Feel-good update (6/15): When Taylor Swift & MLK III are saying the same thing...
Hi all -
We made it another week. Got some good stuff for you today, as RFS alum have shown why it matters to elect young diverse progressives to local office.
But first: two quick notes …
Folks have been asking me about how candidate recruitment is going right now... Have hope: In the 3 weeks since protests began, more people have signed up to run for local office than over the six weeks prior.
Even better: More people have signed up to run for office in the first half of 2020 than did in all of 2017. This isn’t about Trump. (It was never about Trump.) It’s about making a meaningful change in leadership everywhere. We’re not going backwards.
Second: Election results! Last week’s chaos in Georgia, Nevada, and elsewhere was disheartening (to say the least) but some good news from those elections regardless: There are quite a few RFS candidates moving on to November elections: Congrats to Matielyn Jones (GA Senate, District 45), Marvin Lim (GA House, District 99 - with no general election opponent!!), Rebecca Mitchell (GA House, District 106), Julia Hurtado (Cobb County, GA Board of Education), Jermaine Johnson (SC House, District 80 — he beat a 22 year incumbent!), Rhodes Bailey (SC House, District 75), and Daniel Brownstein (SC House, District 112) — along with some victories from primaries earlier this month, including Cristina Diaz-Torres (Arlington, VA Board of Education), Gardiner Bink III (Hamilton County, IN Council). Monica Casanova (Tippecanoe, IN County Council), and Katharine Clark (Santa Fe, NM County Clerk -- with no opponent in November!).
We have more folks in primaries next week; stay tuned!
While protests continue in many cities nationwide, RFS alum are pushing forward legislation, fighting to rethink public safety, and using their offices to do a little good… some highlights:
In Kentucky, Fayette County school board member Tyler Murphy is working with students on their petition to bring African American studies into the county’s curriculums.
Mississippi state Rep. Zakiya Summers was the *only* lawmaker present to greet and listen to protestors outside the state Capitol.
Cambridge (MA) city councilmember Jivan Sobrinho-Wheeler is pushing forward on redirecting $4.1 million in police funding — he’s getting a low of blowback, but he’s not stopping.
Allegheny County councilmembers Bethany Hallam and Liv Bennet have introduced an ordinance to ban the use of tear gas, rubber bullets, and flash bang grenades.
Most Dallas city councilmembers — including RFS alum Adam Baldazua — will consider defunding the police and investing in Black communities and social services.
In Bloomington, Illinois, Jenn Carrillo is the lone city councilmember fighting to reduce funding for the police in order to invest in public safety; she won’t stop pushing.
Similarly, St. Paul city councilmember Neslie Yang is the only member of the city’s governing body calling for change.
Oklahoma City Councilmember JoBeth Hamon is starting similar conversations about divesting from the police and reinvesting in public safety.
NY state senators Alessandra Biaggi & Jessica Ramos have introduced legislation to demilitarize the police by banning the use of rubber bullets, tear gas, pepper spray and other chemical agents used to control crowds, and prohibiting police departments from receiving or purchasing from a military-equipment surplus program operated by the federal government.
As part of Philadelphia’s police reform process, city councilmember Katherine Gilmore Richardson introduced legislation requiring further disclosure around police contracts, giving space for public comment.
Iowa state Senator Zach Wahls called attention to the part of the state’s new police reform bill that would prevent IA police departments from hiring officers with past allegations of misconduct.
As an initial first step, Alexandria (VA) City Councilmember Mo Seifeldein led on a resolution to establish a community police review board.
Last, but certainly not least: The Denver school board unanimously voted to end their relationship with the city police department — a fight led by school board member Tay Anderson.
Take a deeper dive into the movement to get police officers out of schools in this NYT write-up of what’s happening in cities across the country — as the reporter notes, “it’s districts with elected school boards … that are currently driving the wave of changes.”
In other incredible progress: According to our partners at the Victory Fund, there are more than 850 LGBTQ folks running for office in 2020. You LOVE to see it.
And relatedly, this is cool:
We’ve said this since the early days, but it’s more true than ever: Local politics is a critical gateway for engaging young voters.
Around the country, people running for local office say they are already seeing a spike in enthusiasm among 18- to 29-year-olds, who historically vote in smaller numbers than their elders.
“I have so many young kids reaching out to our campaign, saying: ‘How do we volunteer, can I intern to learn more, I’d really like to run for office,” said Nada Elmikashfi, a 24-year-old candidate for state senate in Wisconsin.
….
“The younger generation are just so much more aware and active and ready to make a difference,” said Ahmed, who co-founded the group Millennials for Bernie, which supported Bernie Sanders during his 2016 and 2020 election campaigns.
“I think a lot of people are going to start paying attention to local elections,” Ahmed said.
“The federal government can do a lot, but the local government has a lot of power in the police departments. They can do so much more than the federal government.”
I’d be remiss if I didn’t flag two very different (and very prominent) people beating the same drum: We have to elect new people to local office.
She gets it:
Click thru to watch MLK III’s video:
Finally, a reading recommendation: Stacey Abram’s new book, “Our Time Is Now” is a timely and urgent explanation of how voter suppression works & how we can fix it. (She also urges you to pay more attention to recruiting diverse and compelling candidates for local office. 😊) Her NYT op-ed is an excerpt from the book; if you liked that, you’ll like this.
Thank you for staying in this fight.
- Amanda
P.S. Keep an eye on your inbox & our social media for quick & easy ways to support Black candidates running for office, ahead of Juneteenth on Friday.