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Diversity and Progressive Values Win “Bigly” on Tuesday!
By Dominique Warren
The Truth Contributor
Last Tuesday, Toledo had its own slew of diverse candidates
win in City Council! An Afro-Latino man in Gary Johnson, our
first openly gay candidate since Louis Escobar in millennial
Nick Komives, and two black experienced candidates in
Cecelia Adams and Larry Sykes.
From Virginia, New Jersey to St. Paul’s in Minnesota, and
all the way in Montana, we saw diverse and progressive
democrats win elections. No doubt, their candidacies and
victories across the nationwide was in response to President
Trump and his white populism that came to power in 2016.
Trump and his band of white populists quieted Democrats in
2016 and beat back the notion of a New American Majority
that would lead politics and government in the future.
Victories in 2017 and strong candidates in 2018 are sure to
bring back the idea that the New American Majority had an
off year, but is here to stay.
On the east coast, Virginians and residents of New Jersey
decided to buck tradition and elect two black Lieutenant
Governors in 38-year old Justin Fairfax of Virginia and the
New Jersey Assembly Speaker, Sheila Oliver. Fairfax’s win in
Virginia signaled that the country is ready for young and
qualified candidates to run for major races and the
electorate will put them in Office.
In Charlotte and St. Paul, voters elected the several
“first.” The first black mayors for St. Paul and the first
black female mayor for Charlotte. Hoboken, New Jersey
elected the first Sikh mayor in Ravinder Bhalla. As
progressive candidates, they sought to mend divisions in
their campaign, and ran on progressive values of
inclusiveness and innovation in governance. With political
messaging that signaled forward progress, these local
candidates changed the face of leadership in their
communities.
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Charlotte's Mayor Elect Vi Lyles
Helena Mayor-elect Wilmot Collins
St. Paul Mayor-elect Melvin Carter
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Perhaps Election Day’s most remarkable result was the
election of Wilmot Collins as mayor of Helena, Montana.
Collins, a refugee from Liberia, who settled in nearly
all-white Helena two decades ago, decried the
anti-immigration policies of Trump and still managed to win
in a city with a black population of .4 percent.
In state legislatures and city councils, we saw a number of
firsts happen across the country. Danica Roem became the
first openly transgender delegate in the Virginia House of
Delegates and Andrea Jenkins, the first black transgender
elected official won her race to sit on city council in
Minneapolis. In Virginia’s House of Delegates, the citizens
voted in the first Asian American woman and the first
Latinas sit on the state legislature. Their victories broke
barriers and signaled that in 2017, diverse and progressive
candidates are just getting started.
The rise of Trump and his rhetoric that has sought to divide
and de-human lit a fire to progressive Democrats from all
backgrounds to come to run. Instead of fighting the hate
speech and policy with hate, they put their names on the
ballot and showed the country, what the future holds.
Could the city of Toledo and the state of Ohio see a band of
diverse progressives running in 2018? With a turnout of less
than 30 percent this last election, maybe fresh new
candidates can energize voters, and bring new voices to the
stage. The best way to stop white supremacy and white
populism in this country is to seek inclusive voices from a
variety of candidates. Let’s encourage a new crop of civic
leaders from diverse backgrounds to run and govern. Many
citizens voted for change in 2017, I look forward to seeing
more change in 2018.
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