Lt. Gov. Ghazala Hashmi will be the guest speaker at the annual Holiday Luncheon of the LOW Democratic Club on Dec. 10.
The much-aticipated event will take place from noon to 2 p.m. at Kearney Pub at Old House Vineyards, 18351 Corkys Lane in Culpeper.
Lt. Gov. Hashmi was the first Muslim and the first South Asian American to serve in the Virginia Senate. As an experienced educator and advocate of inclusive values and social justice, her legislative priorities include public education, voting rights and the preservation of democracy, reproductive freedom, gun violence prevention, the environment, housing, and affordable healthcare access.
As a four year old, Ghazala emigrated with her mother and older brother from India to the United States where they joined her father in Georgia just as he was completing his PhD in international relations and beginning his university teaching career. Ghazala grew up in that small college town, at a time when public schools were being desegregated, and so she saw firsthand how communities can be built and dialogue promoted through intentional efforts to bridge cultural, racial, and socioeconomic divides. After graduating as valedictorian of her high school class and receiving multiple full scholarships and fellowships, Ghazala earned a BA with honors from Georgia Southern University and her PhD in American literature from Emory University in Atlanta.
Ghazala and her husband, Azhar, moved as newlyweds to the Richmond area in 1991, and she spent nearly 30 years as a professor, first teaching at the University of Richmond and then at Reynolds Community College. While at Reynolds, she also served as the Founding Director of the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning (CETL). She and Azhar have two adult daughters who both graduated from Chesterfield County Public Schools and the University of Virginia.
The cost of the luncheon is $30 per person, which includes a plated entree with a side salad and dessert buffet as well as water and a self-service coffee bar. A cash bar will also be available.
Please select your choice of four available entrees at the time of registration.
Smoked Duck Salad — Field greens tossed with dried seasonal fruits, pickled red onions, crumled goat cheese, and toasted almonds
Roast Beef Crostini — Herb roasted and sliced over crostini with a caramelized onion and Old House Bacchanalia demi-grace served with a side house salad
Quiche — Homemade carmelized onion and gruyere quiche with a side house salad
Grilled Salmon — Grilled salmon, creamy polenta, superfood claw and roasted red pepper sauce
All luncheons include a Dessert Buffet of assorted mini desserts: sea salt caramel brownies, lemon bars, pecan bars and chocolate chunk cookies.
Payment may be made online by clicking the “Pay Now” button below or by sending a check to P.O. Box 1351, Locust Grove, VA 22508. No payments will be accepted at the door per Old House catering policy.
Register early because we are limited by the venue to 75 guests.
If you pay online, be aware that the club will incur a transaction fee. Please consider offsetting this fee by paying by check or by including the fee with your payment.
