I actually feel directly involved in the insanity Saturday in Charlottesville because my maternal grandfather grew up in Fredericksburg, VA, which is in Spotsylvania County, just two counties south of where all the madness was yesterday. So I’m not oblivious to that mind set at all. The south is very insular. There are insiders and there are outsiders.
I remember one situation where I was being denied the information that I needed to join a social group, Eastern Star, because there was a misunderstanding about my grandfather and my great uncle being born in New York City. It wasn’t until I had an actual conversation with the head of the Masonic Temple in Arlington, VA and in simply chit chatting mentioning how my great-grand parents had to leave the farm (“plantation” but they called them “farms” post 1865) and go to New York but they hated the north so much that they moved back down south to live out their lives, that I was taken seriously. The minute that little anecdote about the farm was told the situation literally swung 180 degrees in my favor and I had the requested information in five minutes and they couldn’t wait for me to join their club. As soon as I identified as “daughter of the south” as opposed to “descendent of Yankee carpetbaggers who tortured us” I got what I needed with courtesy and dripping honeysuckle.
My point in sharing this is that the society back in Virginia is still insular and closed and what happened yesterday was a “flashpoint,” quite unpleasant. Let’s channel the negative energy and turn it around and make it count. I have read yesterday’s tragedy might herald a turning point in America and signal the demise of Trump and I would love to believe that.
In any event, this is the concrete and specific work that we need to do: August 29th there is a Special Election in Fairfax County, VA for a vacancy on the school board. Democrat Karen Keys-Gamarra is running against Republican Chris Grisafe. Keys-Gamarra is the obvious choice. Here’s a little bit about her track record:
Ms. Keys-Gamarra also has broad experience in the Fairfax community where she serves as a Fairfax County Planning Commissioner and volunteers for such organizations as the NAACP and CASA.
Keys-Gamarra has a diverse legal and community involvement background. She has worked at a state agency, non-profit organizations, and in private practice. As an attorney, she has handled a range of issues including bankruptcy, consumer concerns, family law, employment discrimination, union disputes and regulatory matters. Keys-Gamarra currently serves as an Advisory Board member for a domestic violence non-profit organization and has previously been appointed to the School Board Budget Task Force and currently serves the Schools Committee for the Planning Commission.
Keys-Gamarra has an extensive history of leadership in the community. She has been a Court Appointed Special Advocate (“CASA”) for children and has assisted in training new CASA volunteers.
Who better than a children’s advocate in the courts to advocate for their rights on the School Board?
We cannot have low turnout on this election. Not unless you want Donald Trump and his henchwoman Betsy DeVos to be calling the shots for these kids. If you live in Fairfax County, VOTE. Absentee voting is now open for the special election! Click here for details on how to vote absentee.
secure.actblue.com/… This is a link to Karen’s ActBlue page IF YOU CAN DONATE!$!
Bottom line, any Democrat is better than a Republican in office and in this case we have a fine Democratic candidate and a lousy Republican one — imagine that?
Look, if we’re going to defeat Trump, we’re going to have to do it at the grass roots level and that is right here, taking control of the situation. Now. Us. No. Other. Way.