Broward residents join local organizations at community conversation to debrief this year’s legislative session

Broward residents join local organizations at community conversation to debrief this year’s legislative session

Participating organizations educated residents & set community priorities for 2018

     MIAMI, FL – Recently (April 25) at ArtServe Fort Lauderdale, New Florida Majority (NewFM) and SEIU Florida hosted a community conversation with Broward County residents to debrief the 2018 Florida legislative session, high-light the priorities of Tallahassee legislators and create a plan to hold elected officials accountable. A packed room of diverse community members attended the conversation, emphasizing the issues that impact their respective communities and brainstorming ways that they can come together can hold elected officials accountable.

The conversation was moderated by NewFM political director, Dwight Bullard. Speakers included State Rep. Bobby Dubose, Nancy Metayer (Climate Justice Program Manager, NewFM), Emmanuel George (Founder, Black Broward), Rod Kemp (Formerly incarcerated citizen, Broward resident), Dexter Gunn (Broward Chapter President, Florida Rights Restoration Coalition), and Felicia Alvarez (Broward County School Teacher).

The speakers addressed 6 issue areas including affordable housing, climate justice, gun violence, education, immigration and the Voter Rights Restoration Amendment (Amendment 4). NewFM and SEIU encouraged community members to get involved and act towards bettering their communities.

HIGHLIGHTS

     Sen. Dwight Bullard, NewFM Political Director: “Immigration is tied to our economics. If you were to round up the folks who you say are not making contributions to society. That’s a multi-million-dollar impact.” “We know that these are very important issues that impact.”

     State Rep. Bobby Dubose: “Affordable housing is a problem when our teachers who aren’t being paid enough, our first responders and folks that we really rely can’t afford housing here. We should continue to raise this issue and amplify our voices in Tallahassee so that we can be the agitators and bring forth some legislation to solve this issue.”

Nancy Metayer, Climate Justice Program Manager, New Florida Majority: “We have to push our local officials to take climate and environmental issues more seriously. We do not want to be another Flint and we want to make sure that our communities are resilient.” “Until we start having real conversations around disaster\ resilience, affordable housing and energy dependency. There will always be a need for environmental advocacy.”

Dexter Gunn, Broward Chapter President, Florida Rights Restoration Coalition: “FRRC believes that returning citizens should have a chance to have their rights restored after serving their time. Voting rights should apply to everyone. If you paid your debt to society, you should be able to vote. Broward County has one of the highest incarceration rates in the state. That’s not right.” “Voting rights brings down recidivism. It gives you a sense of pride.”