A month ago, SURJ NYC member-leader Jess D went to Pittsburgh with other SURJ members to help re-elect Rep. Summer Lee, knocking doors and speaking to constituents not only about Lee and her record, but about the stakes of the race. Rightwing donors and Super PACs were pouring millions into the primary in an effort to punish Lee, an early and unequivocal voice in Congress calling for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza, and Jess thought it was crucial to stop them from ousting her and the other members of “The Squad.”
One of those Squad members is back here in New York: Rep. Jamaal Bowman (NY-16), who represents parts of the Bronx and southern Westchester County. SURJ is strategically coordinating with the Bowman campaign to speak with voters in majority-white parts of his district about why we need a leader like Jamaal. This weekend, teams of SURJ NYC and SURJ Westchester chapter members and friends are going to Hastings-on-Hudson to knock doors of registered Democrats to re-elect Bowman. Jess, who will be leading those teams, explains:
I'm canvassing with SURJ to re-elect Jamaal Bowman and stand up against the continued targeting of Black and POC progressives by right-wing super PACs. While I believe true justice and equity come from grassroots movements, it's critical to have politicians in office who hear us and can amplify our efforts!
SURJ will be canvassing this Saturday and Sunday and every weekend until the June 25th primary.
Bowman is fighting for a broad progressive agenda including quality public education, reproductive rights, universal health care, and climate justice. And this primary race is about so much more: it’s a referendum on Gaza and universal human rights. It’s a proxy fight for the direction of the Democratic Party and for a viable political alternative to the far right. Jamaal Bowman is not afraid to stand up to his own party leaders, and he is the leader we need to stand up to rightwing authoritarians. Only a true people’s champion like Bowman can expose rightwing populists like Donald Trump as fool’s gold.
As SURJ Director Erin Heaney said on a recent webinar:
For too long, white people have let communities of color save us - thanking Black women, black voters for coming through for Democrats. This is not a viable strategy: we need to take responsibility for organizing our folks – white people– into the multi-racial coalition we need to win. This is part of why we engage in elections.”
White voters may well make the difference in Rep. Jamaal Bowman’s nationally important race, and the priority ask of those of us in the New York metro area is to canvass!
Join an online info session to learn about SURJ NYC and SURJ Westchester’s door knocking plan, how it fits into the larger Bowman campaign strategy, and how you can plug in.
Ready to knock doors? Come canvass with SURJ this weekend and every weekend until June 25th.
Let’s go!