Saving Black Lives Goes Beyond the Polls
Merely electing Democrats to power will not eradicate the abuse of Black Americans at the hands of law enforcement. The rallying cry to vote in November demonstrates the continued and unyielding lack of accountability necessary to achieve true racial equity in America.
As the fight for Black lives rages on it is time to take a critical look at the way we engage Democratic elected officials. Black Americans have long dedicated themselves to the Democratic party. But the Democratic party has never returned the favor.
We’ve seen it time and time again. Tweets, Facebook statuses and articles alike that prop up Democratic candidates as the key to changing America. Posters at protests that state “If Hillary was in office we’d be at brunch,” and the like demonstrate a clear lack of accountability for America’s Democratic leadership.
Right now, many instances of brutal suppression of protestors’ right to organize have been under Democratic leadership. Mayor Lance Bottoms in Atlanta, Governor Beshear in Kentucky, Mayor de Blasio and Governor Cuomo in New York have been proponents for some of the most staunchly militarized police and national guard deployments, all in the name of suppressing protestors.
There is clear cognitive dissonance throughout the Democratic party. People long for a return to a Barack Obama presidency, ignoring the fact that Black people were murdered by the police under Obama’s leadership. Sandra Bland, Mike Brown, Tamir Rice, Oscar Grant, Freddy Gray, Philando Castile — all were brutally murdered by police under the Obama Administration, a presidency starkly marked by a lack of “signature policy achievement that specifically addressed and ameliorated the concerns of Black citizens.”
Now here we are, 4 years later propping up presumptive Democratic Presidential nominee, former Vice-President Joe Biden. And continuing to ignore his fully solidified legacy as a protector of white supremacy.
Biden’s legacy will always be attached to the 1994 crime bill. This piece of legislation sparked increases in mass incarceration, law enforcement funding and prisons to promote a more punitive criminal justice system. While he has said there are things he would have changed, he has also stated he is not ashamed of the 1994 crime bill.
But how does this contribute to the dissonance of the Democratic party? Party affiliation means nothing without meaningful and continued actions towards accountability. Complacency has plagued the Democratic party for decades. Voices calling for change are suppressed and labeled divisive.
At the helm of these calls for accountability, we see activists and organizers whose rhetoric is often seen as too radical for mainstream politics. But now is the time to radicalize. Now is the time to listen to these Black organizers who have dedicated their lives to seeking racial equity.
Black led organizations like Southerners on New Ground, Solutions not Punishments and the Working Families Party, all fight for racial equity through accountability 365 days a year. They have clear actions. They understand what is necessary to achieve true progress and denounce the passive acceptance of the status quo of politics.
We can’t keep asking where to start when there are people all around us doing the work to demand accountability. We must fully commit ourselves to amplifying the voices of Black leaders and truly engaging in accountability for elected officials, especially the ones we personally put in office.
These organizations, these leaders in the movement, have clear steps to seeking accountability. Clear ways to show up, speak up and stand up for Black lives. Don’t let their calls to action go unanswered any longer.
Find an organization near you and support today.
