10th Singing For Democracy a big success

Last night at Total Grace Missionary Baptist Church in Lexington, KFTC members and friends held our tenth Singing For Democracy Gospel Fest.

About 150 people gathered for the event, which included a step show by Thunderous Praise, performances by Total Grace's choir and Renew, plus solo acts and former felons telling their personal stories. 

Tayna Fogle opened up the events amidst a stage filled with ladders, hammers, saw horses, and power tools and talked about building a Democracy - and the enfranchisement of former felons as an important step in that process.

Pastor Michael Robinson gave an especially powerful sermon about the need of people of faith to stand up for the voting rights.   "Restoration of voting rights is a calling that lays before every believer.  It's our responsibility to answer that calling."

Jon Larson, Republican Fayette County Judge Executive, spoke to the need of people from all political parties to support voting rights.  "We've already made this decision as a nation," he said, "and we did it early on.  No taxation without representation.  It's just that simple."

Teddi Smith Robillard, a community leader and former felon who turns 73 this Thursday, encouraged everyone to get out and vote Tuesday, November 6th. "For those of you who don't get out and vote in two weeks on election day... well, I think that should be just as serious a crime as any former felons I know have committed.  We need to vote.  All of us.  And we need to vote on behalf of all of the people who can't."

You can see more pictures from the evening on our Flickr site Here.

A number of different groups also captured video footage of the event - including PBS and  Kertis Creative, who are both putting together videos about voting and Democracy. 

People at the event took action by signing postcards to legislators, committing to call the legislatove message hotline the next day, and by taking KFTC voter guides home to helppeople they know who have the right to vote to cast an informerd vote on Election Day. 

For those of you who couldn't make it ou to Singing For Democracy, you can still take action today by calling the Legislative Message Line (1-800-372-7181) and leaving a message for some legislators.  Leave the message for "Senate Leadership, Senate State and Local Government Committee," plus your own Representative and Senator.  Message - "Please support HB 70." 

Our next Singing For Democracy Gospel Fest is also coming up soon – Sunday, November 4th at 4:00 p.m. at the Consolidated Baptist Church, 180 Winterberry St in Hazard. Rev. Parker will speak, the Consolidated Baptist Choir will perform, Rev. Jake Ravazi (from Lynch) will perform and speak about his decades of experience in prison ministries.