Clay County DFL has a new chair (yours truly) and a newly revamped website (thanks to Nicole Mattson). It all seems to cry out for this new blog, and I hope to make it something you’ll want to come back to.
I’m succeeding Athena Gracyk as our unit chair, and so I have some big shoes to fill. One of Athena’s strengths was setting a tone that was warm and welcoming. The value of that was brought home to me again this week in the aftermath of the desecration of the Moorhead mosque. When I came to the clean-up event the following day and saw the enormous turnout of folks who came to help or just to show solidarity with our Muslim brothers and sisters, it warmed my heart. These are my people, I thought. The DFL is a party that is committed to inclusion and embraces our diversity. My own life is the richer, our culture is the richer, our country is the richer for the welcome it extends to everyone in our midst.
During the past four years under an administration that fostered the kind of hatefulness on display again this week, it was easy to know what we were against and focus on the negative. As we look toward the future, it is vitally important that the Democratic party have a message that is positive. People need to know what we are for. That was what I heard from the crowd at the Masjid, and that is my goal for this blog. Stay tuned.
Before I sign off, though, I should put in a plug for our fund-raising campaign. We are encouraging our supporters to take advantage of Minnesota’s Political Contribution Refund. If you give to Clay County DFL, you will be eligible for a refund of up to $50 for an individual or $100 for a married couple, and you’ll help put us in a strong position for another big campaign season next year. To make your donation, go to https://secure.actblue.com/donate/claydflpcr, or send a check to Clay County DFL, P. O. Box 161, Moorhead, MN 56560.
In solidarity,
Paul Harris