Mayor Kasim Reed of Atlanta, Georgia brought members of the sold-out crowd at Michael’s on East to their feet with his keynote address during Sarasota County Democratic Party’s Kennedy-King dinner Sunday night, March 4.
Mayor Reed spoke of the hard work of civil rights leaders of the past, of the victories, and the need to carry that work forward into the future. “Equal opportunity, not equal outcomes”that is a core Democratic value,” Mayor Reed told the crowd.
And those equal opportunities should also be extended to the LGBT community, according to Nadine Smith, executive director of Equality Florida. Smith opened the program with comments on the state of civil rights for the LGBT community in Florida.
“We are winning” in Florida, she said, “we are winning in communities around the state.”
To maintain the momentum she urged Democrats to stand up for who they are and for their values, to always challenge falsehoods spread by others, and to go “all-in” for Democratic candidates like Barack Obama who support Democratic values.
“We were thrilled to have two such powerful speakers joining us for this event,” said Rita Ferrandino, Chair of the Sarasota Democratic Party, “and even more thrilled with the response and support from our local community.”
Ferrandino said that attendance at this year's dinner was double of last year's and that tickets had sold out nearly a week in advance of the event.
“Both speakers noted the size of the crowd and the energy in the room,” Ferrandino said. “Their message and their experience in the struggle for civil rights are so important right now”and both speakers received standing ovations for their remarks.”
The Kennedy-King dinner named for President John F. Kennedy and Dr. Martin Luther King is an annual fundraising event for the Sarasota County Democratic Party. “Civil Rights: The Struggle Continues” was the theme of this year’s event.
