Over the past few months, the Forsyth County Democratic Party's Communications Committee has been hard at work, providing necessary information to those in the Forsyth community and beyond. No group has been working harder than the Graphics Design team.

The Graphic Design team currently consists of three members: Olivia Santiago, Ryan Howard, and Todd Echols. During their time on the team, they have created graphic design templates, enhanced our current portfolio of graphics, and created unique and fun graphics for use in delivering FCDP content. When asked why they volunteer for the Forsyth County Democratic Party Communications Committee, here is what they said:

Olivia Santiago: "[I am] a young entrepreneur that volunteers to help create pathways for the new generation. The Forsyth County Democratic Party is one of my outlets!"

Ryan Howard: "I was excited to help spread the messages that matter most across our party and believe the Dem platform lends itself to the progressive changes our country needs. When I can, I like to help make seemingly complicated policies on voting information succinct, eye catching, and easy-to-digest."

Todd Echols: "I volunteer because I want to help elect Democratic leaders who will work to improve the lives of the people in Forsyth County."

Thank you for your hard work!

On Monday, June 29, the Forsyth County Democratic Party showed that the Democratic Party is the party of life. 

Several members of the Forsyth County Democratic Party provided masks and hand sanitizer to individuals in the Forsyth County community. They also handed out absentee vote by mail ballot request forms and spoke to these individuals about how important it is to vote in this year's election. Kerry Peay, the President of the Forsyth County Democratic Party Progressive Caucus, spearheaded the event, in conjunction with several other FCDP auxiliaries.The event took place outside of the FCDP Headquarters (1128 Burke Street).

This event was the first in a series where members of FCDP will be handing out masks and other supplies essential to surviving COVID-19, as part of the Protecting Our Community Initiative. If you would like to get involved, email the Forsyth County Progressive Democrats. Here are several photos from the event:

With 132 calls and 32 canvasses made this week, Shari Burrell is our Phonebank Champion of the week! 

​Here is a statement that Shari wrote, explaining why she believes in phonebanking:

"Because we could not have more at stake and limited ways to reach out to people, I will be phonebanking every week. If I am to be honest, this has always been my least favorite thing to do. However, over the course of these last three weeks, I have had many wonderful conversations. People very much appreciate our efforts to reach out to them, to get them forms, to let them know how they can vote safely, to hear their concerns, as well as, their resolve to stand in line as an act of resistance to voter suppression. Even though the majority of calls are not answered, the connections we do make are vital. They build a necessary foundation to our democracy. I will continue to reach out to our voters and ask each of you to join our effort."

If you would like to get involved in our phonebanking efforts, start by signing up for phonebank training. Since May 19, the Forsyth County Democratic Party has held 20 trainings and trained 120 unique individuals.

Gull Riaz is this week's Phonebank Champion. Gull made a total of 283 calls and 52 canvasses to Forsyth County residents this week, urging them to register to vote and request Vote By Mail request forms. When asked about the secret to his success, Gull replied, "the secret to my success is the enjoyment in voter outreach, talking with many different people from Forsyth County within my nearby precincts!"

The efforts by Gull and many more volunteers will make Democrats successful in November. If you would like to phonebank for the Forsyth County Democratic Party, start by signing up for one of our phonebank trainings! Sign up today: https://www.mobilize.us/forsythcountydems/ 

Young Democrats of Forsyth County president, Quamekia Shavers, remains committed to community activism, even in the midst of the difficult times facing Forsyth County. 

In recent weeks, Quamekia has taken the lead on several notable events to address police brutality in the Forsyth County community and beyond. On June 3, Quamekia, along with The Pride Show and LGBTQ Democrats of Forsyth County organizations, facilitated a protest in opposition to recent police brutality around the United States. This "Peace for ALL Protest" embodied nearly 200 participants and elected officials all marching from the Benton Convention Center to the Winston-Salem Public Safety building in solidarity for this cause. Quamekia said that, to her, "the protest was about making history, creating change, and protecting future generations."

