This week, the Working Families Party (WFP) issued an endorsement of Presidential contender Elizabeth Warren. For months, the WFP engaged its supporters, members, and chapters in a process meant to equip everyone with the tools to make an informed decision.
It was brave of the WFP to make an early endorsement, and it signals that the WFP is ready to be a real contender for power. Risks are important in politics — the courage to take an early stand and put it all on the line is an indication that much is at stake in this political moment, for all of us.
The WFP made a decision, with its members and supporters and staff, and there is now conflict over the substance of that decision. But let’s also be clear — the WFP is under new leadership. For the first time in its history, Maurice Mitchell, a Black man with decades of experience building movements and strengthening our democracy, alongside Nelini Stamp, a working class, woman of color and a gifted organizer with a long list of accomplishments, are now at the helm of the Party, where they should be. And apparently, some folks aren’t happy about it.
These incredible leaders who led an organization to take a risk by lifting up the leadership of Black, Latinx, Asian and Pacific Islander and white communities in coalescing around a candidate with enough time to engage their communities deeply ahead of the 2020 election, are being threatened on a daily basis, by self-identified Sanders supporters, with hateful, violent and racist threats. “Uncle Tom.” “Slave.” “Cunt.” These kinds of threats have no place in our movements, and are reminiscent of the threats Black people would receive when daring to vote even though the white supremacists would try and discourage Black people from doing so.
The virulent, racist attacks on these leaders are unacceptable and dangerous. What do we do when racism and sexism is present in progressive movements? What is the prospect of strengthening democracy when old habits just won't die?
Many of us, the undersigned, are no stranger to these kinds of attacks—too many of us receive threats like these ones every day because we dare to organize our people towards freedom. But if we hope to take back this democracy, if we dare to struggle for electoral justice, if we really want a world where Black lives do in fact matter, all of us must take a stand against these real and persistent threats.
Online attacks, threats and smears against Black leaders are unacceptable — especially when there is so much at stake for our movements. While we punch horizontally, those who have real power over our lives take advantage of our disintegration and our disorganization. Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren and perhaps a number of other candidates would be much better than what we’ve got now. And that is the real fight ahead of us.
We refuse to concede to white terror from the Left as well as the Right. We can argue about the differences between Sanders and Warren, but not if we can’t be distinguished from our real opposition.
As Black leaders in this movement, we are calling on each other to keep reaching for each other, even when it gets hard, even when we disagree, even when we’re disappointed. We demand that the Sanders campaign unequivocally denounce the racism in its ranks, and issue a public statement separating themselves from these abhorrent attacks. And we call on our movement to recommit to the real fight ahead of us. Democracy isn’t built in a day, and the WFP will need us, Sanders supporters and Warren supporters, to come together to defeat one of the most serious threats to peace and justice in our lifetimes. We cannot wait to make justice real amongst the resisters — our lives literally depend on each other.
Signed,
Alicia Garza Principal, Black Futures Lab; co-founder, Black Lives
Matter Global Network
Jessica Byrd Co-founder, Electoral Justice Project, Movement for Black
Lives
Patrisse Cullors Co-founder, Black Lives Matter Global Network; Chair,
Reform LA Jails
Kayla Reed Co-founder, Electoral Justice Project, Movement for Black
Lives; Director, Action St. Louis
Eric K. Ward Western States Strategies (for identification purposes only)
Tracey Corder Director of Political Action and Racial Justice, CPD Action
Jennifer Epps Addison Network President and Co-Executive Director, CPD Action
L Joy Williams
Pastor Michael McBride The Way
Colin Hicks Senior Political Manager, CPD Action
Angela Lang Executive Director, Black Leaders Organizing Communities
(BLOC)
Dakota Hall Executive Director, Leaders Igniting Transformation (LIT)
Brandon Snyder Executive Director, Detroit Action
Sochie Nnaemeka Director of Emerging Organizing, CPD Action
Leslie Mac Digital Organizer, Black Womxn For
Esperanza Tervalon Garrett Chief Executive Officer, Dancing Hearts Consulting, LLC
Tiffany Roberts, Esq.
