By Cat Ripley, Executive Director
Summer blew by and September hit us with a flurry of events, ending in the announcement that our first Democratic presidential primary candidate, Beto O’Rourke, plans to visit Tucson for a town hall on Sunday, October 6. Check the PCDP website calendar for details.
Each day fills HQ with action and excitement. Pima Dems tabled, marched, rallied, protested, wrote, blogged, canvassed, phone banked, got married, registered voters, communed and partied – all while attending school, getting jobs, keeping jobs, raising kids, tending sick loved ones and strangers, and just living their lives in our beautiful county.
September kicked off with a phenomenal turnout at the Pima Area Labor Federation’s Labor Day picnic and ended with another great showing at the Tucson Pride Festival and Parade, both at Reid Park. Labor unions are the backbone of our work force, ensuring not only workers’ rights, protections and safety, but holding elected officials accountable toward that end. Our LGBTQ+ community has made us all stronger, more compassionate, and more aware of civil rights than ever before. In two words: Better people.
Both events were fun, rewarding and inspirational. When you volunteer at events like these, you hold your head a bit higher and your spirits soar! Find the next event on our website, and volunteer.
On September 7, we kicked off our PCDP Platform Film Series. The Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Caucus joined with LD 9 and PCDP to screen the moving and important film, “And Then They Came for Us,” at HQ. Nearly 100 people from all LDs attended. Many had never been involved with the party but were truly interested in learning more about the topic of the Japanese-American internment camps during WWII, two here in Arizona. Shout-outs to Naomi Story and the AAPI for offering this event to the community, and to LD9 leadership for a beautiful refreshments spread.
The next movie will be, “Paris to Pittsburgh,” a documentary on climate change. It’s a fun, safe, cozy space for folks to gather and discuss, and it’s free! Details soon on the website.
I saved the best news for last: our four new interns! Adriana Bracamonte and Gilberto Garibaldi are with us part time. Pima Community College has sent us Chris Greenleaf, and Nicki Jaberian. They are super excited to learn, grow, and support PCDP. We are honored and grateful to have the talent, energy, and passion of this generation of Democrats!