Inside This Issue:
- The Host Committee & HCDP Invite You to a Virtual JRR!
- Continue to Mask Up, Get Tested, & Sign up for a Vaccine
- Your Vote Matters - May 1, 2021
- COVID-19 Relief Set to Help Millions of Families
- More than 1,000 Families Check-In at Fifth-Ward Community Event
- CEC Meeting & Upcoming Trainings
- Meet HCDP Leadership Academy Member — Gabrielle Izu
- Help Support HCDP Through Our Membership Program
- We Run the World Event to Celebrate Women’s Achievements
The Host Committee & HCDP Invite You to a Virtual JRR!
We are thrilled to announce that we are having a virtual JRR this year on March 25, 2021 at 5:00 PM!
This virtual conference, Our Time is Now!, will feature Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi with an appearance by DNC Chair Jaime Harrison. Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo will moderate the discussion. A silent auction will go live on March 18th with items of interest for everyone! Be on the lookout for details in the coming week.
From the bottom of our hearts we want to thank the generous democratic leaders of Harris County that have stepped up to support this virtual event!
| GOOD TROUBLEMAKERS Congresswoman Sylvia Garcia David Lee & The Texas Signal Amber Mostyn |
MOVERS & SHAKERS Commissioner Adrian Garcia Justice Charles Spain Judge Scot Dollinger Judge Chip Wells | Judge Jim Kovach Judge Dawn Rogers County Treasurer Dylan Osborne Council Member Robert Gallegos Senate District 13 Precinct 0398 Chair Dee Coleman Meyerland Area Democrats The Spring Democratic Club Cypress-Tomball Democrats Greater Heights Democratic Club The Democratic Club of the Woodlands Texas Democratic Women Harris County Bayou Blue Democrats & Harris County Young Dems Kingwood Area Democrats Edward R. Allen III | Jeff Watters Rita Bergers | Camille Foster Henry Florsheim | Alexander Obregon |
| GLASS CEILING BREAKERS State Senator Borris Miles State Senator John Whitmire Judge Tanya Garrison Judge Donna Roth Judge Beau Miller |
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| PARTY ACTIVATORS State Representative Gene Wu State Representative Jon Rosenthal Judge Robert Schaffer Judge Mike Engelhart Judge Julia Maldonado Dave Mattheisen Allen Boone Humphries Robinson LLP |
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| DREAM MAKERS Congresswoman Lizzie Fletcher State Senator Carol Alvarado Commissioner Rodney Ellis District Attorney Kim Ogg Judge Ursula Hall Judge Lauren Reeder Judge Natalia Cokinos Oakes Judge Cory Sepolio Judge Lesley Briones Judge Elaine Palmer Judge Cheryl Elliott Thornton Judge Michelle Moore Judge Fredericka Phillips Judge Kristen Hawkins Judge Jason Cox Judge Leah Shapiro Judge Jerry Simoneaux Judge Latosha Lewis Payne Judge Brittanye Morris County Attorney Christian Menefee District Clerk Marilyn Burgess County Clerk Teneshia Hudspeth Hon. Chris Hollins | ROADWomen Southwest Democrats | Odus Evbagharu Ashleigh Rickertsen | Paul Morgan Robert Loeb | William Jonson Carly Milner | Laura Spanjian Akilah Bacy |
As of 3/12/2021 | 5:00 PM
Continue to Mask Up, Get Tested, & Sign up for a Vaccine
This week, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott lifted the state-wide mask mandate and removed COVID-19-related restrictions for businesses and establishments.
We urge everyone to continue to practice social distancing, mask up, get tested, and sign up for a vaccine, if eligible.
Your Vote Matters - May 1, 2021
If you feel overwhelmed with how daunting the problems of today are, start small. Your vote matters and has an impact on local races that affect public education, social work and more in your area. Any action is better than no action!
Early Vote begins April 19, 2021.
COVID-19 Relief Set to Help Millions of Families
"[IRS] Officials said that beginning on Monday, people can ... track their own payments."
Thanks to the leadership of President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, the American Rescue Plan was passed and signed by the Presidnent on Thursday. This COVID-19 relief plan will send direct payments to millions of Texans, provid aid for state and local governments and so much more.
