John,
A little over one year ago, I decided to run for Congress because I felt that the problems I was seeing in my communities were being ignored and pushed under a rug. I was frustrated by then-current leadership's priorities to uphold the status quo rather than working for our families and children.
Now, one year later, I'm getting ready to take office in January and be a part of the 117th U.S. Congress. I'm grateful for the opportunity and I'm ready to cause problems for the status quo — which I realize is well and alive in our politics today.
But even still, I can't help but be disappointed to see comments from influential leaders like President Obama — who once said "Trayvon could have been my son" — saying that "snappy slogans" like "defund the police" lose people and are ineffective at getting things done.
In 2014, #BlackLivesMatter was too much. In 2016, Colin Kaepernick was too much. Today, discussing police budgets and defunding the police is too much. The problem isn't America's discomfort with snappy slogans. The real problem is America's comfort with Black death.
As leaders, it is unacceptable to distance ourselves from "controversial" statements or ideas like defunding the police. Instead, we must listen to the people and challenge one another as we develop and organize towards long-term solutions: for Black and brown communities, for working class communities, for all communities — not just the white and wealthy ones.
Peace and love,
Jamaal Bowman
