any questions, please reach out at staff@ocdp.org.
– Jody & Alex
Connect With Us:
Contact Info:
staff@ocdp.org
Oakland County Democratic Party
555 Horace Brown Drive, Suite 202
Madison Heights, MI 48071
United States
