Our final event of the Spring semester was our annual Hoos Vote Blue fundraiser. We heard from keynote speakers Senator Creigh Deeds and Senator Danica Roem. We were joined by students and members of the Charlottesville community. It was a great way to celebrate what we accomplished in the 2023-2024 school year and lay the ground work for what we want to accomplish in the future.

In April, Sunrise at UVA joined us for GenBod to give a presentation about their mission and about their Reclaim Earth Day Rally. After, our members helped to make posters for the rally.

In April, a few of our members had the opportunity to attend Tim Kaine's rally in Charlottesville. Our very own Finance Chair, Brianna Sharpe, was asked to give a speech about mobilizing young voters.

In the Spring, we hosted a joint meeting with Women in Policy, Planned Parenthood Generation Action, and Young Democratic Socialist of America to discuss the history, procedures, and policies of abortion access in Virginia in beyond. We were joined by Delegate Callsen, who helped lead an informative discussion paired with a speech.

In March of 2024, UDems hosted the Democratic primary candidates running for Congress in Virginia's 5th district. This engaging event allowed members to get a feel for each candidate and hear what issues matter most to them.

In February, UDems hosted Congresswoman and Gubernatorial Candidate Abigail Spanberger. Members were able to listen to a short speech by the Congresswoman followed by a Q&A session.

Last week, UDems held our semesterly Policy Forum. This semester, we focused on gun violence and welcomed students from the Students Demand Action at UVA club and community members from the B.U.C.K. Squad. You can learn more about their organizations at www.instagram.com/sda_at_uva/ and bucksquad911.org. 

UDems held our annual semiformal on 10/20. It was a fun night and a great kick off for our Get Out the Vote efforts. Thanks to everyone who attended!

UDems met with Sara Ratcliffe last week to hear about her campaign for House of Delegates. It was great to hear about her experience in policy making, her approach to the campaign, and how she thinks Democrats can connect with rural voters. We'll be campaigning for Sara in the next few weeks as we work to get a Democratic majority in the House of Delegates.

UDems members visited the Monacan Nation in Amherst County last week. We appreciate the Monacan Nation taking the time to teach us about their history and traditions. The Monacan Nation recently received Federal recognitions after centuries of institutionalized marginalization. This history is critical to understand as UVA exists on land that was once Monacan.