November 5th 2024 is a day we all thought would go down in history. We were right - for all the wrong reasons.

I, like many of you, spent the next few days in a dark headspace. I was wrought with fear for the next four years. I was wrought with fear for every woman in America, especially my 23-year-old niece. I was quite honestly such a bawling mess that I considered a need for stock purchases in a tissue company.

I knew in my heart of hearts that I had to listen to Kamala Harris's concession speech. Could I bring myself to do it? I'm not going to lie to you; turning the TV on that day was difficult. I knew I had to though. I supported her from day one and knew that on that day she would need my support as well.

As gut wrenching as it was to hear her words that day, those very words sparked an unknown fire inside me. She said, "Be the change you want to see." That is exactly what I decided to do. I began searching for ways to act on what my new mantra is. I was, in fact, going to "be the change I wanted to see."

I started combing all my social media feeds for ideas of how to proceed. While on Facebook, I came across a monthly meeting notice for the Grady County Democrats. I was unsure if this was the right place to start but knew I had nothing to lose in going.

As it turns out, that meeting was EXACTLY what I needed. It was a room full of like-minded people all looking for a string of hope for the next four years and what to do next. We were asked to write down thoughts, feelings, or fears and share with the group. Not surprisingly, we had similar concerns.

Once we got the heartache out, the Vice Chair, John, started speaking of ways to make a difference. He said we as Democrats needed to get involved in the little things to make a big impact. John was talking about city and county elections. We could help whatever Democrat was running to be more successful. If by chance a seat was running uncontested, perhaps one of us could throw our names in the ring to be on the ballot. Sadly, we all know that Oklahoma is a very Republican state. That said, at the very least, make them WORK FOR their spot instead of just handing it to them.

We were asked to come up with ideas for fundraising as well. The funds raised would go towards these city and county elections. Said funds could actually help us make an impact.

As I was driving home from the meeting that night, I knew I was right where I needed to be. I had found my people. I knew it was here that I could start to be the change I wanted to see. No longer was I going to sit idly by and be a keyboard hero on social media. I was going to take action!

I have researched ways to get involved more in my city and county. I have volunteered to work county events for fundraising. For the next four years, I will continue looking for any and all opportunities to make changes for the better.

I'd be remiss to not think the next four years are going to pose one of the largest self-growth challenges for me. I am forcing myself out of my cocoon and putting myself out there in a public forum. The one thing I keep telling myself is, when I look my niece in the eye, I can honestly tell her I did everything within my power to make this world a better place for her.

I AM going to be the CHANGE I want to see! I encourage you to do the same.

Hard Lessons
By John Moroney

With President Trump's recent order to halt all federal fundings, folks here are about to learn some hard lessons about how much Oklahoma relies on federal money. Without the SNAP (Foodstamp) money, Walmart and small grocery stores cannot afford to operate in small rural towns. Walmart in particular will have no problems closing stores and laying off their workers. Without federal Medicaid money and National Institutes of Health (NIH) grants, rural hospitals/clinics cannot afford to operate, and doctors are less likely to set up shop in small towns. Without federal childcare subsidies, daycares cannot afford to operate which is going to cause more low-income families to either quit jobs when they can't afford daycare or make riskier choices about who they leave their kids with so they can work. Without Department of Transportation grants, our state cannot afford to repair roads & bridges, and all those road crews are out of work. The same goes for anyone employed at a prison, anyone who relies on Headstart, or utilizes Special Ed programs at your local schools. All of these rely on federal money to operate. We live in a poor state that takes in more federal money than we put in. That money has allowed for a quality of life in rural America that folks take for granted. You have a bunch of older and more well-off people trying to tell you that we need to return to the "good old days" and "hard work." But the problems is that they have become disconnected from the cost of living and how hard it is to scrape by these days. These folks have no idea how hard it is to get by out here and how much we've all come to rely on the world the way it is and not how it was.

Meeting notes from January

We had another great monthly meeting on January 14th. Our guest speaker was Dr. Vicki Ferguson who spoke about the life of Jimmy Carter. We discussed upcoming projects including plans to start a group to engage in service projects around the county, and plans for events including the Grady County Fair and Rock Island Arts Festival. Chickasha City Council elections are coming up and the filing period is February 3rd - 5th. If anyone is going to run, let us know and we may be able to provide some assistance. We will be holding Precinct and County Officer elections at our April meeting on 04/08/25. Only those in attendance will be allowed to vote, so make plans to be there. Finally, Congressional District 4 (Our District) will be holding its convention on 05/17/2024 in Pauls Valley to elect representatives to State Convention on 06/28/25 where the party will be setting policy and goals. We will decide our delegates at the April meeting as well.