More than 1,000 Families Check-In at Fifth-Ward Community Event
Thank you to Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, Senator Borris Miles, Representative Harold Dutton, Commissioner Rodney Ellis, Council Member Tarsha Jackson and everyone else who helped make the Fifth Ward Community Check-In a great resource to the community! Volunteers from Coalition of Community Organizations, Fifth Ward Civic Club, Super Neighborhood #55 and HCDP distributed food and water to up to 1,000 families.
So many families are still struggling to recover from COVID-19, and now the need throughout the Houston area has increased since last month's winter storm. Help the Houston Food Bank give back to the community.
CEC Meeting & Upcoming Trainings
CEC Meeting
The first County Executive Committee (CEC) meeting of the year is set for Thursday, March 18, 2021, at 7:00 PM! The meeting will be held virtually via Zoom for current HCDP Precinct Chairs only. All other Democratic members may view the livestream on our YouTube page. Precinct chairs are encouraged to attend this CEC meeting for nominations and swearing in of Precinct Chairs to fill vacancies, and an opportunity to hear reports from HCDP Standing Committee Chairs and the Harris County Democratic Party Chair.
Upcoming Virtual Trainings
Whether you're a new Democratic Precinct Chair/Captain or looking to go through a refresher, join us for a Precinct Chair Orientation on Saturday, March 27, 2021, at Noon. The HCDP team will go over the responsibilities of being a Precinct Chair, give a brief explanation of the HCDP party structure, and share resources on how to hit the ground running in preparation for the 2022 Midterm Election.
Votebuilder Training
We're hosting a Votebuilder 101 training on Thursday, April 8, 2021, at 6:00 PM and on Saturday, April 10, 2021, at Noon. Both dates will consist of the same training. Choose the best date for you!
Our team will dive into how to utilize Votebuilder (also known as VAN or Voter Activation Network) to identify potential Democrats and begin to familiarize yourself with VAN before the next election season.
Precinct Organizing Training
Finally, join us for a Precinct Organizing Training either on Thursday, April 15, 2021 at 6:00 PM or Saturday, April 17, 2021 at 12:00 PM! We'll cover how to organize your precinct throughout 2021, share best practices for new precinct chairs/captains (or those who may want a refresher), and learn about the resources available to help you along the way.
Meet HCDP Leadership Academy Member — Gabrielle Izu
Our 10-week virtual program is underway, and we have some amazing folks we'd like you to hear from! Gabrielle Izu (she/her), a high school student who is passionate about learning how to organize her community joined Team HCDP this Spring.
"Just over two months have passed since the infamous capitol riot pictured above. When I first found out about the capitol insurrection, I was almost unable to be fazed. Many of you know how easy it is to become desensitized to what is going on in the world today when you feel as if you’ve 'seen it all.'
After witnessing the capitol riot, I decided I should stop adopting an attitude of indifference and instead take action. I am now in the HCDP Leadership Academy and happy to be collaborating with people who are just as enthusiastic about helping the Houston community as I am!
"Two weeks ago I would have never dreamed of being able to phone bank, but with the guidance of the amazing HCDP staff I was able to call community members who were impacted by the recent winter storm to identify what aid they needed."
In the first five weeks of the program, Gabrielle -- along with the rest of the academy -- has acquired skills in volunteer recruitment and management, various direct voter contact methods, event planning, and election worker management. We're building up the future leaders to Turn Texas Blue!
Help Support HCDP Through Our Membership Program
The Harris County Democratic Party membership program has five membership levels:
- Friend of HCDP - $10 a month
- Ally of HCDP - $15 a month
- Activist of HCDP - $30 a month
- Advocate of HCDP - $60 a month
- Champion of HCDP - $125 a month
Sustaining members who donate a regular monthly or annual amount allow us to underwrite our day-to-day operations. This is how we pay our staff. This is how we support Democratic candidates. This is how we fund our voter outreach.
This is how we win in 2022.
We Run the World Event to Celebrate Women’s Achievements
Have you reserved your spot to join ROADwomen, H-BAD & HCDP as we celebrate International Women's Month - Virtually?
On April 16th, we'll be highlighting the true diversity of Harris County's artists, elected officials, and grassroots activists. Your sponsorship of this event will help us catapult our strategy of registering women voters and first-time voters. With your support, we can help keep our progressive candidates in office and help new candidates flip the seats we need to Turn Texas Blue.
Let's celebrate women and show that We Run The World!