[[link removed]]

CORI BUSH, ACTIVIST-POLITICIAN, STILL INSPIRES WORKING PEOPLE LIKE ME
 
[[link removed]]


 

India Walton
July 17, 2024
Progressive Hub
[[link removed]]


*
[[link removed]]
*
[[link removed]]
*
*
[[link removed]]

_ Rep. Cori Bush is the first line of defense for working-class
people and the most vulnerable members of our community. We need her
in Congress because we need people to represent us all, people with a
moral compass who will stand up to big money. _

,

 

I watched the sun set on my top porch on a comfortable summer evening
in Buffalo. Suddenly, I heard a commotion; soon after I became short
of breath. The smell of pepper burned my throat and eyes. I quickly
ran inside, shut the door, and instructed my sons to close all the
windows. I sat them in the living room and spoke with them candidly as
I always do before I participate in any civil disobedience. Who to
call, what to do, what to expect etc.

As I turned the corner I could see Buffalo Police in full tactical
gear unleashing a flurry of what I assumed to be pepper spray on
protestors. The protest had been forcibly redirected from downtown and
redirected into a residential neighborhood where people could be
easily contained and assaulted. What began as a peaceful protest had
now become a riot. I watched the windows of local businesses being
smashed by teens whose frustration had now become a rage against a
system they felt powerless to change.

That night I organized a call with local activists to devise a plan to
keep our community safe. It was obvious to us that our mayor and his
police force were incapable of doing so. From that moment forward, we
held protests. There was a teach-in before each one. We brought in
legal observers, medics, and safety marshalls. We brought snacks,
water, and first-aid kits.

Being in community with hundreds of people each day was invigorating.
However, the response from the power structure was lackluster. Every
reform we demanded was met with a refusal or watered-down version from
the administration. Not to mention there had been a long history of
police misconduct, shootings, and abuse of power with no
accountability.

It wasn’t long before the “now what” lived in my head. What
change would be brought about by all our protesting if we couldn’t
turn it into some kind of power? By now I had read Keeanga-Yamahtta
Taylor’s “From #BlackLivesMatter to Black Liberation” and had
been inspired to maybe, someday, run for office. Then I saw “Knock
Down the House.” There were so many inspiring people in that film,
but the one who resonated with me the most was Cori Bush. A registered
nurse and single mother who was on the frontlines in 2014 after the
police murder of 18-year-old Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri. I
used to call myself an “accidental activist” — I didn’t get
involved because I thought I had the answers, but because I cared.

While I was in the streets of Buffalo in 2020, Cori was in the streets
of University City, Missouri. I watched her second race closely. Not
only did I see myself in her, but I wondered if I could be like her.
That was my answer! Who cared if I was a political newcomer and
outsider? We had organized thousands of people from all walks of life
into a movement all over the country. I knew that we were going to be
fighting an uphill battle, going up against a four-term incumbent. I
had also watched the small donor fundraising strategy and held a deep
belief that “organized people can defeat organized money.”

So we set about having regular meetings.  We called these meetings
“Sunday Sauce” because we hosted them around dinner on Sunday. My
kitchen cabinet was full of mothers, teachers, queer folks, young, old
and in-between. There were even non-citizens who couldn’t vote but
organized the people in their communities who could in their native
tongues. We worked diligently and depended on pro-bono professional
services to get us to Primary Day. With the support of national
progressive organizations we pulled off the biggest political upset in
the history of Buffalo, we WON! We did the impossible and for the
first time Buffalo would have a progressive, Black, woman mayor – or
so we thought. The next week was a whirlwind of national media and
excitement all over the world.

In one interview I was asked if I identified as a democratic
socialist, to which I confidently replied, “Oh, absolutely” —
that was the moment the sharks smelled blood in the water. From that
moment on, the Democrat incumbent (who we had handily defeated with a
true grassroots campaign) colluded with Republicans and even major
Trump donors to run a fear and smear campaign to cling on to power for
the wealthy and well-connected. There are many stories I can tell
about the nightmare the campaign turned into but for now, I want to
focus on the positive. Buffalo inspired people from all walks of life
and all over the nation to get involved, just like I was inspired by
Rep. Bush.

In the days following my defeat in the general election, the
progressives of the Democratic Party continued to wrap their arms
around me with calls of encouragement, offers for mentorship, and
invitations to stay engaged. One of the consequences of having the
courage to buck the system is that it closes many doors that are open
to those who are complicit. So for now, in these uncertain times, I
will spend my time finding the silver lining.

Rep. Cori Bush is a silver lining. She is the first line of defense
for working-class people and the most vulnerable members of our
community. Though I won’t be able to cast my vote for her, I will be
contributing monthly, organizing phone banks, and heading to Missouri
in the days leading up to the primary on August 6th to make sure we
keep her in Congress. We need her there because we need people to
represent us all, people with a moral compass who will stand up to big
money. I may not live in Missouri, but our United States Congress
makes decisions that impact all.

_India Walton is registered nurse, activist, senior strategist with
RootsAction and the former Democratic nominee for mayor of Buffalo,
NY._

_Progressive Hub combines the need to know with the imperative to act.
It’s vital to learn the latest and to take action — and
Progressive Hub is one website where you can do both. Every day.
Sponsored by RootsAction.org and the RootsAction Education Fund, this
new site is a digital vehicle for the creative energy, passion and
commitment of progressive activists and organizations around the
United States and beyond. As we all continue to learn, we can all
continue to organize — and change the world for the better._

* Rep. Cori Bush
[[link removed]]
* progressive Democrats
[[link removed]]
* The Squad
[[link removed]]
* Congress
[[link removed]]
* democratic socialists
[[link removed]]
* Missouri
[[link removed]]
* Buffalo
[[link removed]]

*
[[link removed]]
*
[[link removed]]
*
*
[[link removed]]

 

 

 

INTERPRET THE WORLD AND CHANGE IT

 

 

Submit via web
[[link removed]]

Submit via email
Frequently asked questions
[[link removed]]
Manage subscription
[[link removed]]
Visit xxxxxx.org
[[link removed]]

Twitter [[link removed]]

Facebook [[link removed]]

 




[link removed]

To unsubscribe, click the following link:
[link removed]