July 8, 2021

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Conservatives keep talking about “Critical Race Theory,” but what they are really worried about is someone teaching actual history to their children, rather than the fairy tales they prefer. Here in Texas, there is no myth bigger in Texas history than the Alamo myth - the William Travis/Davey Crockett/Jim Bowie Disney-fied version, where outnumbered brave and gallant Texians stand up to the brutal tyrant General Santa Ana’s army and become martyrs to the cause of Texas independence. It is true that Colonel Travis led some 200 Texian defenders against Santa Ana’s army of 6,000 in a doomed stand at an indefensible mission in San Antonio, but much of the rest of the story is mostly made up.

• Travis didn’t make a desperate stand at the Alamo to buy time for Sam Houston to raise his army; he was there to garrison a key town (San Antonio), and simply didn’t know that Santa Ana was on the way until it was too late to evacuate his force.
• The Alamo’s defenders weren’t all killed in the Alamo. Many fled before it was overwhelmed and were cut down by Mexican cavalry.
• It is nearly certain that Davey Crockett was captured at the battle and executed days later along with other prisoners taken at the Alamo.

We also must not lose sight of the fact that Texians, US citizens who came to Mexico (Texas at that time was part of Mexico) either legally or illegally, came to establish cotton plantations using slaves. The Texians' conflict with the Mexican government arose because Mexico had outlawed slavery, and was getting ready to start enforcing that ban in Texas. For the legal migrants anyway, all had become Mexican citizens and had sworn an oath of loyalty to Mexico, agreed to become Catholic, learn Spanish, and abide by all laws of Mexico. They rebelled because they didn't like the laws they had already agreed to abide by.

The Republican-led Texas state government is getting heavily involved in the Alamo controversy. A recently published book is titled “Forget the Alamo,” which debunks much of the Alamo mythology. The authors embarked on a book tour, including an event that included the Bullock Texas State History Museum. Several Texas Republican officials, including Governor Abbott, Lt Governor Patrick, and House Speaker Dade Phelan are on the board. Under pressure from at least Patrick, who tweeted his involvement, the State Museum officials canceled their participation in the event. Again, this is all about whitewashing our history for the benefit of white conservatives. Why is the state government even involved?

What can you do? Know the history being taught to your children. Make sure the truth is being taught, even if it is uncomfortable. Keep track of what's happening with your school district. Go to the Board of Trustee meetings, and speak out in support of factual, not whitewashed, history. Finally, pay attention to ISD Board of Trustee elections, and support candidates who will advocate for factual history as part of a broad-based public school curriculum.

Learn More:

Texas State museum Canceled Book Event Examining Slavery’s Role in Battle of the Alamo (The Texas Tribune)

The Next Battle of the Alamo (Texas Monthly)

What Does The Alamo Really Represent? (KERA Think Podcast)

SPECIAL LEGISLATIVE SESSION #1 KICKS OFF THIS WEEK

This is the first of at least two special sessions; the second will address redistricting and will be called later this year when Census data is released. Normally redistricting would have occurred during the regular session, but the Census data was delayed due to the COVID pandemic. And there may well be a third special session - watch this space.

THIS WEEK IN VOTING RIGHTS HISTORY

This day in voting rights history: On July 9, 1868, the Fourteenth Amendment was ratified. It granted citizenship to all persons "born or naturalized in the United States," including formerly enslaved people, and provided all citizens with “equal protection under the laws,” extending the provisions of the Bill of Rights to the states. The amendment authorized the government to punish states that abridged citizens’ right to vote by proportionally reducing their representation in Congress. Among its provisions, it granted Congress the power to enforce this amendment, a provision that led to the passage of other landmark legislation in the 20th century, including the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Congress required former Confederate states to ratify the Fourteenth Amendment as a condition of regaining federal representation.

The Fourteenth Amendment's guarantee of "equal protection under the laws,” is of particular relevance as we continue to grapple with the fact that Blacks and other People of Color do not in fact enjoy equal protection under the laws. Democrats continue to work to achieve justice for all Americans as is guaranteed by the Constitution, and specifically the Fourteenth Amendment.

TURNING COLLIN BLUE IN '22

The REGISTER COLLIN campaign moves to Frisco this weekend to canvass for new voters in one of our fastest-growing cities!

Sign up below for dates on Saturday and Sunday, July 10 and 11. If you're new, we'll train you, and you'll be paired with an experienced canvasser regardless. Come on out and help us flip Collin County #Blue2022!

If you'd rather phone bank, you can do that too! Sign up below.

Learn about the REGISTER COLLIN campaign.

