“AOC is only a woman of color when it’s convenient. None of the things she’s fought for aligned with communities of color and her group is only funded by elitist white liberals; she’s a puppet.”
Anonymous top Democratic aide in the House

John --

It’s disheartening to see senior members of the Democratic Party crack down on young leaders of color who are fighting to make transformative change. It’s incredibly sad that when we should be focused on holding the Trump administration accountable and fighting for solutions as big as the problems we face, that some Democrats would push these absurd, low-blow attacks. So, it’s time for a reality check.

The claims made by senior Democratic lawmakers and aides are absurd. In 2018, Justice Democrats took on the political establishment in New York and Boston by supporting Ocasio-Cortez and Ayanna Pressley -- both of whom were taking on more conservative, white male incumbents. Notably, the CBC endorsed Pressley’s opponent even as she was running in a majority-people of color district. Today every single Justice Democrat in Congress is a person of color.

Now we’re supporting Jamaal Bowman to take on Representative Eliot Engel, who voted for the Iraq War; Jessica Cisneros to take on Representative Henry Cuellar, a ‘Democrat’ who voted with Trump nearly 70% of the time; and Marie Newman who is taking on Representative Dan Lipinski, an anti-choice ‘Democrat.’ We’re also supporting Cori Bush who is a tireless fighter for racial, economic, and gender justice in St. Louis.

With the Green New Deal, AOC and Justice Dems spearheaded the efforts to ensure that any strong action on climate change also incorporate social and racial justice too — dedicating millions of jobs to communities of color to confront the racial wealth gap and systemic racism.

AOC has visited the border twice, brought the abhorrent conditions of women being held in detention centers to light, and alongside the Justice Democrat #Squad, Hispanic Caucus, and nearly 100 Democrats valiantly fought to improve a border funding bill that would have ensured $4.6 billion of additional funding would be dedicated to humanitarian relief, not just a slush fund for Trump’s deportation machine.

From criminal justice reform to the Loan Shark Act, fighting for the issues important to black and brown communities across the country has been at the core of AOC’s platform. And from day one of candidate recruitment for Justice Democrats, choosing candidates who truly reflect and embody the values of their communities has been one of the most important attributes for us.

These bad faith attacks may not be founded in reality, but that doesn’t mean they won’t have an impact. Will you help us show the nation our values, and donate $27 to help us elect diverse, working-class champions across the country?

Donate

As a supporter of Justice Democrats, you already know this, but we’ll say it for the crowd — our donors are not elitists. They’re seniors in Texas giving up a bit of their retirement to fund economic justice. They’re young people with student debt in New York contributing a little bit for social justice. They’re people of color fighting for change in states that systematically disenfranchise us and minimize our political power. They’re immigrants, Muslims, and Jews fighting to take on hate and create a more inclusive society.

Unlike some politicians, Justice Democrats and our endorsed candidates are not accepting any corporate PAC money from Wall Street banks, fossil fuel corporations, real estate developers, or insurance companies.

Each and every person that donates to Justice Democrats does so because they want our Congress to reflect real progressive values, and the ideals of social, racial, environmental and economic justice for all.

Oh, and by the way: every single Justice Democrat in Congress is a person of color.

In solidarity

Justice Democrats