By Lee Hedgepeth
Alabama Political Reporter
BIRMINGHAM— Last weekend, the Alabama Federation of Democratic held a meeting in Birmingham at the Jefferson County Democratic Headquarters. According to their website, afdwomen.com, their goals include “advancing the Democratic ideals of opportunity for all, responsibility from all and community of all by:
- Providing a forum for women to use their exceptional talents and unique perspectives to shape the policies of our national, state and local governments;
- Fostering a successful environment for individuals, families and businesses by advocating investment in innovation, technology, and an educated workforce;
- Safeguarding access to quality public education, affordable childcare and healthcare, and financial security for seniors;
- Electing qualified candidates who share our vision of a responsible and accountable government.”
Below is a statement from AFDW released exclusively to Alabama Political Reporter on their recent meeting, which included a visit from Judge Mark Kennedy, chairman of the Alabama Democratic Majority. The group also elected a new slate of leaders.
“Saturday saw the re-energizing of the Alabama Federation of Democratic Women. The organization, founded to encourage the involvement of women in the Democratic Party and on Democratic issues, met at the Jefferson County Democratic Headquarters on Saturday, September 7th. They heard from a prominent state Democrat and then elected a new crop of officers from across the state. ”
“Our speaker was Judge Mark Kennedy, founder of the Alabama Democratic Majority Judge Kennedy spoke about working with the AFDW in 2014 to help defeat the supermajority that has tried to strip hard-earned rights from women and others who tend to vote for Democrats. Judge Kennedy knows that Democrats must have the women’s vote in order to win and is anxious to work with AFDW to accomplish that goal.”
“The new officers: President Christian Smith (Mobile, Mobile Co.), President-Elect Margaret Baker (Mentone, Dekalb Co.), Secretary Bonnie Turner (Heflin, Cleburne Co.), and Treasurer Mary Johnson (Citronelle, Mobile Co.), are excited to work with the dynamic women of this state from North Alabama to South Alabama. Our goal for 2014 is to get more involved at the grassroots level to train more women to not only run for office, but to run campaigns. Too often women are not an integral part of campaigns, and we aim to train more women to not only run for office, but to run campaigns. Our goal is to empower women across the state to become more active politically and take back our state, one seat at a time. ”
“The AFDW welcomes not only women, but Democratic men to our organization. To keep up with us, please join us on Facebook – We’re on there as ‘Alabama Federation of Democratic Women.’ We’re working on the ability for people to join us online, meanwhile if you are interested in joining, please contact Christian Smith at cnsmith401ymail.com.”
