“Whose House? Our House!” Day of Action Kicks off New Year With Special Guests
As part of the “Whose House? Our House!” nationwide day of action, Indivisibles gathered at The Block Off Biltmore in downtown Asheville the evening of January 3rd to welcome the New Year in a positive, activist, “Let’s get this (progressive) party started” way.
NC Senator Terry Van Duyn made time in her busy schedule to add to our understanding of the North Carolina General Assembly (NCGA) and how things work there, and also to talk about why she decided to run for Lieutenant Governor. She is excited about using that position to talk with folks from all parts of the state and then share their concerns with Governor Cooper.
Gayle Kemp then reflected on her experience running for State Representative in District 117. While she was not successful in that attempt, she did capture 40% of the total vote, giving incumbent Chuck McGrady some serious opposition. The Democratic vote in Henderson County increased from 29% to 41%, and Gayle promised that it would top 50% in 2020! With passionate and hard-working activists like her we are confident that can happen. We Buncombe County progressives were pleased to strengthen our ties with Gayle and other like-minded Henderson County neighbors.
Throughout the evening we signed New Year’s Resolution letters urging Representatives Patrick McHenry (District 10) and Mark Meadows (District 11) to support H.R.1, the Democracy Reform bill coming together in the House of Representatives. Our emphasis is on the voting rights and voter access parts of the bill, with the top issue being the elimination of gerrymandering by either party and the creation of fair districts. This is going to be the #1 issue for Indivisible AVL’s state-level work in the coming year, because it’s essential that we have a process that leads to fair districts before the redistricting based on the 2020 census takes place.
A big thanks and shout-out to our friends at The Block Off Biltmore for everything they do for our community, and especially for hosting this gathering on a busy night. (If you like swing music and dancing then check out Swing Asheville. They host lessons and a dance with excellent live bands every Tuesday evening at The Block Off Biltmore.)