Trump Out, Now Let’s Disrupt the District
It makes every bit of sense to celebrate the people’s victory in voting Trump out of office. If you are skeptical (and as a fellow leftist I can understand why some would be) you need only consider the viewpoint of hardened racists and “proud boys” who are surely dismayed. I had the unfortunate experience of losing my father last week but if he were here he would be drinking a margarita making a snarky comment and sharing around some of the latest memes and I simply cannot resist chuckling at that.
That being said, we are nowhere near arrived or near the promise land or even near equality. We have a lot of work to do: the real work of organizing our communities. I am optimistic after seeing how grassroots organizing carried the Dems to victory this past week. Change comes from the roots up. From our streets to the White House. From Harlem to Washington. And this week’s election is just one step.
With the blissful defeat of Trump under our belts and celebrating the symbolic victory of a Black female VP, now let’s move to acknowledge the road ahead. We know that 1) Fascism is still alive and well. 2) Our country is rampant with racism and inequality. 3) We have a broken healthcare system. 4) Education, health, and social services are severely underfunded. 5) Our communities are over-policed, and we are still being killed with impunity. 6) There is an undeniable lack of political will to fight climate change in a serious way. 7) Children are still in cages and ICE is still mandated to terrorize immigrants. 8) The working class continues to be denied livable wages. 9) Mass evictions and homelessness are on the horizon. 10) Public housing is still an enormous mess. and 11) COVID infections are rising.
It is time to disrupt this NYC district 9 Central Harlem with radical love. Let’s “get in formation” and continue to fight for communities, fight for our people and fight for our future. We did not see a “blue wave” against Trump as many predicted. However, the victories of many democratic socialists, both in the primaries and general election, means that the people are seeking a bold alternative to establishment politics. The people are ready to take control of left-wing politics and move towards building a true multiracial people-powered workers movement that fights against fascism, capitalist greed and injustice. There is nowhere that deserves our attention in this fight more than here in the heart of Harlem and the role of City Council is more important than ever. We must elect radical candidates who are organized, mobilized and ready for this fight.
Please join me and my team in making the change happen by emailing krj.actions@gmail.com.
See you all on the streets xoxo
~KRJ
Kristin Richardson Jordan (KRJ), Candidate for New York City Council District 9 Kristin is a poet, local activist, speaker, teacher, DSA member, Black queer woman, and third-generation Harlemite on a mission to disrupt District 9 (Central Harlem) with radical love. Started almost a year and a half before the murder of George Floyd, her Kristin for H.A.R.L.E.M. political platform includes advocacy for police accountability, abolition, affordable housing, redistribution of resources, senior care, gun control, education, and environmental justice. She is interested in making change both through her grassroots campaign and through a community-based participatory democracy once elected and has drafted policy on each of her HARLEM platform points. Find out more and get involved at KristinForHarlem.com.
