I want you to stand with me to encourage people to help get out the vote.
http://www.90for90.org/ is a site dedicated to one man's fight to elect more and better democrats.
I want folks to imagine the courage and greatness of going door to door to canvass to get out the vote in the mid 1960's and doing so in the heart of the Confederacy during the Jim Crow era.
I sometimes think that it must have been difficult to be an activist and would require a special kind of courage to decide to run for office at a time in history when the KKK was at their height of cross burning. It took a special kind of courage knowing there were dogs biting at the heels of black activists in the old south. The Stars and Bars were flying higher, bolder and was accepted by more people than any other time in history .
Strom Thurmond was promoting the Stars and Bars Rebel Flag in South Carolina. George Wallace was saying, " Segregation now. Segregation forever". The Jim Crow era was very scary for those wanting a voice and a vote.
Why is the mainstream media not promoting the get out the vote effort? Why would years of hard work by this man and all good things done in a mindset of freedom be so easy to ignore ? Is this not what the idea of America is all about regarding the vote at the ballot box and encouraging folks to engage in our democracy? . Every democrat running for office should be getting people registered to vote. This is a grassroots movement at it's finest.
Dr. Reid does not need the Medal of Freedom because IMO, heroes know who they are. A man as humble as this man has already found his place in history but AMERICA needs that medal to be given in order to show their appreciation of such consistency of purpose. America needs to give Dr. Reid a place in the history books to show people still appreciate greatness. .
For the record, http://www.90for90.org/ was a dream child of Brenda Hill, an activist from Virginia and the founder of 90 for 90. Bernie Sanders supports the 90 for 90 movement and their honor paid to Dr. Reid, Sr. The National scene is sitting up and taking notice of Dr. Reid and The 90 for 90 movement . The 90 for 90 movement is not just about Virginia politics. The idea of 90 for 90 started locally but evolved to a much larger scale.
When high profile individuals and organizations such as Howard Dean and Bernie Sanders , Planned Parenthood, the National AFL-CIO join a political movement, they are saying this is a worthwhile project for Democrats and voter registration.
The inspiration for the movement is a BIG DEAL. Dr. Reid should be considered one of the greatest activists of all time.
The idea behind 90 for 90 is to register 90 new voters per Virginia precinct of which there are approximately 2,550 , in honor of Dr. Reid's 90th birthday. .
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This video is a heartfelt account of a legislator helped by Dr. Reid. Please watch it and then hear the applause.
I am a hard person to impress, but Dr. Ferguson Reid, Sr. has impressed me and inspired me like no other since John F. Kennedy.
Dr. Reid was a first in many fields. Dr. Reid worked in a Mash Unit during the Korean War. He later went on to be one of the first African American surgeons at Bethesda Naval Hospital. This fine civil rights icon managed to GOTV, use his skills as an activist and strategist to become a member of the Virginia State legislature. He accomplished all of this exhausting work while raising a family, working as a surgeon, and registering voters during an era of extreme danger.
When I learned that Dr. Ferguson Reid paved the way for the first Black Governor of any state in the history of the United States to be elected in the state of Virginia, I was impressed but later when I learned that he had worked for the State Dept. in Kabul when Russia invaded Afghanistan during the 80's, I was just speechless.
Dr. Reid is the perfect example of America. He has spoken to many of us here on Daily Kos to encourage many of us to run for office and offered his knowledge and his organizational skills of elections and it's process. He goes out of his way on behalf of representing the people at the grassroots level. I personally have not seen such dedication since we had folks like RFK. Martin Luther King and other well known movers and shakers in history.
Every group needs to be standing with Dr. Reid and helping the GOTV effort that was started in his honor. This is who we are at Daily Kos. Our purpose is to elect better and more democrats. This is the platform Dr. Reid stands on and absolutely the platform of 90 for 90. This is about one individual who has dedicated his entire life to getting out the vote and representation for all the people . He deserves to be recognizes if not by the medal of freedom, then supported on the 90 for 90 effort.
Brenda Hill wanted to honor Dr. Reid with a birthday present when he turned 90 years of age. She was told by Dr. Reid Jr. that his Dad would prefer advocacy for elections rather than a birthday cake. I just really believe he has earned the Presidential Medal of Freedom. I believe we have to be selective on whom we honor and for the right reasons. He possesses all the right reasons for such a medal. I also believe we have too few heroes in America. Dr. Reid is a hero.
The 90 for 90 movement is helping people like Daily Kos's Angela Marx run for office. Angie is known at Daily Kos as angie from washington. Dr. Reid has given up his time to speak to us individually and attend meetups to freely give personal advice to help democrats win elections.
I am on a mission to get American recognition for Dr. Reid I personally went to DC to talk with folks from CSPAN and legislators and met with Dr. Reid. Please join me in supporting 90 for 90. Please go to that webpage and Facebook and show your support for our voting rights and push for being part of something huge in the history books.
I believe as a movement we can pull the apathetic nay sayers out of the ashes and inspire people to get on the right side of history. I believe we can get on the side of history that reflects our better angels and produce excitement that not only encourages the vote but encourages everyday people to run in their local elections. I believe the movement encourages people to know they can make a difference.
A person's vote means as much on election day as any Koch money trying to buy legislators. The vote makes all things equal. We don't have Koch money. We do have people power.
Please join me and other Daily Kos groups by visiting the 90 for 90 website, Facebook page and be sure to share and like.
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