John,
Our current system of capitalism is just slavery by another name. It's a system that's not working.
The majority of Americans are unemployed, or underemployed and struggling to survive. There are 318,000 dead from the pandemic in our country alone, with deaths disproportionately affecting Black and brown people.
There are Americans who can barely afford to eat, while others have unspeakable amounts of wealth. Jeff Bezos is the first $200 billionaire — and in the next six years, he might become the first trillionaire. The powerful elite continue to concentrate wealth in the hands of a few, and allow large corporations to pretty much run the world.
Yet top Democratic leaders like President Obama insist that "snappy slogans" like "defund the police" lose people and are ineffective at getting things done. But defunding the police — much like cancelling rent or Medicare for All — aren't slogans. These are actual, immediate policy needs for millions of working people, especially from Black and brown communities.
In less than two weeks, I'll officially be sworn into Congress to fight for policy needs like these. I'm ready to cause problems for the status quo and get to work, because I see so many leaders of the Democratic Party continue to strive for a standard that isn't responsive towards what we need, or what's happening today in our streets.
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.
There's a whole lot we need to get done in the next Congress. Let's get to work.
Peace and love,
Jamaal Bowman
