There were millions of Germans in the 1930s who didn’t like where their country was going, but kept their heads down and went along. History does not respect their decision. There were millions of Americans in the 1950s who hated Joe McCarthy and the Red Scare but never spoke up. They became known as the Silent Generation. It wasn’t a compliment.

We are not, yet, at the point of societal breakdown or civil war and we need never be—if we take a stand now. Don’t be silent. Speak up. In whatever way you are capable. Run for office, write letters and postcards, organize in your neighborhood. Donate.

Make sure history—and your descendants—remember you with honor and pride.

Join us for the next round of Days of Action, canvassing to enroll voters in Vote-by-Mail:

Moms 4 Liberty and the Florida Citizen's Alliance are still, in the name of Parental Rights and Freedom, working tirelessly in Lee County and across the state to take away a parent's right to make educational decisions about which books and curriculum their child can have access to in our public schools. And now, the Florida Legislature, in their wisdom, has passed a bill, supported by these same well-funded groups, offering school districts the choice of having "Chaplains" offering "spiritual guidance" to students during school hours. We all need to understand what having "Chaplains" in our schools will mean in practice. Who will these people be? What kind of training, education, and world outlook will they have?  What does "spiritual guidance" mean and how will anyone know what goes on during these meetings? The students in Lee County are in dire need of trained, professional counselors. But, of course these highly qualified people are not volunteers. There are very few of them and they work with 100's of students each. I don't know about you but lots of us have the notion that these volunteer "chaplains" will soon be touted as substitutes for real professional counselors.

If and when the Lee County School Board discusses "inviting" Chaplains into our schools The Purple Group, Non-Partisan Advocates for Public Schools, Students, Parents and Teachers, will be there. Let's educate ourselves now and be ready to stand up for what is best for students.

To learn more about what this all means, join Rev. Rachel Gunter-Chapard, co-founder of Pastors for Florida Children, who will be speaking on Chaplains in Public Schools at the next Families for Strong Public Schools meeting on May 3 at 3pm.

If you would like to attend this meeting, you can sign up here.

Bringing Laughter to Lee County:

As a candidate for Florida State Senate District 33, I've discovered a potent force in comedy for engaging and empowering our constituents. With a fervor for merging entertainment with progressive politics, my team and I have embarked on a journey to cultivate dialogue and camaraderie within our political movement.

Our efforts have found a welcoming home at the Democratic Headquarters in the Broadway Palm Plaza, nestled at 1400 Colonial Blvd, Suite 61, Fort Myers, FL. It's within these walls that we've pioneered the "Bluer than Average" comedy nights, infusing humor into our political discourse while fostering an inclusive environment for supporters and community members alike.

Circle May 11th on your calendars for our next event, promising an evening brimming with laughter and camaraderie. Taking center stage is the incomparable Rob Churchill, celebrated for his razor-sharp wit and Read More

Are you looking for information specifically for Precinct Leaders? Where we can share what’s working, brainstorm ideas for engagement and by support and motivate each other through community? It may be available soon through our own chat group in the Reach app. It provides an easy-to-use platform to organize and initiate conversations specific to Lee County Precinct Leaders.

Start by downloading the app. Our group chat is being set up through the Florida Democrats chat. You need to join that first, be sure to ADD that you are in Lee County to the automated email. After joining you will be able to join the Lee Democrats chat with the Campaign Key of 4SHESZ

The Lee Precinct Leaders Chat will be a sub-group of Lee Democrats in the Reach app. If you would like an invitation once it is available send your name, phone, zip code to Amy Blakeley at Amyleedems110@gmail.com.

Lee County Democrats elected as delegates to the 2024 Democratic National Convention to be held in Chicago, August 19-22, include North Fort Myers attorney Robert “Bob” Geltner, Dr. Marco Perez of Cape Coral, Bonita Springs teacher Julius Simmons, and County School Board member Debra “Debbie” Jordan. Statewide, additional delegates remain to be chosen. These include Party Leaders, at-large delegates, and alternates.

The small town of Hanoverton, Ohio, is in rural Columbiana County some miles southeast of the Akron area. My great-great grandfather, Evan Reeder, was born there in 1840. The town was strongly in favor of abolition and became an important station on the “underground railroad” that provided routes whereby runaway slaves could find shelter and protection as they made their way to Canada and freedom. The town was also home to a large contingent of Quakers, including the Reeder family, who had come to Ohio from Lancaster County, Pennsylvania in the early years of the nineteenth century.

Evan married in 1861, but the marriage was not recorded at the local Monthly Meeting because Evan, determined to enlist in the Union army, had left the Quaker faith. More than one hundred men from Hanoverton enlisted during the war, giving this community the distinction of sending more men in defense of the union, by population, than any other township in the country. Evan died of typhoid fever at Fort Monroe in Virginia in August of 1864, leaving his wife to raise their son, my great-grandfather, alone and in poverty.

When they get to heaven, our new breed of MAGA historians can tell Evan Reeder and the more than 360,000 other Union soldiers who lost their lives in the Civil War that the cause they fought for wasn’t “strictly” about slavery. The revisionists Read More

Candidates and volunteers and folks looking for a good time showed up on Easter Sunday at the annual Easter Parade in Dunbar. The Party had a table to share information and sign up voters, the Blue Gators, and several candidates joined the line of march.

The Informed Democrat is sent to subscribers and posted on the LeeCountyDems.org website on the first of the month. Do you have something you’d like to share with your fellow Democrats in Lee County? Do you have a club or an event Lee County Dems should know about? Please contact The Informed Democrat, at InformedDemocrat@gmail.com.

Published monthly by the Lee County Democratic Party

Editor: Melissa Butler

If you have comments, questions, ideas about features you'd like to see, or would like to volunteer to help, contact us at informeddemocrat@gmail.com.

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