We are the Johnson County Democratic Women, North and South
We are sister organizations, working together to engage women in politics and help get Democrats in Johnson County elected.
North ZOOM Meeting
Thursday February 3, 2022
Come at 6:00 to socialize or at 6:30 to hear from our speaker.
Special Guest: Leslie D. Mark
Born in Geneva, Switzerland at the height of the Cold War, daughter of American diplomats, Leslie spent much of her childhood in Europe, Africa and the United States.
She attended University of Maryland, College Park, MD while working on Capitol Hill for Rep. Les Aspin on the big push of the day: an All-Volunteer Military force. The congressman went on to serve as President Clinton’s first Secretary of Defense. Leslie transferred to Smith College, Northampton, MA., to pursue a Studio Art degree, leaving her home and politics in DC behind.
Hallmark Cards recruited Leslie from Smith, who was eager to work with internationally acclaimed calligraphers working at HQ in Kansas City. That quick answer to a first job has morphed into a thirty-eight year design and calligraphy practice. Leslie retains membership in several guilds, including the Washington DC calligraphy society.
In volunteer work, Leslie has focused on long-term, sustained alumnae development and participation for Smith College as well as mentoring many young women from high school through Smith and beyond. Until 2016, she also served the Kansas City community on projects supporting education, elder care, inter-faith dialogue and environmental awareness.
After the 2016 election, however, Leslie refocused on politics. She fell in with the local group of (mainly) women activists who stood up the Kansas City chapter of Indivisible. They committed to raising community engagement, training on harnessing power to change the political landscape and bringing more attention to the failures of media to keep citizens informed. Indivisible Kansas City (now Missouri Action Alliance) continues to focus on primary issue advocacy topics: voting rights and access to the ballot, Medicaid expansion (MO & KS), equitable school funding, including higher education, and implementing better gun safety laws. Leslie continues her work with a national grassroots group targeting messaging to better reclaim our national narrative and help activists as well as candidates use those tools to support relational voter outreach efforts.
South ZOOM Meeting
Thursday February 17, 2022
Come at 6:00 to socialize or at 6:30 to hear from our speaker.
Special Guest: Stacey Knoell, Executive Director of the Kansas African American Affairs Commission
Stacey Knoell is the Executive Director of the Kansas African American Affairs Commission. Stacey plans to speak to us about voter suppression, redistricting, bills attempting to subvert the teaching of history in our schools, and the upcoming abortion amendment.
JCDW South Game Night
Looking for a fun way to support Democrats in Kansas? Join us for our GAME NIGHT on Saturday, January 29th from 7-9 p.m. Using ZOOM to stay safe, we’ll be playing Jack Box and Cards Against Humanity for honor and glory and for the future of Kansas! All proceeds will go to Democrats running in state and local races in 2022, when every seat in the House of Representatives is up for grabs.
Tickets are $15 for members or $20 for nonmembers, but additional donations are welcome.
Urgent Redistricting Update!
- You are an OPPONENT of HB 2522 as it puts Johnson County in with Miami, Franklin and Anderson counties.
- We do not have close economic, culture, or social ties with Miami, Franklin, and/or Anderson counties.
- Johnson County is part of the Kansas City metropolitan area and the core of the County needs to be included with Wyandotte County for the Third Congressional District.
- VOTE NO on HB 2522.
For more information, visit The League of Women Voters Redistricting Page.
Exciting Volunteer Opportunity
Are you interested in writing a Letter to the Editor in support of Governor Kelly’s re-election? Reach out to Emma O’Brien, Communications Advisor with the Kansas Democratic Party to learn more. You can reach her at emma@kansasdems.org.
JoCo Young Dems Revival
In these troubled times, it is essential to engage and energize young voters early. This is why Johnson County Democratic Women proudly supports and encourages the Johnson County Young Democrats, which has faced many challenges in the past couple of years. Now, as we enter another critical election year, an effort to revive the Young Dems is underway. If you or someone you know is interested in helping to restructure and organize this group, contact JocoYoungDems@gmail.com.
North January Meeting Recap
On January 6, Christina Haswood came to our meeting. She is one of three Native Americans to serve in the Kansas State House of Representatives. She serves District 10 in Wichita.
She discussed Native American issues that should be addressed in the legislature, such as changing Columbus Day to Indigenous People’s Day; finding and returning children’s remains that may be found in Indian boarding school grounds; and House Bill 2008 (which she cosponsored) which coordinates law enforcement agencies in investigations of missing and murdered Native American women.
Join us February 3 when Leslie Mark comes to talk about messaging. We have Governor Kelly’s reelection and the abortion amendment in August, and we need to find a way to motivate and engage voters.
South January Meeting Recap
On January 20, we held board elections. Congratulations to:
For Vice President of Programming: Allison Hougland
For Vice President of Membership: Kat Hooley-Lickteig
For Treasurer: Carol Shimeall
*We are currently looking for someone to take over the role of Secretary. If you’re interested, contact Cassie Woolworth at cassiewoolworth@gmail.com.
We hoped to hear from Kat Hooley-Lickteig on campaign finance, but she was forced to reschedule due to illness. We wish her speedy recovery and will look for an opportunity to reschedule her in the future.
In the meantime, Cassie Woolworth spoke to us about Voter to Voter, an important voter outreach tool we’ve been using to engage our friends and neighbors in the political process.
We also heard from Representative Linda Featherston about the blatantly gerrymandered map passed out of the Kansas Senate that very night.
About Us
Johnson County Democratic Women North and South are part of the Kansas Federation of Democratic Women, which is part of the National Federation of Democratic Women.
Our mission is to empower women to run for office and to support the election of like-minded Democrats to state and local office. We do this through education and training, but especially through donations to qualified candidates. Your financial donation to either of our organizations will go directly to Democratic candidates running in Johnson County.
Donate Today!
Check out the Johnson County Democratic Party Event Calendar for more ways to get involved this month!