If you can’t read that link here it is in useful format https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/2/3/2150925/-Introducing-My-4-Legged-Fam
Today I caught a message on Twitter
Yes, I understand that the evil Villain of the day is his Pastiness, and he bought up the Birdhouse and thence commenced to destroy it.
Except that you can Block and Mute all of that crazy away and STILL follow and read from scientists and doctors like https://twitter.com/AndreaR9Md who provide information in the field s/he retired from, like people here at Daily Kos do. You can also read and follow actual News Reporters from the field, from around the world, like https://twitter.com/JonHutson
END RANT/
Who is Dr Wm Ferguson Reid, Sr?
He may be one of the most impressive State level politicians in Virginia state history, post-Reconstruction.
His son (Dr Wm Ferguson Reid, Jr) and others formed the 90For90.org organization in honor of Wm Senior’s 90th birthday in 2015.
The goal of 90For90.org is:
In honor of Dr. William F. "Fergie" Reid's 90th birthday and his long history of expanding voters' rights, we commit to registering new voters for this year’s election.
They just never stopped after that, you can see their success on their site at https://www.90for90.org/, they keep the statistics on their Home Page, just scroll down a bit and see this:
While they aren’t making 250K or more every year (but they are close), two times they got just over 400K & just under 500K!
Our own Crimson Quillfeather wrote a story about Reid Sr in 2017
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2017/9/30/1702763/-The-Man-With-A-Strong-Political-Heart
an excerpt from that story:
The person I’m referring to is Dr. William Ferguson “Fergie” Reid Sr., the first African American legislator elected to the Virginia Assembly, since reconstruction. He revolutionized the way he went about building a voter database, and connecting it with the relationships he built in his precinct and out wards. His electoral win in Virginia most certainly paved the pathway for Governor Douglas Wilder, Deval Patrick and Barack Obama.
Dr. Reid Sr., did it at a time when there were no computers, and when Virginia was in the thrall of the political organization known as the Byrd Machine. The latter was a political organization which was led by Harry F. Byrd Sr., who had not only signed the Southern Manifesto, but he, his political machine, and affiliated friends moreover, pitched a statewide tantrum as they opposed school integration. They called it the Massive Resistance. It was the era of Poll Tax and Literacy Tests; an era which was the precursor before African Americans could vote without such stupefying obstructions. The Poll Tax back then was a $1.50 :
That first link in that block of text is to this Richmond.com (updated) 2019 article, which you should really go read in full.
https://richmond.com/special-section/black-history/dr-william-ferguson-reid/article_b26338cb-1e2d-5e59-94f9-be5d66da1787.html
excerpt:
Dr. William Ferguson Reid was at the vanguard of two pivotal events in the re-emergence of black political power in Virginia.
Reid, a surgeon, co-founded the Richmond Crusade for Voters in 1956 to register and mobilize black voters during Massive Resistance.
A dozen years later, Reid would reap the fruits of the seeds planted by the Crusade, becoming the first black member of the Virginia General Assembly since Reconstruction. Reid's support cut across racial lines as he garnered the most votes among the winners on the Democratic ticket.
In 2022, just before turning over the keys to the Governor’s mansion to Glen Younkin, then Governor of Virginia Ralph Northman honored Dr Reid by renaming this project “Reid Row” as they set the reconstruction of the site program up:
https://www.glaveandholmes.com/projects/morson-row
excerpt
REID’S ROW is one of the earliest examples of Italianate architecture in Richmond, Virginia. The three bow front townhouses are located at 219-223 Governor Street near Richmond’s Capitol Square. The property, constructed in 1853 and designed by James Morson as a rental property, is now largely vacant. Reid’s Row is the only remaining evidence of the residential neighborhood that once surrounded Capitol Square and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The buildings have received various upgrades and general refurbishment; however, they have deteriorated significantly since vacancy.
The Department of General Services hired G&HA for the renovation and adaptive reuse of Reid’s Row. G&HA began the process with a historic assessment, which will help guide the careful repairs and upgrades to the historic property. The three buildings have a total floor area of approximately 24,000 square feet, which is split over four stories. One challenge has been determining how to provide accessible circulation between each building. The design team is working to strategically insert a new circulation spine and tower that will provide an accessible route to each floor. The renovated facility will provide offices and various spaces for use by the state government.
The Wikipedia page for Dr Wm Ferguson Reid, Sr is a good one, too: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Ferguson_Reid
All in all Dr William Ferguson Reid, Sr has led a laudatory life
But sometimes there is just never enough good which can be said about some people. This post is from the Henrico County Democrats of Virginia and #BHM means Black History Month
A life well lived, an honor well deserved, a man to be admired and listened to when it comes to how to get red states bluer…