By Louis C Ward
The Democratic Black Caucus of Florida (DBCF)endorsed Agricultural Commissioner Nikki Fried for the Gubernatorial Democratic Primary, provided viable workshops and roundtables, and culminated its 39th Conference with an entertaining and enlightening Gala.
The annual three day political and social event was held May 20 through 22, 2022 at the Rosen Centre on International Drive in Orlando, Florida.
Agricultural Commissioner Nikki Fried and Senator Annette Taddeo both delivered informative and persuasive presentations at the Gubernatorial Candidate Forum. Due to a family matter, U.S. Representative Charlie Crist was unable to attend, but provided a video.
Sponsored by the largest Black political organization in the sunshine state, the traditional Saturday evening Gala included an inspiring speech by Bakari Sellers, a CNN political analyst and a former South Carolina House Representative, a high spirited discourse by Aramis Ayala, a candidate for State Attorney General of Florida, and selections by vocalist Annie Sweeting, DBCF’s secretary.
An Informative workshop focused on Voter Activation Network (VAN) Training and Utilization, a Men’s and a Women’s Roundtable, which discussed pertinent and timely issues relative to each gender, viable presentations on the effects of redistricting maps drawn by Governor DeSantis and the importance of supporting local Black businesses.
Fried, the first woman Democrat elected to the state’s cabinet as agricultural commissioner, walked away with 67 percent of the vote from the DBCF Executive Committee while U.S. Representative Charlie Crist received 25 percent and Senator Annette Taddeo had 8 percent.
DBCF’s endorsement of Fried was a bump in her run to win her primary challenge. It just may help her capture a majority of the 1.5 million Black voters represented by the DBCF. “This endorsement,” said Commissioner Fried, “means everything to me, my team, and our supporters fighting to beat Ron DeSantis. Black voters are the backbone of our Party.”
“We have been diligently working to let the state know that the Black vote is very important, deciding what candidates may win or lose in November 2022 and 2024. And we will not be taken for granted,” a confident DBCF President Mallory said.
“I believe we produced a very organized and informative conference with a meaningful Gubernatorial Candidate Forum, where our people had the opportunity to meet the candidates up close. Our Gala was exciting. Bakari Sellers was relevant and outstanding, connecting the struggles of the past with the present struggles Black people are facing today,” said President Mallory.
“Ain’t No Stopping Us Now,” said DBCF President Mallory, citing the Theme of the 2022 DBCF Conference. This is just the beginning of a concerted effort by DBCF and our partners and supporters to stop the attacks by the DeSantis Administration and improve the lives of our communities,” concluded President Mallory.
Ms. Francine Garcia, Treasurer of Lake County Democratic Black Caucus, said, “I thought this year’s conference was one of the better ones. It was well organized, and the program discussed pertinent topics that were on point for today’s political climate.”
“The DBCF had a plan. A plan to elect more Democrats and a plan for Black people,” stated David Rucker, a member of the Orange County Democratic Black Caucus
The DBCF, created in 1981, is composed of 27 local chapters throughout the state, “is an integral part of the Florida Democratic Party’s infrastructure, which unites talent with opportunity to facilitate voter turnout and identify qualified Black Democrats to run for office.”