#Blue2022 #RegisterCollin

PRECINCT CHAIR OF THE MONTH - JUNE 2021

The backbone of the Collin County Democratic Party, Diane Bolak has been a Party volunteer since 2008. Currently holding the position of Party Vice-Chair, Chair of the Administration Committee, and Precinct Chair in Allen #120, Diane has been Treasurer, Finance Committee member, Ann Richards Dinner Committee member, contract negotiator, office renovator, donation solicitor, block walker, lit dropper, phone banker, texter, funds raiser, organizer, infection control implementer, as well as election judge, and alternate judge. 

Diane’s impeccable judgement and professional experience contributes to her ability to plan for the future, anticipate pitfalls, negotiate conflicts and lead people to compromise. This comes from her years in healthcare service and administration. She is only short writing a dissertation for her PhD in biological anthropology. Life happens to professional women and the dissertation was put on hold to open three professional dental offices for her spouse. She is always willing to lend an ear, have a conversation and she always answers her phone! This is sometimes a rare commodity. Although a quiet, soft spoken person, Diane can deliver information in a manner, with a “voice smile” that makes a person feel important. She may be grinding her teeth, but you would never know.

This Collin County Democratic Party would not have advanced to it’s point today without the work and positive influence of Diane Bolak. Please join me in thanking her as we name her PRECINCT CHAIR OF THE MONTH for June 2021.

Commissioners Court: Chris Hill and Darrell Hale were absent, so the 13-minute meeting consisted of five public speakers and the lightning-fast passing of the consent agenda. The commissioners spent more time saying the pledge of allegiance and their illegal prayer than they did voting.

Two of the speakers asked for accountability for Marvin Scott III. A third announced that she and her book club friends formed the People Against Coerced Shots (PACS) to “educate” about the pressure to get vaccinated. Sadly, the crazy anti-vaxxers are still among us. Joshua Murray requested that the commissioners analyze their vaccine roll-out performance in order to discover lessons learned. The CEO of Pfizer theorized we’ll probably need booster shots soon, so it’s important for the county to figure out how to do that efficiently. Spoiler alert: these commissioners are so against citizen services that they won’t spend even one minute on that... (Read More)

Plano City Council: Plano will get $36.2 million total from the American Rescue Plan. The staff proposed $1 million to the convention/tourism fund, $1.5 million to the recreation/revolving fund, $15.7 million to the general fund, $8 million for a new traffic vehicle detection system, and the remaining $7.7 million to be allocated during the usual budget cycle for general items. Staff pointed out that the only fund that wasn’t demolished during COVID was the golf courses (shocking), so they recommend caution for the upcoming year.

Mayor Muns said he’d talked to mayors across Texas and everyone is doing the same thing with their funds. They’re initially replenishing lost funds, then addressing public safety, infrastructure, and similar projects. Maybe I’m missing something but it sure seems like no one’s implementing needed services, like daycare, educational improvements, small business assistance, etc. Why not? Those programs are way more important than tourism or golfing. The council passed the recommendation 6-2 with Williams and Riccadelli voting against it. Riccadelli hoped the funds could go toward decreasing debt in the future while Williams wanted it all in a general fund. I’m not sure either of them understands the importance of actually providing city services.

The issue of allowing backyard hens was discussed. Lots of the public speakers were in favor while Animal Services was not. However, the council voted unanimously to have Animal Services present an ordinance legalizing backyard chickens. It sounds like Plano’s getting backyard chickens! Please treat them well!

Plano School Board: In March, evidence of the bullying of 8th grader, SeMarion Humphrey, went viral. In response, PISD agreed to (1) create a director position to oversee diversity, equity, and inclusion work; (2) propose professional learning for all staff on cultural responsiveness; and (3) develop a strategic plan for diversity, equity, and inclusion. Brian Lyons took on the role of director full-time beginning June 21st. Next up should’ve been developing a strategic plan but Dr. Courtney Gober, Assistant Superintendent for Student, Family, and Community Services, shrugged, saying they just hadn’t gotten around to Goal #3 yet. Perhaps calls from parents and voters insisting PISD come up with a tangible plan quickly will motivate her.... (Read More)

CCDP SPONSORS BACK-TO-SCHOOL BASH!

Family, Fun, and Food Featured in Back-to-School Bash!

The first day of school is just about a month away and the CCDP is celebrating with a Back-to-School Bash on Saturday, August 7 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. The family-friendly event will be held at Finch Park, 301 W. Standifer in McKinney. 

The festivities will include games for adults and kids, food trucks, snow cones, and music. Don’t miss the fun, register here. (LINK?)

CCDP is also collecting school supplies for the Love Life Foundation in McKinney at the back-to-school bash. The foundation is providing school supplies for children in need; see the link for a list of needed school supplies.

Look for the pavilion marked CCDP with blue and gold balloons. The shady park also features a splash pad, so pack plenty of towels! Please RSVP below so we know how many to expect. We also need volunteers - sign up below! See you August 7.

When: Saturday, August 7, 11 a.m. - 1 p.m.

Where: Finch Park, 301 W. Standifer, McKinney

ALLEN AREA DEMOCRATS CLUB MEETING

Join the Allen Area Democrats for our July in-person meeting at Rudy's BBQ. Join the club, have some barbecue, and meet your fellow Democrats.

Guest speakers will include Michele Ingalls, who will be talking about how we can register voters and help make our community more democratic (and Democratic!).

HEALTH NOTICE: We're very happy that our community is wearing masks, getting vaccinated, and protecting themselves and our community so that we can begin hosting in-person events like this one. If you are not vaccinated or are otherwise vulnerable, please consider staying home. We look forward to seeing all of our fellow Democrats in person soon.

When: Sunday, July 11, 5 p.m.

Where: Rudy's BBQ, 1790 Central Expy N, Allen

DEMOCRATIC CLUB AT HERITAGE RANCH

Speaker's Forum

Dr. Misty Hook, Local Politics Director for the Collin County Democratic Party, will present “The Battle for Democracy Begins at Home.” Dr. Hook will talk about local activism and other opportunities to participate in local politics.

When: Wednesday, July 14, 6 p.m. – 7 p.m.

Where: Heritage Ranch Golf & Country Club, 465 Scenic Ranch Cir, Fairview

Women Organizing Women Democrats July Meeting:

Get Out the Vote, Texas!

Join WOW Dems for their first in-person meeting in over a year! The meeting will broadcast live on the WOW Dems Facebook page as well.

Guest Speaker Joanna Cattanach has dedicated her life to education in community colleges and at the university level before running for Texas House Representative in District 108.

Now Joanna is focused on registering voters across North Texas.

Building consistent voter turnout takes time and investment and includes both partisan and non-partisan races. GOTV Texas PAC invests in proven direct voter contact methods and invests in Democratic campaigns where turnout is key to win elections and expand Democratic outreach year-round.

WOW Dems will be collecting feminine hygiene products for Emily's Place. You can contribute by purchasing items through their Amazon wishlist OR you can bring the following items to our meeting (super absorbency tampons and pads, overnight pads.)

When: Wednesday, July 15, 7 p.m.

Where: Collin College Preston Ridge Campus Room C-105-S, 9700 Wade Blvd, Frisco

JOE JAWORSKI FOR ATTORNEY GENERAL MEET AND GREET

McKinney, the hometown of Texas Attorney General (and felony-indicted) Ken Paxton, is ready to show him the door. Please join us to meet Joe Jaworski, Democratic candidate for Attorney General, and help rid Texas of Ken Paxton. Details: The Sanctuary in McKinney, 6-8 p.m. on Sunday, July 18. Suggested donation $50 for individuals, $75 per couple. Wine and appetizers will be served.

Event is sponsored by McKinney Area Democrats Club and the Host Committee: Angie Bado, Mark Phariss, Cissy Oldner, Debbie O'Reilly, Carol Scarborough, and Manu and Jagreet Lail.

When: Sunday, July 18, 6 - 8 p.m.

Where: The Sanctuary, 6633 Virginia Pkwy #102, McKinney

Suggested Donation: $50 individual, $75 couple

emBOLDenHER

The Center for Women in Politics and Public Policy at Texas Woman's University will be hosting campaign workshops on July 14 and July 31. They are free, virtual, and nonpartisan, with an emphasis on helping women run for office.

This free, virtual workshop series will help attendees with the basics on how to prepare and run for office in Texas. The two-afternoon series will feature workshops and speakers covering topics like getting started, selecting a treasurer, profiling a district, working with political parties, getting out the vote, precinct walking, messaging, fundraising, and more. We'll have workshops with consultants, Q&As with noted officeholders, and panels with women officeholders and candidates sharing their experiences running for office.

Sign up for one afternoon or sign up both! The events are virtual via Zoom. They are open to anyone in Texas. Our schedule of events includes:

Saturday, July 17, 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.

Session 1: First Steps

Keynote + Q&A: Delilah Agho-Otoghile, Executive Director, Harris County Democratic Party

Session 2: Party Support and the Basics of Precinct Analysis

Panel Discussion: Voter outreach and meeting your voters

Saturday, July 31, 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.

Keynote + Q&A: Justice Eva Guzman, Texas Supreme Court

Session 3: Messaging

Panel Discussion: Media, Social Media, and Messaging

Session 4: Fundraising

To register, please visit our Eventbrite.

The CCDP physical office is closed until further notice for safety. Our office staff are, however, working for you from home and available by telephone at 972-578-1483 or contact us on the web at collindemocrats.org.

Check our Online Events!

Collin County Democratic Party (CCDP) | 972-578-1483 | www.collindemocrats.org © 2021

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