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”

This re-write of  my recent article was produced by ChatGPT. Amazing! I can see how AI will become a full partner in creative projects.  Soon, the human will be the junior partner.

My prompt: “I am posting the re-write of my article that was produced by ChatGPT.  Please produce an image to accompany my article showing ChatGPT as a guide and partner in helping a human writer to improve what the human has written.”

The first meaningful opportunity to push back against Donald Trump and the corrupt Republican Party will come in 2026 at the ballot box. For citizens of Ohio’s 10th Congressional District (OH-10), voting against Republican Congressman Mike Turner will be the most direct way to express disapproval of Trump’s divisive policies.

The challenge before us is daunting but critical: to mount a credible, transformative campaign that can energize voters, including those who have long been disengaged from the political process. This will require more than a candidate, a campaign, or a catchy slogan—it will demand a movement powered by grassroots participation and leadership. Despair is not an option; leadership means rising to meet this moment with resolve.

Why OH-10 Is the Battleground

Among Ohio’s ten Republican-controlled congressional districts, OH-10 stands out as the most competitive. It is the least gerrymandered, providing Democrats with a genuine chance to make an impact. If there’s a place in Ohio where we can push back against Trump’s authoritarian agenda, it’s here, in the Miami Valley.

But to win, we need more than hope. We need a vision, a plan, and the broad support of Democrats across the state. Fortunately, an idea whose time has come can be unstoppable—and the idea of democracy has never been more urgent.

The Time for Democracy Is Now

Democracy itself is under threat, and more Americans than ever are waking up to that fact. The Democratic Party must seize this moment to position itself as the for- democracy party—a party that doesn’t just defend democratic principles but actively empowers citizens to participate in them.

Imagine this as the core mission of the Montgomery County Democratic Party (MCDP): To nominate and elect a candidate of the people who will represent all OH-10 citizens and, once in office, work to empower constituents through a 21st- century system of participatory democracy.

This vision is bold, but it is achievable. In the 19th century, it would have seemed outlandish for a congressional representative to pledge weekly engagement with a Citizen Assembly of 5,000 constituents. But in the 21st century, technology and artificial intelligence make such a system not only possible but cost-effective. Our challenge—and our opportunity—is to harness these tools to create a party that empowers rank-and-file citizens like never before.

This is a revision of the paper that I distributed last night at our January  meeting of the Montgomery County Democratic Party Executive Committee.

Regardless that the election of 2024 was a big disaster for Democrats, the leadership will not be held accountable. Liz Walters is secure in her position as ODP Chairperson — reporting to a small clique of insiders called the Ohio Democratic Party Executive Committee — ensconced in a 19th century organizational structure. It’s pretty impossible for rank-and-file Democrats to have any influence.

Our first chance to push back against Trump and the corrupt Republican Party will be at the ballot box in 2026.  Voting against our Republican congressman, Mike Turner, will be the one way that OH-10 citizens will be able to express their disapproval of Trump and his policies.

Our challenge is to generate a credible challenge to Turner. We will need a candidate, a campaign, and a message that will stimulate a grassroots movement of hundreds and thousands — including many habitual non-voters. This sounds impossible, I know, but our task of leadership is not to throw up our hands in despair, but, to actually show leadership.

Let’s start with the good news that in the ten congressional districts in Ohio controlled by Republicans, this district, OH-10, is the most competitive. It is the least gerrymandered. If Ohio Democrats have any hope of pushing back against Trump in 2026, it will be here in the Miami Valley. We need a credible plan that will gain wide support by Democrats throughout Ohio.

I like the saying that, “There is nothing more powerful than an idea whose time has come.” I believe the idea of democracy is powerful and that, more than ever, now is democracy’s time. More and more citizens are waking up to the fact that we could lose our democracy. The way forward for the Democratic Party, I believe, is to do the hard work needed to be branded the “for-democracy” party. To defeat Mike Turner, I believe this should be the MCDP Executive Committee’s POV:

Our goal is to nominate and to elect a candidate of the people to represent all of the citizens in OH-10, who, when elected, will empower all interested citizens within a 21st century system of participatory democracy.

We need to be the party of participatory democracy that empowers rank-and-file citizens. In the 19th century, it would have been crazy for a candidate to promise that, if elected to the US House, he or she would return every week from Washington and engage in a meaningful discussion with a Citizen Assembly of 5000 constituents, or more — organized as a deliberative democracy. But we are in the 21st century. What not long ago would have been difficult and expensive, now is doable with little expense. Our opportunity is to become a 21st century party that leads in the use of technology and artificial intelligence to empower ordinary citizens.

I’m working on a muti-chapter paper that deals with the topics in this post. For fun, I instructed ChatGPT to design a book cover with the paper’s working title — “Blueprint For A Miracle: Transforming The Democratic Party, Vitalizing Democracy, Winning In OH-10.”

There are 50,000 registered Democrats in the county, but, as it is, our county organization, mostly, is just the members of the MCDP Executive Committee — 168, at last report, and many members are inactive. We are a weak organization.

The MCDP organizational structure reflects the 19th century political boss system that dominates the state party. There are over 800,000 registered Democrats in Ohio and the leader of the Ohio Democratic Party is elected by a tiny ODP Executive Committee — 148 members — only 66 members of whom are elected in Democratic Primaries. The ODP Executive Committee is dominated by the 82 members who are party insiders, union leaders, and other power brokers.

Ohio Democrats are welcome to become card-carrying members of the ODP, but the ODP, like the MCDP, is not a real organization. The leader of the ODP, Elizabeth Walters, is the “Chairperson of the ODP Executive Committee.” Likewise, the MCDP is not a real organization. Rank-and-file Democrats are urged to become members, but, there are no meetings, no officers. Mohamed Al-Hamdani is the “Chairman of the MCDP Executive Committee.”

In order to challenge Turner, the MCDP must become an actual organization of hundreds and thousands of rank-and-file Democrats. The way forward for the Democratic Party, I believe, is the democratizing of the Democratic Party. Our goal must be to become the “for-democracy” party that builds community and harmony and that advances the practice of participatory democracy. Our task of leadership is to envision how we can become the strong effective organization that we have the potential to become. We need to use 2025 to develop the Democratic Party in Montgomery County that the crisis of our time sorely needs.

• Let’s Amend The MCDP Constitution So, In 2026, Rank-And-File Democrats Will Directly Elect The Montgomery County Democratic Party Chairperson
• Note To David Pepper: Go For the Big Win — Invite All Ohio Democrats To Become Voting Members Of The ODP