Political Opinion: Davidson County Democrats fight for change
As part of our hyperlocal coverage, Davidson Local invites ALL registered political parties to submit a monthly opinion column by a designee.
A new tomorrow Davidson County is a place filled with history. The architecture, landmarks, and people allow us to appreciate the stories of the past. However, being a historic county does not mean we necessarily need to stay stuck in the past. Our county desperately yearns for “change”. Change will help us come together and create new history for our future generations to look back upon, and be proud.
As a matter of fact, we can already see some of this change taking place around us. Just this past month, history was made as we appointed our first African American Judge ever in Davidson County. The Honorable Judge Rosalind Baker was sworn in to serve as our district judge. This is a step forward that Davidson County can be proud of, but the fight for change does not stop here. It is not secret that the Democratic Party prides itself in fighting for equality.
The Davidson County Democratic Party is not one to shy away from this mission. One of the main issues at the base of our newly elected executive committee’s platform was to fight for diversity & accurate representation of minorities within our county. According to data from 2019, 10.1 percent of the Davidson County population was composed of African American individuals, 7.4 percent Hispanic, and 1.6 percent Asian. If you do the math out of the 167,609 estimated citizens of Davidson County, this leaves each category with a number in the thousands. I would like to ask you, do you think our currently elected individuals accurately represent thousands of minorities living in Davidson? I am sure we share the same response. This is a change that will not come easy, but the Davidson County Democratic Party is committed to make sure all voices are accurately represented in our county.
This will be a long fight, and it is not one we can win without the help and involvement of our young people. If we take a moment to reflect all the historic moments that brought us change, they all share one thing. Young people have been at the forefront of every historic moment. Look at the civil rights movement, it was fueled by young people hungry for change. As Dr. Larry Little, founder of the Black Panther Party in the South says, “Each generation will discover its mission, and upon discovering their mission they will either decide to ignore their calling or fight for change.”
It is time to call on the young people in Davidson County for change. We need your help to bring our county into the 21st century. It is time for us to stop leaving in search of opportunities to other cities, and create them right here at home. It is going to take our county coming together as one, with our young people leading the change. Take for example the swearing in ceremony of Judge Baker. It was a beautiful sight to see all the young people wearing their “Keep Rosalind Baker” shirts as they celebrated history with excitement. This is the type of energy we need from our young people.
We call on you today, you are the future of Davidson County. Join the fight for change. We can appreciate history, while fighting for Davidson County that meets the needs of ever citizens, and represents the voice of every person. Young people, answer the calling, and get involved today.
Marlene Martinez
Third Vice Chair
Davidson County Democratic Party