Quamekia has also recently joined several Forsyth County Democratic candidates to discuss the issues facing Forsyth County. On June 10, Quamekia joined State Senate candidate, Terri LeGrand, on Facebook Live to discuss the police brutality aftermath and plan the strategy to keep the Black Lives Matter agenda moving forward. And on June 12, She sat down with Forsyth County Commissioner candidate, Chris Smith, in a conversation about the Black Lives Matter Movement and helping erase systemic racism.

Quamekia continues to shine in the Forsyth County Democratic Party through showing tremendous leadership and character. That's why she is our Good News Democrats story of the week! Here are some photos from her recent events:

On June 3, the Young Democrats of Forsyth County and Forsyth County LGBTQ Caucus sponsored a peaceful protest in downtown Winston-Salem. The event included a march and a stop along the route in the shade of the trees at the Winston-Salem Police Department to hear from elected officials, including Police Chief Catrina Thompson, who gave a passionate and inspiring speech.

Sheriff Bobby Kimbrough, who had also marched with the group, spoke as well about his desire to come back to Winston-Salem and serve his hometown community - and his commitment to justice in law enforcement.

Councilmen Dan Besse and Jeff MacIntosh along with candidate for District Court Judge, Whit Davis, also marched with the group and spoke to the crowd.

We also were able to register some new voters at the event - Arnita Miles staffed a voter registration table. As well, we shared the importance of requesting absentee mail-in ballots and handed out ballot request forms to many protestors. 

Many thanks to Quamekia Shavers, president of the Young Dems, and Katie Rogers, president of the LGBTQ Caucus, for creating an event that was positive, peaceful and family-friendly. 


Here are photos from the protest:

The positions of Winston-Salem Mayor Pro Tempore and Northeast Ward City Council Member became vacant after the passing of Dr. Vivian Burke, a lifelong civil servant. Council Member D.D. Adams will serve as the new Mayor Pro Tempore. Morticia Parmon will fill the remaining term as City Council Member from the Northeast Ward.

City Council Member D.D. Adams was recommended to fill the role of Mayor Pro Tempore by Mayor Allen Joines. After the more senior members of the City Council – Robert Clark and Dan Besse – deferred to Mayor Joines's recommendation, the City Council voted unanimously to appoint Council Member Adams. 

On May 23, the FCDP's Northeast Ward District Executive Committee held an election to select the interim city council member from the Northeast Ward. The committee, composed of the Ward's precinct chairs and vice chairs, selected Morticia Parmon from among four candidates. Morticia Parmon will serve the Northeast Ward on the City Council until a new member is elected during the 2020 general election.

On May 19, the West Central Democrats took the first step in doing voter outreach in this time of sheltering in place and learned how to phonebank. The training included nine new volunteers plus our trainer and was focused on how to encourage voters to request absentee ballots.
 
Volunteers learned how to ask voters if they would be willing to consider absentee voting for the upcoming election – and if they could be emailed the request form. The phonebank script also included inquiring and documenting if assistance witnessing a voter’s ballot was needed. And like all good phone calls, it wrapped up with a volunteer “ask” to help the West Central Democrats continue doing voter outreach. 
 
This phonebank targeted the highest turnout voters within the West Central precincts (802, 803, 804 and 805). 

On Thursday, May 21 at 7:00pm and Friday, May 22 at 1:00pm, the Forsyth County Democratic Party is hosting two additional Phonebank trainings focused on connecting with voters. Sign up for training here – and if your precinct cluster would like its own training on a different date, please let us know.

On May 2, 2020, the Young Democrats of Forsyth County held two events for its members. The first event was a voter registration/census drive. The Young Democrats of Forsyth County teamed up with DJ Diesel from 102 Jamz over Instagram Live to illuminate the importance of students voting in November and registering for the census. ​

The second event included interviewing twelve candidates running for local, state, and national office. Members of YDFC asked each candidate several ​pointed questions about their background and policy initiatives.

Several Forsyth County Precincts recently had fun in the neighborhood, handing out masks to residents. The #MaskTheCity project included standing outside corner stores and going door-to-door to distribute the protective gear. These volunteers also spoke with the residents about the importance of voting in November and registering for the Census.

These Precincts plan to distribute more masks to the community in the upcoming weeks and are looking for more volunteers willing to help! If you are interested in helping with this endeavor, please contact Marva Reid at godstrlblzr@gmail.com. 

Here are some photos from their event: