About Us
In 2004, a small group of Fayette County women decided to hold a rally in the county for the Democratic candidate, John Kerry. Since that time, this small group has evolved and expanded into a strong, dynamic force of over 100 women that supports and strengthens all facets of the Democratic party and women’s participation in it.
Fayette Democratic Women
Our Vision
FDW is an organization that empowers progressive Democratic women to be leaders and decision-makers in their county and beyond.
Our Mission is to
ACHIEVE OUR VISION IN THE FOLLOWING WAYS:
- Engage the public in the political process by registering, mobilizing, and enabling voters to get to the polls and vote in every election.
- Empower women by recruiting, training, and supporting Democratic women to run for office and to serve in appointive positions.
- Educate women about issues and events that have an impact on women, families, and communities.
- Foster loyalty to the Democratic Party to promote its principles and candidates in all elections, including non-partisan elections.
- Support the objectives and policies of the National Federation of Democratic Women, Georgia Federation of Democratic Women, and the Fayette County Democratic Committee.
National Federation of Democratic Women
Fayette Democratic Women is proud to be a chapter of the Georgia Federation of Democratic Women and members of the National Federation of Democratic Women.
NFDW Mission:
The objective of the organization is to unite women of the Democratic Party; to promote the cause of the Democratic Party and to encourage full participation of women in every level of the Democratic Party Structure.
2021 NFDW Resolutions
The following resolutions were passed by the members of the NFDW at the National Convention via Virtual Conference on June 11 – 12, 2021. The resolutions were sent to Congress and are in the Library of Congress’s NFDW files.
- Resolution #1 (https://www.nfdw.com/s/NFDW-2021-Resolution-Justice-for-Insurrectionists.pdf) – Demanding Justice for the January 6, 2021 Attack on the Capitol
- Resolution #2 (https://www.nfdw.com/s/NFDW-2021-Resolution-on-Protecting-Elections-with-HR1.pdf) – Protection of Voting Rights by Passage of H.R.1/S.1
- Resolution #3 (https://www.nfdw.com/s/NFDW-2021-Resolution-on-Ending-Filibuster.pdf) – To End the United States Senate Filibuster
- Resolution #4 (https://www.nfdw.com/s/NFDW-Resolution-2021-Mental-Health-Professionals-as-Crisis-First-Responders.pdf) – Supporting Mental Health Professionals as Crisis First Responders
- Resolution #5 (https://www.nfdw.com/s/NFDW-2021-Resolution-on-Gun-Violence.pdf) – Universal Background Checks and Closing the “Charleston Loophole”
- Resolution #6 (https://www.nfdw.com/s/NFDW-2021-Resolution-Supporting-Community-VP-Programs.pdf) – Supporting President Biden’s $5B Community-Based Violence Prevention Programs
- Resolution #7 (https://www.nfdw.com/s/NFDW-2021-Resolution-for-DC-Statehood-2021.pdf) – Insisting the U.S. Senate Vote to Make the District of Columbia the 51st State
- Resolution #8 (https://www.nfdw.com/s/NFDW-2021-Resolution-thanking-convention-chairs.pdf) – Commending Co-Chairs of the 50th Annual NFDW National Convention
- Reaffirmation #1 (https://www.nfdw.com/s/NFDW-2021-Reaffirmation-of-Resolution-Advocating-PR-Statehood.pdf) – Advocating Statehood for Puerto Rico
- Reaffirmation #2 (https://www.nfdw.com/s/NFDW-2021-Reaffirmation-of-Resolution-from-2019-on-Independent-Redistricting.pdf) – The National Democratic Redistricting Committee
- Reaffirmation #3 (https://www.nfdw.com/s/NFDW-2021-Reaffirmation-of-Resolution-on-Nation-Popular-Vote.pdf) – Supporting Election of the President by National Popular Vote
READ THE FULL RESOLUTION (https://www.nfdw.com/resolutions)
READ NFDW PAST NEWSLETTERS (https://www.nfdw.com/past-communicator-newsletters)
How To
Make A Difference With Us
- Become a member
- Join a committee
- Participate in voter registration and education
- Participate in training about political issues and advocacy
- Be a part of political discussion forums
- Attend lobbying opportunities at local and state levels
- Advocate for Democratic causes and help elect Democratic candidates
- Donate to support Democrats
Fayette Democratic Women
Executive Board
Provides FDW with strategic direction and organizational oversight so that the organization’s vision, mission, and goals are implemented. The board is comprised of the FDW Officers and Standing Committee Chairs/Co-Chairs.
2020 – 2021
Eboard & Committee Chairs
Elected Officers:
President
Oyin Mitchell
1st Vice President
Ogechi Oparah
2nd Vice President/Membership Chair
Naeemah Gentry
2ndMembership Co-Chair
Enid Pigors
Secretary
Vacant
Assistant Secretary
Carol Fleming
Treasurer
Tommie Campbell
Assistant Treasurer
Beverly Hood
Standing Committees:
Programs and Activities Co-Chairs
Valerie Smith
Reports:
Fundraising Co-Chairs
Vacant (Oyin, Ogechi & Tommie)
Marketing & Communication Co-Chairs
Karen Rands
Elections Voting Appointments Co-Chairs
Doris Shields
Bylaws Committee
Anne Hertzog
Political Action Co-Chairs
Stella Owens-Murrell & Heidi Danis
Ad Hoc Committee History & Archives
Dawn Oparah
Reports:
GFDW/NFDW Updates
Pearline Greene
NEW Committee Growth Development Chair
LaChanze Robert
Co-Chair & Reports:
Oyin Mitchell and Ogechi Oparah
Committees
In Action
Membership
Recruits new members to the organization and maintains a database of all current members.
Programs and Activities
Plans engaging programming for the monthly meetings, including securing dynamic speakers.
Fundraising
Plans, organizes, and executes fundraising events which allow the organization to make contributions to candidates and local charities.
Bylaws
Keeps the organization in compliance with local, state and national Democratic policies and procedures.
Marketing
Connects the organization to the community via media and social media, maintains the website and communicates the organizations’ events to the members in a weekly e-blast.
Elections, Voting, and Appointments
Leads voter education and registration efforts, recruits candidates for local positions, staffs polls during elections
Political Action
Works diligently to identify issues impacting women, children, and families. Provides information to members on the proposed and current state and national legislation, performs all facets of candidate support, monitors local government, lobbies legislators, protests issues.
Fayette Democratic Women
Our Achievements
- FDW members joined Democrats from around the state to build upon the growth in democratic voters in Fayette County to over 31,000 in the 2020 general election. That represented a 36% increase in democratic turnout since 2016.
- Fayette Democratic Women was well represented at GFDW Women In Blue Day at the Capitol. The senate issued a proclamation honoring the Georgia Federation of Democratic Women. Pictured here to the left, we are holding the proclamation. Left to right- Lena Snow, Mary Gholson, Stella Owens Murrell, Connie James, Carlotta Harrell, Heidi Danis, Pearline Greene, Joanne Jackson and Larris Marks.
Fayette Democratic Women
Our Achievements
- Fayette Democratic Women was honored to receive the 2020 Chapter of the Year by the Georgia Federation of Democratic Women. The award is based upon the four specific criteria: Projects and Programs; Campaign & Election Efforts; Support of GFDW and Increase in Membership including outreach & recruitment. We earned this status based upon all work that was completed from March 2019 to March 2020. Many thanks go out to Karen Rands for compiling the information submitted. Our two chapter winners of the “True Blue” Awards” were Susan Samson and Constance James.
- After a highly successful fundraising campaign in 2019, FDW donated $500 each to Eden House to benefit veterans and Gigi’s House to benefit their work to stop sex trafficking from the proceeds of our annual luncheon. With COVID impacting our ability to meet in person, we were still able to fund raise from our members with a VOTE Mask offer and donate $500 to the Heartburn Foundation and $300 to Fayette Clinic Care from those proceeds in 2020.
- In 2019, FDW President Pearline Greene was recognized by the Georgia Federation of Democratic Women with the President’s award. Karen Rands was also recognized by the GFDW with the Business Woman Leadership Award. Additionally Pearline recognized Sheryl Corke and Heidi Danis as our True Blue winners.
- In conjunction with the Fayette County Democratic Committee, FDW delivered over 24,000 votes for Stacey Abrams for Governor, turning Fayette County from a red to a solidly purple county.
- Fayette Democratic Women is committed to electing Democratic candidates that align with our values at every level of our government. Besides active involvement in producing and broadcasting Candidate Conversations to educate the community about candidates’ vision and position on issues, actively participating in GOTV activities for those candidates, FDW was proud to contribute over $7000 to progressive Georgia Democratic candidates during the 2019-2020 election cycle.
Fayette Democratic Women
Our Achievements
- FDW’s ROAR project (Read On & Rise), a literacy project promoting reading through the donation of children’s books is a huge community success. FDW provided books to children at the Fayetteville Back to School Expo as well as to the Promise Place nonprofit. In December 2018, FDW distributed over seventy books to children being supported by the Grandparents and Kin Raising Children organization.
- Our 2018 annual fundraising luncheon raised almost $20,000 to support candidates and local charities
- Provided approximately $10,000 in financial support to Democratic candidates in Georgia in the 2018 election cycle.
- We were recognized by the Georgia Federation of Democratic Women as the Outstanding Chapter of the Year in 2015.
- We have provided service to local organizations including the Midwest Food Bank, Promise Place, Real Life Center, Grandparents and Kin Raising Children, Fayette Samaritans, and Discovering Soldiers Potential/Waypoint.