Thoughts from our Chair
December 1
Hello friends,
Welcome to December. I hope all had a joyful Thanksgiving.
1. We will gather again for NO TYRANTS TUESDAY on December 2 at 4:15 pm in front of Liberty Square. GOOD NEWS: William Buklad, the brains behind Mathews Talk About the Weather FB page, reports that the evenings will start getting lighter starting December 7, as the mornings stay darker longer. Who knew?! So this week should be the darkest Tuesday evening, and then it starts to get better. BAD NEWS: It'll be cold and rainy tomorrow. With luck, the rain will have stopped by 4:15 pm. Rain or shine, we will show up to object to all the sins of the Trump Administration.
2. Our friends with Williamsburg JCC Indivisible hold a weekly rally as well, called Freedom Fridays. They meet from 12 noon to 1 pm every Friday at 5201 Monticello Ave in Williamsburg (the courthouse.) The theme this week is UKRAINIANS ARE STILL FIGHTING FOR THEIR SURVIVAL.
3. By separate email, I will be sending out the formal Call to Caucus for the Mathews County Democratic Committee's biennial Reorganisation. Please plan to attend on Saturday, December 13. Doors open at 9 am. The caucus begins at 10 am. It will be held in the Community Room of Chesapeake Bank, 10458 Buckley Hall Road.
Please let me know if you have any questions (540-907-2993). Thank you.
Sheila
Bud Ward with President Obama
Bud Ward worked at Anheuser Busch in Williamsburg starting in 1982. He was a proud member of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters.
Bud was active in the Mathews Democratic Committee for many years and became chair in 2012. He also became vice chair for the Southeast Region of the Virginia Democratic Party in 2012.
Under Bud’s leadership, our annual Crab Steam grew to be one of the most successful fundraisers of rural Democratic Committees in the state. He was well known among Democratic leaders across the state and was close friends with former Governor Ralph Northam. He completed his tenure as chair of the Mathews committee in 2020, but continued to be active in local and state Democratic affairs.
In recent years, Bud became an integral part of the effort to tell the story of the Black Exodus from Gwynn’s Island. He helped form the association of the descendants of Black people who were enslaved by Gwynn’s Island white families and who lived and worked on Gwynn’s Island after emancipation. The first reunions of the descendants were held on Bud’s property on the Piankatank River. He was so determined that the historic marker commemorating the Black Exodus from Gwynn’s Island be located on the island that he offered his property as the place for it to be installed. It is a fitting tribute to Bud that this historic marker will be erected in front of his house on Old Ferry Road.
Bud was an unapologetic champion of all principles and priorities of the Democratic Party in a place where not too many people agreed with him. He loved Mathews County nonetheless.
Bud was active in the Mathews Democratic Committee for many years and became chair in 2012. He also became vice chair for the Southeast Region of the Virginia Democratic Party in 2012.
Under Bud’s leadership, our annual Crab Steam grew to be one of the most successful fundraisers of rural Democratic Committees in the state. He was well known among Democratic leaders across the state and was close friends with former Governor Ralph Northam. He completed his tenure as chair of the Mathews committee in 2020, but continued to be active in local and state Democratic affairs.
In recent years, Bud became an integral part of the effort to tell the story of the Black Exodus from Gwynn’s Island. He helped form the association of the descendants of Black people who were enslaved by Gwynn’s Island white families and who lived and worked on Gwynn’s Island after emancipation. The first reunions of the descendants were held on Bud’s property on the Piankatank River. He was so determined that the historic marker commemorating the Black Exodus from Gwynn’s Island be located on the island that he offered his property as the place for it to be installed. It is a fitting tribute to Bud that this historic marker will be erected in front of his house on Old Ferry Road.
Bud was an unapologetic champion of all principles and priorities of the Democratic Party in a place where not too many people agreed with him. He loved Mathews County nonetheless.
But What Can We DO?
Posted by Inequality Media, Robert Reich, professor, author, lawyer, and political commentator, tells us the 5 things we can do to protect our democracy.
Reich served in the Ford, Carter, Clinton, and Obama administrations.
Reich served in the Ford, Carter, Clinton, and Obama administrations.