As Donald Trump loses court battle after court battle in his fruitless attempts to prove voter fraud, it is becoming abundantly clear that Joe Biden will be the next President of the United States. While we can continue to celebrate this victory, we should remain clear-eyed about the work ahead. Although threats of a potential coup may be empty, this doesn’t mean they won’t have long-term consequences.
From Trump’s stirring up his base with incendiary tweets to his administration’s refusal to concede and allow for a peaceful transition of power, it’s evident that we must stay aware and be ready to act. (If you haven’t already, we highly recommend tuning into SURJ national’s live call from this past Thursday entitled “Recommitting to Racial Justice: white people's work in the days ahead” for concrete recommendations as we move forward, including assisting organized efforts in Georgia.)
Unfortunately, attacks on the Left and Progressives have already started not only from the Right but from within the Democratic Party. Rather than thanking grassroots groups, Black women, and Indigenous voters for showing up in large numbers, centrists within the party have blamed the Left for shortfalls in down-ballot races, citing Black Lives Matter and Defund the Police movements. What hasn’t been acknowledged is that a lack of strategic planning on the part of the Democratic candidates — including their inability to embrace progressive platforms — largely led to these results.
Progressive organizing led to the largest voter turnout in history this election, despite being in a pandemic year with voter suppression tactics out in full force. However, as Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez recently noted in the New York Times, the main takeaway should not be that the work is done, but rather that “We paused [a] precipitous descent [into hell]. And the question is if and how we will build ourselves back up.”
For there to be any real possibility of progressive legislation over the next two years, Georgia must elect two Democratic Senate candidates, Jon Ossoff and Reverend Raphael Warnock, in the special run-off election this January. Created during the Jim Crow era by white supremacist politicians, Georgia’s run-off system was built specifically to suppress Black voters. Despite the DOJ suing to overturn this racist system in 1990, it remains in place. So it’s up to us all to help swing Georgia. As a next step, we urge you to get involved with the New Georgia Project or another group working to turn Georgia blue.
We must hold our government accountable by fighting for progressive change, amplifying the voices of those who have already been doing the work, and continuing to put pressure on our elected officials.
Remember: They work for us.
Take care,
SURJ NYC