AJ Springer Owner, Springer Communications
Carmen Berkely Chief Strategy Officer, Dancing Hearts Consulting, LLC
Anoa Changa Digital Strategist
Maurice BP Weeks Co-Executive Director, Action Center on Race and the
Economy
Jamecia Gray CEO, Peak Power Strategies LLC
Brieanna Fischer Political Strategist
Malkia Devich-Cyril Co-founder and Director, MediaJustice
Marcus Ferrell Chief of Staff, New Georgia Project Action Fund; former
African American Outreach Director, Bernie 2016
Makani Themba Higher Ground Change Strategies; author, activist
Heather McGhee Demos Action
Nse Ufot Executive Director, New Georgia Project Action Fund
Chinyere Tutashinda Co-director, The Blackout Collective
Celeste Faison Co-director, The Blackout Collective; Chief Strategy
Officer, MeToo
Rukia Lumumba Electoral Justice Project, Movement for Black Lives
Dorian Warren President, Community Change
Karissa Lewis Executive Director, Center for Third World Organizing;
Movement for Black Lives
Ari Trujillo Wesler CEO and Co-founder, OpenField
Charlene Carruthers Founder and Executive Director, Chicago Center for
Leadership and Transformation
Monifa Bandele Senior Vice President, MomsRising
M Adams Co Executive Director, Freedom Inc
Tarana Burke Founder and Executive Director, MeToo
Marlon Peterson Owner and Founder, Precedential Group
Lee Anderson Director of Public Affairs and Strategic Communications,
CPD Action
Mary Hooks Southerners on New Ground (SONG)
Angela Peoples Founder, Black Womxn For
Nikema Williams Chair, Georgia Democratic Party
Dara Cooper Co-founder and Executive Director, National Black Food
and Justice Alliance
Michele Kilpatrick Senior Research Analyst, CPD Action
Thenjiwe McHarris Movement for Black Lives
Charles Kahn Organizing Director, Strong Economy For All Coalition
Bennie Patterson Jr. Digital Director, CPD Action
Darrol Gibson Political Director, Leaders Igniting Transformation (LIT)
Karundi Williams Executive Director, Repower
Jessica Pace Strategic Communications Consultant
Ash-Lee Woodard Henderson Highlander Research & Education Center; Movement for
Black Lives
Chris Love Progressive Strategist
Joanne Smith Founder & President, Girls for Gender Equity
Richard Wallace Executive Director, Equity and Transformation (EAT)
LaTosha Brown Co-founder, Black Voters Matter Fund
Cliff Albright Co-founder, Black Voters Matter Fund
Candice Fortin Political Organizer
dream hampton Filmmaker, writer
Tamieka Atkins
Jasmyne Cannick Journalist, Political Strategist
Jamal Watkins Vice President of Civic Engagement, NAACP
Markasa Tucker Director, African American Roundtable
Angela Rye
Monique “Mo” George Co-founder, Workers for Racial Equity
Mark Anthony Clayton-Johnson Founder, Frontlines Wellness Network
Reverend Jennifer Bailey Executive Director, Faith Matters Network
Maria Harmon Co-Executive Director, Step Up Louisiana
Christina Livingston Executive Director, ACCE Action
Amanda Alexander Founder and Executive Director, Detroit Justice Center
Glenn Harris Race Forward
Patric Taylor Consultant; Board Member, Brand New Congress
Adrianne Shropshire Executive Director, BlackPAC
Loryn Carter concerned voter
Neal Carter Principal, Nu View Consulting
Gina Clayton Johnson Founder and Executive Director, Essie Justice Group
Kandice Webber Co-founder, Houston Rising
Ashton P. Woods Director, Black Lives Matter Houston; candidate Houston
City Council
Barbara Ransby Historian, Author, Activist
Arielle Iniko Newton Community Organizer; Founder, Black Giving Fund
Mark Winston Griffith Executive Director, Brooklyn Movement Center
Anthonine Pierre Deputy Director, Brooklyn Movement Center
Afua Atta-Mensah Executive Director, Community Voices Heard Power
Jamilah Lemieux Writer, Communications Strategist
A.Salewa Ogunmefun Political Director, One Pennsylvania
April Reign Founder, #OscarsSoWhite
Judith Browne Dianis Civil Rights Attorney
James Rucker
Deanna Hoskins President/CEO, Just Leadership USA
Aisha Moodie Mills Democratic Strategist
Adaku Utah Harriet’s Apothecary
Everette R.H. Thompson Director, Interfaith Organizing Initiative/Side With Love
adrienne maree brown Emergent Strategy Ideation Institute
Montague Simmons Movement for Black Lives
Denise Perry Executive Director, Black Organizing for Leadership and
Dignity
Lena K. Gardner Executive Director, Black Lives of UU
Benjamin Dixon Founder, Progressive Army; Co-founder, The North Star
Sendolo Diaminah Carolina Federation
Laura Martin Executive Director, Progressive Leadership Alliance of
Nevada Action
Bree Carlson Deputy Director, People’s Action
Joy Blackwood Director of DC Strategy, People’s Action
Bettina Marshall HR Manager, People’s Action
Shireen Mitchell Stop Online Violence Against Women
Campaign Zero
Anthony Thigpenn
Dr. Ron Daniels Social and Political Activist
Ashley Allison The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights