Save Democracy For All Conference

Save Our Democracy For All Conference

March 28

8:00 am – 9:00 am Registration

9:00 am – 2:00 pm Program

Click Here to Download Conference Brochure

The conference is designed to explore pathways for restoring the foundations of the American democratic experiment, encouraging participants to speak truth to power while pursuing constructive, community-driven solutions. The conference, with a keynote speaker and accompanying workshops, is meant to educate participants on authoritarianism, equip them with tools to protect our democracy, and build a stronger, more equitable democracy for the future.

CONFERENCE OVERVIEW

Our democracy is facing an era of sustained challenges to human dignity.  Around the world and at home, authoritarian movements are undermining the rule of law, weakening democratic institutions, and damaging basic human rights. Increasingly, these actions rely on retribution, fear, and divisive culture wars to consolidate power, silence opposition, and erode public trust. In this moment, preserving democracy requires more than resistance—it demands action.

The SAVE DEMOCRACY FOR ALL Conference is dedicated to building a democracy that not only withstands authoritarianism but thrives. It brings together civic leaders, educators, advocates, legal experts, and other community members to advance a shared vision rooted in respect, accountability, inclusion, and democratic values.

KEYNOTE SPEAKER

Katherine Stewart Author Katherine Stewart is the author of the NY Times best-seller Money, Lies, and God: Inside the Movement to Destroy American Democracy (Bloomsbury, 2025), named one of the Best Books 2025 by Foreign Affairs.  She has been covering the rise of the anti-democratic movement for over 17 years in The New York Times, The New Republic, and Religion News Service. Her books have won prizes from the Religion News Association and the Morris B. Forkosch Best Book Award, and she was Executive producer of Rob and Michele Reiner’s documentary God & Country.

PROGRAM

Doors open at 8:00 am for registration, refreshments, and networking. Conference opens at 9:00 am with a plenary session and a keynote address, followed by a panel discussion. Snacks are available all day.

Choose from the following workshops:

Free and Fair Elections – Facilitator, Jessica Lowe-Minor. Voting requirements have been in constant flux in Florida. How can we strengthen our constitutionally guaranteed right to vote to ensure election security, access, and confidence, and thereby encourage voter engagement?

Civil Discourse – Facilitator, Michelle Jewell and Bill Woodson. Combative rhetoric has replaced how we speak, listen, and disagree, but it doesn’t have to stay that way. This interactive workshop offers practical tools for cultivating positive language, expressing opinions with dignity and respect, and minimizing harmful or hateful speech. Participants will practice how to have meaningful conversations on hard issues, uncover shared values, and move beyond debate toward solutions and concrete next steps.

Religious Freedom and Democracy – Facilitators, Dr. Rev Amy Shaw and Norm Olshansky, the separation of church and state is the cornerstone of religious freedom and democracy, protecting the sanctity of the church and the integrity of the state. How do we preserve the separation in a political climate that encourages the breaking down of the wall by privileging one religious group over the others?

Humane Immigration – Facilitators, Maria Ines Robayo and Dale Anderson. We are a nation of immigrants. Immigrants have been essential to our culture and heritage, yet are frequently scapegoated for the ills of this country. How do we celebrate the contributions of our immigrants and advance humane immigration policies?

Protect Our Public Schools – Facilitators, Carol Lerner and Zander Moricz. Public education, the bedrock of our democracy, is being dismantled all over the nation and especially in Florida. How are we turning this situation around, and what can we do to ensure that all of Florida has well-funded schools that thrive for all students?

CONTRIBUTORS

Reverend Dr. Amy Petrie Shaw is a pastor of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Venice. She obtained her PhD in Biblical Studies in 2025 at Queens College of Theology at the University of North Carolina. Her thesis focused on the failures of Christian Nationalism.

Norman Olshansky currently serves as President of the Suncoast Jewish Alliance, is the retired President of NFP Consulting Resources, and is the author of You and Your Nonprofit. He holds a Master’s Degree in social work and has held executive leadership roles with the Anti-Defamation League, the Jewish Federation of Sarasota/Manatee, and the Van Wezel Foundation.

Jessica Lowe-Minor has served three terms on the board of The League of Women Voters, cofounded the non-profit consulting firm Capacity Works, and has held management positions in several non-profits. She earned her MA in women and gender studies at Florida State University and taught at FSU and Tallahassee State College.

Zander Moricz, Founder and Executive Director of the SEE Alliance, a non-profit for multigenerational organizing focused on public education. The SEE Alliance now has chapters in most Florida counties and has launched in 2026 a national campaign, Midterms on Our Terms, for public participation in Florida’s education system and the 2026 midterm elections.

Michelle Jewell is Executive Director of Sarasota United for Responsibility and Equity (SURE). Michelle’s career includes service as a Bilingual Immigrant Victim’s Advocate, court interpreter, and judge in the Justice of the Peace Court, Sussex County, Delaware, an Equity Officer, and Special Projects Coordinator in the Office of the Governor.

Maria Ines Robayo is a former professor of Hematology and Microbiology at Cundinamarca University in Colombia, continued her medical career at Duke Hospital and Wake County health system, and facilitated a radio program providing resources and strategies for the Latino community. She currently serves as Chair of the Immigration Justice Coalition of Southwest Florida, where she leads initiatives on immigrant rights and community advocacy.

Carol Lerner has an MSW from the University of Pennsylvania and a graduate certificate in supervision and curriculum development. She is the founding chair of Protect Our Public Schools Manasota, a director of Support Our Schools, and serves on the executive board of the Suncoast NEA-Retired and the Democratic Public Education Caucus of Manasota.

Dale Anderson is a retired internist and hospital physician executive who has been speaking about authoritarianism and the threat to our democracy since 2017.  He is the past president of the Unitarian Universalists of Sarasota, a board member and past president of the Sarasota Concert Association, a board member of WSLR-Fogartyville, and the current chair of the Unitarian Universalists for Social Justice. Recently, he has joined the Executive Council of the Immigration Justice Coalition of Southwest Florida. Dr. Anderson has lived in downtown Sarasota with his wife, Mary Montgomer, since 2014.

While there is no cost to attend the conference, we need donations and sponsorships to cover our expenses.

Click Here to Download Sponsorship Form

Please download the sponsorship form provided and save it to your computer. Print the form and complete it by hand, making sure all sections are filled out clearly and accurately.

Either pay the sponsorship amount selected via the donate button above, or enclose a signed check. Place the signed check and the sponsorship form in an envelope with the appropriate postage and mail it to: SJAFS, Attention:  Nanci Weber, Treasurer, 4107 S. Tamiami Tr, PBM 130, Venice, FL 34297. Write Social Justice Alliance on the memo line.

Sponsorship is open to all organizations and persons regardless of political or religious affiliation. Social Justice Alliance of the Florida Suncoast Inc reserves the right to refuse sponsorship to those whose values or activities are inconsistent with the mission of the SJAFS.