From Bill Freeman Tweet
Rep. Jeremy FaisonPhoto: Eric England
A recent article by Tennessee Lookoutâs Holly McCall caught my eye â mainly because of its use of the old term âwelfare queensâ in its headline.
McCall took readers back to the days of Ronald Reagan, who popularized the term. Itâs completely inappropriate terminology for any time, and Reagan used it to describe poor and predominantly Black Americans who he said were gaming our safety-net system to reap benefits rather than take a job to provide for their families.Â
Using the story of one welfare âcheat,â Reagan and his followers made vast generalizations. But as McCall points out, while there are some people who are gaming the system to get benefits, âanyone who thinks most people enjoy applying for welfare, food stamps or unemployment are insensitive and immune to facts.â
John P. Reed is political director for Speak Up! TN.
“Speak Up! TN Vows to Bring Georgia Energy North, and Rebuild Tennessee’s Abandoned Democratic Base”
In March, 2021, former Congressional candidate, Noelle Bivens, and a small group of activists launched the political action committee Speak Up! TN.
It is targeting its efforts on voter registration and protecting voting rights and restoration efforts across the state through a robust ground and digital game. It’s clear that Speak Up! TN is entering the arena to aggressively take the fight to the Tennessee GOP, as evident by its sharp critiques in social media posts and digital advertisements of Governor Lee, Senator Marsha Blackburn, and other Republicans of Tennessee.
Oak Ridge Today
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Freda Player-Peters
Freda Player-Peters, the new executive director of Emerge Tennessee, will discuss the candidate training organization’s new programs at the Monday, March 15, meeting of the Anderson County Democratic Women’s Club. The virtual meeting will be at 7 p.m. on Zoom.
Emerge Tennessee aims to increase the number of Democratic women leaders from diverse backgrounds in public office through recruitment, training, and networking. Participants learn about public speaking, fundraising, campaign strategy, voter contact, and media and messaging from a team of experts who have worked on successful campaigns, a press release said.
Player-Peters was political director of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 205 from 2010 to 2018. She was responsible for all lobbying, advocacy, and electoral efforts for Local 205 in Tennessee and served on the International Public Division Leadership Board.