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February is Black History Month
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Polk County Democratic Party Weekly Digest: Feb 14-20, 2022
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Polk County Democrats welcome Sen. Taddeo
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Local Black History Month Events
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Black History Festival
The public is invited to join the City of Lakeland in celebrating Black History Month at Jackson Park, 1130 Martin Luther King Junior Ave, on February 19 from 10 am - to 2 pm for the Annual Black History Festival. The event will be a fun-filled, family-friendly day with performances, food vendors, crafts, and historic displays. Members from the City of Lakeland’s Parks & Recreation Department will be giving away free plants, while supplies last. The event will be emceed by Unspoken Word, a local group of up-and-coming community leaders.
“The Art of the Highwaymen: From the Woodsby Family Collection”
The Polk Museum of Art will display close to 70 works in an exhibition entitled “The Art of the Highwaymen: From the Woodsby Family Collection.”
The Florida Highwaymen were self-taught African American artists who formed during segregation in the 1950s. The group disbanded in the 1980s having created more than 200,000 works, traveling along Florida’s highways selling their paintings out of the trunks of their cars or going door-to-door.
The exhibit will be on display in the Dorothy Jenkins Gallery from Saturday, February 19, through May 22. Polk Museum of Art is located at 800 E Palmetto Street.
Lakeland Black History Discovery Trail
The City of Lakeland invites the community to join on an educational adventure by visiting city facilities to learn about Lakeland’s Black pioneers. This self-led activity encourages explorers young and old to learn about local individuals of color that helped shape Lakeland’s history. For those unable to visit the locations in person, there is an online option at www.lakelandgov.net/discoverytrail.
Click here to find the trail stop locations, where you can pick up an activity card and get a sticker for each visit. The first 100 completed cards, and presented at Simpson Park Community Center, will receive a Black History Month Commemorative Bag filled with goodies. The event ends February 25.
Book Signing by Charles B. Warren
Award-winning local author Charles B. Warren will be signing his book “From Slavery to Community Builder: The Story of Lawrence B. Brown”, on February 26 from 2 pm at the Polk County History Center.
Charles will be joined by Clifton Lewis to present the compelling story of Lawrence B. Brown, a man born into slavery who became a successful entrepreneur during Bartow’s boom period. The signing will feature readings by both Warren and Lewis, as well as a brief question and answer period.
Books will be available for purchase and signing by the authors: $25 for softcover and $35 for hardcover. Payment can be made by cash, check or PayPal. All profits benefit the continued operations of the L.B. Brown House Museum.
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Call to Action: Contact your State Representative to demand a NO vote on the 15-week abortion bill
HB 5 Fetal and Infant Mortality Reduction (the 15-week abortion ban) has passed all of its committees of reference and is expected to be voted in the House as early as Tuesday, Feb. 15. You -- and everyone you know -- must now contact your individual State Representatives and demand they vote "NO" on this unconstitutional invasion of privacy that mandates women stay pregnant against their wills.
The following is a list of Representatives covering various districts within Polk County. Click on their link to find the contact details.
Representative Melony Bell, House District 56
Representative Colleen Burton, House District 40
Representative Sam Killebrew, House District 41
Representative Fred Hawkins Jr, House District 42
Representative Josie Tomkow, House District 39
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Let Florida Vote! Central Florida Voting Rights Forum
Join the ACLU of Florida for a virtual forum to discuss the state of election policy in Florida and tune in for an update on local elections happening across Orange County on Thursday, February 17 from 6-7 pm.
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From the Florida Democratic Party:
RUBIO BACKS FLORIDA’S “DON’T SAY GAY” LEGISLATION
In an interview last week, Sen Marco Rubio came out in favor of Florida Republicans’ “don’t say gay” bill, which would likely ban Florida teachers from discussing topics related to sexual orientation or gender identity in the classroom. The legislation has drawn widespread condemnation from LGBTQ+ rights organizations and leaders, who have noted that it could even prevent teaching about the Pulse Nightclub shooting.
“This legislation is designed to stigmatize students who are already more likely to be bullied and targeted at school because of who they are, and Marco Rubio’s support of it is another sign that he’s too weak to stand up for vulnerable Floridians who need support. Florida parents and teachers should be able to do what’s best for their kids without self-serving politicians like Marco Rubio projecting hate and trying to silence classroom discussions,” said Florida Democratic Party spokesperson Grant Fox.
This isn’t the first time Marco Rubio has backed a bill that threatens the equal rights of all Floridians. He previously called allowing LGBTQ+ parents to adopt a “social experiment,” gave a speech on his opposition to gay marriage in Orlando two months after the Pulse shooting, and voted against legislation in the Senate to ban employment discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity.
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Mulberry City Council Election Deadlines
In advance of the Mulberry City Council general election on April 5, 2022, please note the following deadlines:
Candidate qualifying period: Ends February 22
Voter registration: March 7, on line via the Florida Online Voter Registration System. Voters can also request to vote by mail via the Polk County Supervisor of Elections website, where you can also make any changes to your name or address.
The Polk County DEC encourages Mulberry residents eligible to run for Seats #2 and #4, or Mayor-at-Large, to seriously consider becoming a candidate to help turn Polk Blue in '22, at all levels of government. For further details and materials needed to file for candidacy, visit the City of Mulberry website.
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Call to Action: Voter Registration
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Weekly Lakeland Curb Market
Can you spare 1-2 hours or more between the hours of 9 am - 2 pm on a Saturday, each week or once a month? If so, please sign up! We are not allowed to set up a table, so you will be standing on a corner with your clipboard.
Please note that bilingual (especially Spanish/English) volunteers are needed for all voter registration events!
Voter Registration Training: Wednesday, February 16, at 1 pm, via ZOOM. Click here to register.
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Important Dates and Meetings
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Steering Committee & Regular DEC Meetings
The next DEC Steering Committee meeting will be held on Monday, March 7.
The next Regular DEC Meeting will be held from 6.30 pm on Monday, February 21 - please note the change from the regular meeting day. Click here to register for the Zoom meeting. |
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Guest speaker will be Dr. Samuel M. Edelman, is one of the founding faculty members of the new Academic Council for Israel, and its executive director, and a member of the Academic Engagement Network (AEN).
Northeast Polk Democratic Club - Wednesday, Feb 16 at 7 pm
The meeting will start by electing officers to the board, as needed.
Upcoming Polk County DEC Mobilize Events
Keep us up to date: If you would like to feature what your club or caucus is doing or introduce a new president, other office holder or person of interest, please send information to polkdemwd@gmail.com
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Democratic Party of Polk County, Club & Caucus Links
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Mailing Address:
Due to the pandemic the Democratic Party of Polk County has closed the office in Lakeland.
The mailing address is the following:
The Democratic Party of Polk County, 6039 Cypress Gardens Boulevard, Suite 328, Winter Haven, FL 33884
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