Could Alabama Be Blue? Grassroots Organizers and Democratic Party Leaders Think So
Continuing the Winning With Partners in 2018 Tour, DNC Deputy Chair Keith Ellison traveled to Alabama to meet with grassroots leaders who helped elect Doug Jones to the U.S. Senate this past December — leaders who are already organizing to win up and down the ticket for Democrats in Alabama in 2018. The trip coincided with the Selma Jubilee, the annual celebration of the powerful Selma to Montgomery March, a commemoration of Bloody Sunday, and the passage of the historic Voting Rights Act of 1965.
One guiding theme of the trip for Keith was connecting the history of the struggle of the civil rights movement of the 1960s to the current struggles for racial and economic justice. Alabama remains one of the poorest states in the United States, with a poverty rate of 18.5%. Despite barriers, there is palpable energy and enthusiasm from Alabama grassroots organizers and Democratic Party leaders, who are buoyed by their 2017 victories and optimistic that their continued organizing efforts can elect leaders who will focus on ending poverty, investing in education, increasing access to health care, and more.
Fast Five from Alabama’s WWP Trip
A Community Conversation with Mayor Randall Woodfin + Keith: The first stop of the Alabama trip was a conversation packed with activists in Birmingham at a black-owned restaurant on Friday evening. The activists asked questions about organizing, building power, and implementing progressive policy. Activists in attendance identified with groups ranging from Our Revolution, to Indivisible, to CAIR, and many more. Take a look at the remarks from Randall and Keith:
Winning With Women Roundtable featuring Rep. Juandalynn Givan, Rep. Merika Coleman: On Saturday morning, WWP in 2018 hosted a breakfast to hear from some of Alabama’s black women leaders. In 2017, organizing efforts by local leaders played a huge role in the 98% of black women voting for Doug Jones, propelling him to victory. Keith learned about the efforts to organize on the ground, run radio ads, and continue building out the network of black women leading in Alabama. After the breakfast, Keith took a few minutes for the leaders to share their stories on a special #DemsTour Twitter live.
Listening session with Alabama Democratic Party Chair Nancy Worley and Alabama Democratic Caucus Chair Dr. Joe Reed: After the breakfast in Birmingham, Keith drove about an hour and half down to Montgomery. Over the best southern chicken salad and sweet tea, Keith listened to the leadership of the Alabama Democratic Party update him on their success in 2017, their needs for capacity-building, and their plan for 2018.
Montgomery College Democrats with Keith Ellison: Once the meeting with the ADP/ADC leaders concluded, we hopped over the to the campus of Auburn University at Montgomery (AUM) to meet with student leaders. Students from AUM, Alabama State, and Auburn University gathered to listen to Keith and to commit to vote and organize for the 2018 elections. Many of the students were concerned with rising college costs, mounting student loans (including jokes about their aunt Sallie Mae), and getting a job earning enough money to live their lives. Keith listened to the struggles they face on a daily basis and provided advice on how to turn their top issues into organizing moments on their campuses. Check out Keith’s remarks and watch a video of 18-year-old Jonathan committing to vote using our brand new iwillvote.com site.
Honoring the Civil Rights Movement: Keith took time to honor the heroes of the Civil Rights Movement during the trip in both Birmingham and Montgomery. Take a listen to his conversation with Jonathan Capehart of the Washington Post and his thoughts from the steps of the Montgomery State House.
Catch us at the end of the month in Michigan for the next stop on Winning With Partners. Until then, please commit to vote at www.IWillVote.com/Commit, and follow us at @thedemocrats, @TomPerez, @keithellison. You can also catch us on Democrats Live at live.democrats.org.
