Posted on September 18, 2018
Women of Color are Giving the Nation Something to Hope For
Editor’s Note: Aimee and her team at She the People just put on an amazing summit in San Francisco where they brought together visionary women of color from across the country, including Alicia Garza, Ai-jen Poo, Linda Sarsour, Barbara Lee, and Pramila Jayapal, who are transforming American politics and shaping the future of our country as leaders, organizers, and strategists. It was a beautiful, inspiring day. You can watch it here now and look for highlights via She the People on Facebook and Twitter.
-Heidi Hess, CREDO Action Co-Director
Women of color are far from just another data set to be analyzed by the recently fascinated strategists in our country. Each upset win reveals women of color candidates are a force to be reckoned with, and it’s not by chance. We are the saving grace of our democracy. It is the very group that has been ignored, taken for granted, discounted and dehumanized that will lead a desperately needed political, economic and moral shift. After all, we are the most deeply affected and harmed by the cruel policies and practices implemented across the country.
We are taking matters into our own hands, leading a multiracial democratic coalition that will win in swing states and beyond this year and in 2020. And these victories are not simply about electing Democrats.
The plans are much bigger.
We’ve launched She the People to call on the nation to elevate women of color fully into our fierce and loving leadership and collective power. She the People is founded on an inclusive, multiracial coalition that will transform our country’s politics. It tells the story of the remarkable candidates, voters and strategists that are already guiding us through what feels like the end of our democracy.
We’re seeking economic and racial justice. We want a country where people can live lives of dignity. This means full access to health care, housing and education. This means moving into a democracy we’ve dreamed of but have not yet realized.
People of color are 38 percent of our population and will soon be the majority. We are growing fast as the most progressive voters and the most reliable Democrats. It’s been tough work to convince political strategists, donors, and party leaders to change their assumptions and biases about what it takes to win elections. It was difficult to get resources for voter engagement and voter turnout for communities of color. For example, in 2016, Democrats spent 75 percent of their billion-dollar plus war chest going after white moderate and conservative voters. And we know how that turned out.
We know that 53 percent of all white women voted for Trump, making him president and costing us both the House of Representatives and Senate.
It’s time to burn the old playbook.
As 2016 marked a new beginning for the resistance, women of color have proved to the nation since then that we are on the cusp of a new progressive and political era. The key is to invest in what has driven a progressive future for our country, the New American Majority, the multiracial coalition of voters who elected Barack Obama.
We at She the People are telling the story of Stacey Abrams, Ayanna Pressley and the legion of women of color running for office this year, because in them and in us are the hope of our nation. Stories about how women of color are saving our democracy. Right now in swing states like Arizona, Florida, New Mexico, Virginia and now Mississippi – places whereTrump won – women of color are leading the charge by engaging new and young voters, and people of color. We understand that our swing voters are not the ones moving from red to blue. The swing is from non-voters to voters. Right now, Latina, Asian-American, Native American, and Arab American women are poised to lead victories for progressives running in the swing states in Georgia, Florida, and Texas. Women of color are claiming space in blue districts where tired moderate Democrats don’t fight for us, challenging the GOP in places like California where the majority of women are black and brown and the majority of voters are women.
Women of color, who are the most underrepresented group of elected leaders in our nation and most likely to face primary challenges from other Democrats, are finding new paths to leadership.
This is what She the People is about. It’s about finally getting everyone in formation with women of color. We’ve shown up for all of you. Will you be here for all of us?
Watch the livestream from the summit below and learn more by visiting www.shethepeople.org, @_shethepeople on Twitter (using #shethepeople18 to follow along) and liking She The People on Facebook.
She the People Summit 2018: Morning Session
Join us for the live stream of the She the People Summit – an unprecedented gathering of women of color who are transforming American politics, and leading the nation as leaders, voters, and strategists. #SheThePeople18
Posted by She the People on Thursday, September 20, 2018