Amaha Sellassie here showing a map of how Montgomery County was “red-lined” years ago, contributing to making Dayton one of the most segregated cities in the nation.
There was standing room only at the South of Dayton Democratic Club (SDDC) meeting last night — over 150 in attendance. We are gaining so many members that the community room in the Oakwood Library is now too small. A search is on for a bigger meeting space.
Guest speaker was Amaha Sellassie, a professor of sociology at Sinclair College and a Kettering Foundation Dayton Democracy Fellow — described as “peace builder, social healer, freedom fighter, network weaver, and lover of humanity.” Amaha was instrumental in starting the Gem City Market the co-op grocery store at the corner of Salem and Superior Ave and is now serving as president of the Market’s board of trustees. He is completing his doctorate at the University of Cincinnati where his research focuses on ending “food apartheid.”
The Gem City Market the co-op grocery store at the corner of Salem and Superior Ave. From Facebook: “This trail-blazing, Black-led startup food co-op opened in June of 2021 and through all the ups and downs of that process, has been both 100% dedicated to serving their community and a mentor to many other food co-ops across the US.”
Amaha gave an impassioned presentation and started his talk by quoting Martin Luther King Jr — “I refuse to accept the idea that the “isness” of man’s present nature makes him morally incapable of reaching up for the eternal “oughtness” that forever confronts him” — saying that it has been his passion to help “transform the world around me.”
He challenged his listeners that year after year we sing, “We shall overcome” — but we must do more than sing, more than dream, we must be focused in action, that we must build community and do the work needed to realize the world that ought to be. Amaha said, “We can’t understand the power that we have — that we do not activate. Imagine the power in this room, if we could put our gifts together. “
Amaha said in areas of Dayton where citizens have no grocery stores, to find a place to shop, those without an automobile must travel by bus downtown, and transfer to a different bus — a three hour commitment — and that the limited space on a bus limits the amount of food that can be carried. He said the co-op Market to be viable needs an equivalent of 2800 shoppers each week spending $25, and that at present it has about 2100 shoppers each week.
Lucy Anne McKosky is the leader of the Research Committee. Last night I joined her group. Listening to her is Rose Lounsbury, the new SDDC president. Rose in this last elecction ran a great campaign to be elected to the Ohio House coming within a few percentage point of flipping OHD-36
The SDDC president, Rose Lounsbury, said that she is buying staples at the market and urged members to be involved in helping the market to be successful.
Also speaking was Bryan Hambley who is seeking the Democratic Party nomination to become Ohio’s Secretary of State. Bryan lives in the Cincinnati area. He is a physician specializing in the treatment of leukemia. He said that he was very active in the Issue 1 campaign to end gerrymandering in Ohio and was angry and perplexed at how the current Secretary of State, Frank LaRose, undermined that election. Bryan has never run for public office before. It was refreshing and inspirational to hear of his passion and commitment to democracy and to meeting the challenge of organizing a state-wide race.
Bryan Hambley gave a rousing speech. He is seeking the Democratic nomination for Ohio Secretary of State
The SDDC was built to its current strength through the leadership and amazing efforts in the last five years of Tim and Allison Benford. This January they decided to not stand for re-election and Rose Lounsbury was elected new president and Uriah Langmeyer was elected vice-president.
It was a great meeting. There was passion and energy in the room. I am encouraged that this club is a means for Democrats to unite and be effective. The club is organized into action committees — as Amaha said — not just to talk about overcoming, not just to dream about what ought to be, but to do the work and to be the “for-democracy” force that is so badly needed.
The next meeting of the SDDC will be March 12 at 7:00 pm at the the Montgomery County Democratic Party at 840 Germantown St. Special speaker will be David Pepper, former chair of the Ohio Democratic Party. He will speak on “How to Resist MAGA & Protect Democracy during the Trump Administration”
