This is an open letter to the Democratic Party:
Let's get moving.
Every constituent in every community needs to hear about your political successes and your vision for their communities like yesterday. We need you to combat disinformation spewed by people like DeSantis, Trump, Ruffo, Kirk, Taylor-Greene, and so many more. We need you to proclaim loudly on a national and individual scale that you will not tolerate the racist, homophobic, misogynistic, and xenophobic rhetoric designed to erase social and racial justice progress made in the last 50-60 years. We need you to show us what you have done and what you plan to do. As was said when I worked in health care systems: "If you don't document it, it didn't happen." Why else do you think Republicans act as if Biden's accomplishments were theirs (infrastructure, for example, or Covid relief dollars)? They lie and document your successes. Didn't Obama leave a good economy? Who ran up the deficit? People need to know. There should not be a feeling of "what have Democrats done for me" within the Black community. I have suggestions that can facilitate delivering a positive message to each other.
Some People are Harder to Reach
Certain groups of people are "hard to reach." 'Hard-to-reach' is a term used to describe those sub-groups of the population that are difficult to reach or involve in research or public health programs due to their physical and geographical location (e.g., rural communities or reservations) and/or their social and economic situation. Plans should include how to provide information directly to the people who live and work in some of these areas. They may need to understand your political positions and the consequences of not voting, and if they do vote, only vote against their interests. Training navigators from those communities and having them provide information directly to people in a culturally relevant manner would help to get the message out on an individual level.
Identify specific groups and places where you can facilitate this approach. For example, churches, community centers, gay organizations, social and fraternal organizations with community engagement components, and rural communities are examples of places that will allow for closer and more effective one-on-one communication. Be deliberate.
Be Nuanced and Be Direct
Don't be indirect and fake. Being specific and factual is the best way to defeat disinformation claims they may hear from others. Disinformation can sometimes be subtle and misleading. For example, Trump did lose the 2020 election, and there are more than 60 court cases plus a massive multimillion-dollar lawsuit against Fox News to prove it. Make sure they know the truth and show rock-hard evidence. On October 7th, the slaughter of Jewish people in Israel does not mean that all Palestinians are terrorists. Conflating all Palestinians is dangerous when, in fact, Hamas is a separate terrorist organization. Be nuanced.
Listen, listen
I cannot stand it when politicians, predominantly Republicans, state, "The American people want, blah blah blah." There is nothing that every American in this country is on one accord with. January 6th, taking rights away, etc, has shown that. But the real deal is this: who are they speaking for? I can guarantee they're not talking to people on the south side of Chicago, the west side in Detroit, or Wilton Manors in Florida to get their perspectives. They don't generally speak from a place of understanding from a diverse perspective. Yet, we live in a diverse land, and you are the party of diversity. The move to gut diversity, equity, and inclusion is a massive effort in red states.
The point is the Democratic Party must gently insert themselves at a granular level within their constituents' communities to hear their voices and to pontificate how party successes have helped or will help their communities. Meanwhile, the divide between the Democratic leadership and the person in the mall, at church, eating chicken wings in a local restaurant, or listening to a favorite hip-hop radio station grows wider.
Devise plans to sit at some kitchen tables, as they say, and educate people while respecting and understanding their concerns.
Why All of This Matters
Culture wars, as promulgated by Republican leaders in red states such as DeSantis in Florida, Abbott in Texas, and others, have elevated racial hatred and intolerance to anyone who is not in agreement with their extreme right-wing agendas. The success of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, the Civil Rights Act of 1964, abortion rights, and gay rights are all in danger. The demolition of rights is a systemic approach planned by the opposition party. The vote is the surefire way to address these issues and points to why restrictions imposed upon voters continue to increase. When all of this is coupled with disinformation, people who are not politically inclined will be subject only to disinformation as they try to understand the political landscape . The Democratic Party must act now to educate its constituency and help fund initiatives for representatives, senators, and community navigators to work with communities to offset disinformation and to empower the communities mentioned above to make informed decisions and to understand the importance of voting.