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Kind of Blue
Kind of Blue's Journal
Kind of Blue's Journal
July 10, 2019
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2019/07/09/where-democratic-primary-race-stands-after-first-debate/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.df61eef54ec3
WaPo: Where the Democratic primary race stands after the first debate
The Post-ABC News poll (29 percent), the Emerson poll (30 percent ) and the Morning Consult poll (31 percent) all show former vice president Joe Biden dropping a significant amount yet still in first place. In early states, Biden lost 12 points compared with 7 points overall in the Morning Consult survey.
Morning Consult shows Biden has lost 8 points among African Americans, but not all of his support went to Sen. Kamala D. Harris (D-Calif.). After the debate, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) also gained slightly (4 percent) with African American voters in that same poll.
In face-to-face match-ups against President Trump, Biden does the best of any Democrat and consistently scores outside the margin of error. Sanders recently has come in slightly above Trump (a shade over 4 percent in the RCP averages), but often within the margin of error. Harris and Warren are about 2 points ahead of Trump in the RCP averages (again within the margin of error).
We have several takeaways from all of this.
First, it’s clear that Biden’s support was in fact fragile, as the first significant event in the contest, the debate, demonstrated. His draw, however, has been in large part premised on his ability to beat Trump; if he continues to do a whole lot better against Trump than the other contenders, that advantage will remain...
Fifth, the past few weeks should underscore how unstable the race is and how early we are in the primary. We will see five more debates before the end of the year alone. We are still learning a whole lot about the candidates’ backgrounds and records, and none has started a concerted attack on any other participant...
Finally, we’ve seen a dramatic demonstration of how critical the black vote is in the Democratic primary. As we saw in 2008, a front-runner with strong African American support can tumble if those voters find a viable African American contender, as they did with Barack Obama after his Iowa victory. The support of African American voters — as Obama had in 2008 and Hillary Clinton had in 2016 — can be absolutely critical, if not determine the outcome. And that, in turn, points to a failure in media coverage: Rather than trace the whims of mostly white, super-progressive voters, the media should be paying a whole lot more attention to African American voters. It’s they who will likely pick the nominee, and in turn, determine whether Democrats can field a winning candidate to boot out Trump.
Morning Consult shows Biden has lost 8 points among African Americans, but not all of his support went to Sen. Kamala D. Harris (D-Calif.). After the debate, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) also gained slightly (4 percent) with African American voters in that same poll.
In face-to-face match-ups against President Trump, Biden does the best of any Democrat and consistently scores outside the margin of error. Sanders recently has come in slightly above Trump (a shade over 4 percent in the RCP averages), but often within the margin of error. Harris and Warren are about 2 points ahead of Trump in the RCP averages (again within the margin of error).
We have several takeaways from all of this.
First, it’s clear that Biden’s support was in fact fragile, as the first significant event in the contest, the debate, demonstrated. His draw, however, has been in large part premised on his ability to beat Trump; if he continues to do a whole lot better against Trump than the other contenders, that advantage will remain...
Fifth, the past few weeks should underscore how unstable the race is and how early we are in the primary. We will see five more debates before the end of the year alone. We are still learning a whole lot about the candidates’ backgrounds and records, and none has started a concerted attack on any other participant...
Finally, we’ve seen a dramatic demonstration of how critical the black vote is in the Democratic primary. As we saw in 2008, a front-runner with strong African American support can tumble if those voters find a viable African American contender, as they did with Barack Obama after his Iowa victory. The support of African American voters — as Obama had in 2008 and Hillary Clinton had in 2016 — can be absolutely critical, if not determine the outcome. And that, in turn, points to a failure in media coverage: Rather than trace the whims of mostly white, super-progressive voters, the media should be paying a whole lot more attention to African American voters. It’s they who will likely pick the nominee, and in turn, determine whether Democrats can field a winning candidate to boot out Trump.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2019/07/09/where-democratic-primary-race-stands-after-first-debate/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.df61eef54ec3
July 8, 2019
Thanks so much for posting! I am thrilled she gave a shout out to Me Phi Me,
illustrating individuality within a group. They came after my time and gave courage to just BE. Yet still, "One mind, one body, one soul. Now let the beat roll."
Harris leaves no one out. Love Her!
July 7, 2019
Public Service Announcement: Sen. Harris's call to look at the Black Census Project
of the Black Futures Lab
https://twitter.com/blackfutureslab/status/1147667305633058816
https://blackcensus.org/
July 6, 2019
https://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/451750-marianne-williamson-shares-photo-of-herself-edited-into-now
Too Funny - Marianne Williamson's photo edited into now-viral Vogue spread
Democratic presidential candidate Marianne Williamson on Thursday shared a photo of herself edited into a viral Vogue magazine photo of all the Democratic women running for the White House.
“Happy July 4th! Other generations have done what they were called to do, and now it’s our generation’s time to do what we are called to do,” Williamson posted on Instagram. The photo shows Williamson added to a painting in the background of the picture.
“The American revolution is an ongoing process, a continuous journey Into more and more expanded realms of possibility for everyone. It’s amazing when you dust off certain phases and reclaim them for their modern relevance. 'Let freedom ring' is not just a cliche after all... #bigtruth,” the candidate continued.
A Williamson campaign spokesperson said in a statement to The Hill, "The campaign did not create the meme. All credit goes to the people of the internet who never fail to deliver."
Williamson was not included in the Vogue photo of Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif), Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-Hawaii) and Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.). She criticized the decision to exclude her, saying on CNN the Framers of the Constitution did not make Vogue magazine the “gatekeeper” for the race.
Amy Chozick, the author of the piece in Vogue, in an interview explained that the magazine's editors decided to focus on women who were already serving in elected office. Williamson was the only woman running for president who was not included in the picture.
“Happy July 4th! Other generations have done what they were called to do, and now it’s our generation’s time to do what we are called to do,” Williamson posted on Instagram. The photo shows Williamson added to a painting in the background of the picture.
“The American revolution is an ongoing process, a continuous journey Into more and more expanded realms of possibility for everyone. It’s amazing when you dust off certain phases and reclaim them for their modern relevance. 'Let freedom ring' is not just a cliche after all... #bigtruth,” the candidate continued.
A Williamson campaign spokesperson said in a statement to The Hill, "The campaign did not create the meme. All credit goes to the people of the internet who never fail to deliver."
Williamson was not included in the Vogue photo of Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif), Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-Hawaii) and Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.). She criticized the decision to exclude her, saying on CNN the Framers of the Constitution did not make Vogue magazine the “gatekeeper” for the race.
Amy Chozick, the author of the piece in Vogue, in an interview explained that the magazine's editors decided to focus on women who were already serving in elected office. Williamson was the only woman running for president who was not included in the picture.
https://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/451750-marianne-williamson-shares-photo-of-herself-edited-into-now
July 6, 2019
Years earlier in 1983, a truly Exhaustive NYT article.
IN DEFENSE OF BUSING
https://www.nytimes.com/1983/04/17/magazine/in-defense-of-busing.html
Harris poll stats and methodology only 3 pages in PDF format
https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwi90NbQ9qDjAhU5wcQHHZqZBDUQjhx6BAgBEAI&url=https%3A%2F%2Ftheharrispoll.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2017%2F12%2FHarris-Interactive-Poll-Research-MAJORITY-OF-PARENTS-REPORT-SCHOOL-BUSING-HAS-BEEN-SATISFACTORY-EXPERIENCE-1981-03.pdf&psig=AOvVaw0efgZUv5_Sw6TAYCDd6YOu&ust=1562523517896238
Harris Poll,1987: Number Opposed To Busing For Racial Purposes Drops 25 Points Over A 10 Year Period
By Louis Harris
In one of the most dramatic turnarounds in recent history, the number of Americans opposed to busing school children for racial purposes has declined from an overwhelming 78-14 percent in 1976 to a current 53-41 percent, a decline of 25 points over the past decade. From 1971 to 1976, well over 7 in every 10 people across the country were opposed to busing for racial purposes.
One of the chief reasons for this startling change of thinking in the country is the fact that the satisfaction levels with the experience of busing children has taken a sharp upward turn, according to this latest Harris Survey, taken by telephone between November 26th and December 2nd, among a national cross section of 1,250 adults. Back at the beginning of this decade, in 1981, only 54 percent of all parents whose children were being bused said they felt the experience was "very satisfactory." Another 33 percent said it was "partly satisfactory", with only a relatively small 11 percent who said it was "not satisfactory." Among whites, less than a majority, 48 percent, found the busing experience for their children highly satisfactory.
Now, a much higher 71 percent of all families whose children have been bused for racial purposes say they are very satisfied, up a full 17 points in only 5 years. Rut the biggest change upward has occurred among whites. The number of whites highly pleased with the bus i no of their children has jumped a full 25 points just since 1981. By contrast, among black parents, high satisfaction has actually declined from 74 to 64 percent, although a sizable majority obviously still are pleased by it.
Significantly, whites are now more satisfied with busing their children to school for racial purposes than is the case among blacks. This is one of the most dramatic shifts in publ ic opinion, but is particularly significant since it has taken place in the area of busing.
This shift in attitudes has been accompanied not by a decline in the number of children who are bused for racial purposes, but instead by a sharp increase. Just five years ago, the Harris
Survey indicated that no more than 19 percent of the households of the country reported that they had a child in their family who had been picked up by bus to go to school with children of other races. Now, a much higher 32 percent of the households have had that experience. The number of black families who have had such a busing experience has risen from 40 to 48 percent and the number of white households has gone up from 17 to 31 percent.
These results indicate that busing now has been much more widely accepted by public school systems than has previously been either reported or realized, Significantly, as more white families have had their children go through the busing process, they have found that their worst fears simply did not materialize. Instead the entire process was one of high satisfaction.
In turn, the actual experience of busing then appears to have changed public attitudes about busing generally. For a generation, the Harris Survey had found that while the number who found busing unsatisfactory had never gone above 16 percent, nonetheless the vast majority of people, by margins of 5 to 1 or better steadfastly, in almost a by rote reaction, firmly stated their opposition to busing.
One of the chief reasons for this startling change of thinking in the country is the fact that the satisfaction levels with the experience of busing children has taken a sharp upward turn, according to this latest Harris Survey, taken by telephone between November 26th and December 2nd, among a national cross section of 1,250 adults. Back at the beginning of this decade, in 1981, only 54 percent of all parents whose children were being bused said they felt the experience was "very satisfactory." Another 33 percent said it was "partly satisfactory", with only a relatively small 11 percent who said it was "not satisfactory." Among whites, less than a majority, 48 percent, found the busing experience for their children highly satisfactory.
Now, a much higher 71 percent of all families whose children have been bused for racial purposes say they are very satisfied, up a full 17 points in only 5 years. Rut the biggest change upward has occurred among whites. The number of whites highly pleased with the bus i no of their children has jumped a full 25 points just since 1981. By contrast, among black parents, high satisfaction has actually declined from 74 to 64 percent, although a sizable majority obviously still are pleased by it.
Significantly, whites are now more satisfied with busing their children to school for racial purposes than is the case among blacks. This is one of the most dramatic shifts in publ ic opinion, but is particularly significant since it has taken place in the area of busing.
This shift in attitudes has been accompanied not by a decline in the number of children who are bused for racial purposes, but instead by a sharp increase. Just five years ago, the Harris
Survey indicated that no more than 19 percent of the households of the country reported that they had a child in their family who had been picked up by bus to go to school with children of other races. Now, a much higher 32 percent of the households have had that experience. The number of black families who have had such a busing experience has risen from 40 to 48 percent and the number of white households has gone up from 17 to 31 percent.
These results indicate that busing now has been much more widely accepted by public school systems than has previously been either reported or realized, Significantly, as more white families have had their children go through the busing process, they have found that their worst fears simply did not materialize. Instead the entire process was one of high satisfaction.
In turn, the actual experience of busing then appears to have changed public attitudes about busing generally. For a generation, the Harris Survey had found that while the number who found busing unsatisfactory had never gone above 16 percent, nonetheless the vast majority of people, by margins of 5 to 1 or better steadfastly, in almost a by rote reaction, firmly stated their opposition to busing.
Years earlier in 1983, a truly Exhaustive NYT article.
IN DEFENSE OF BUSING
Yet a remarkable transformation has occurred in school desegregration since the Supreme Court ruled in 1954 that legally segregated public education was unconstitutional. As the Federal Government forced Southern state and local governments to desegregate, the region's public schools became more integrated - primarily because of racially focused busing - than many schools in the North and West. A report released in January by the Joint Center for Political Studies, a Washington-based research organization, indicated that Southern and border states continue to lead the nation in the desegregation of black students, while segregation is increasing in the Northeast; segregation of Hispanics has risen sharply nationwide. Yet President Reagan, Attorney General William French Smith and Assistant Attorney General, Civil Rights Divison, William Bradford Reynolds have repeatedly asserted that mandatory busing plans are ill-considered and unworkable and that voluntary measures are the best means of achieving desegregation. The Justice Department has joined in court other parties seeking to reduce or eliminate busing plans in Seattle, Tacoma and Pasco, Wash., and Nashville, Tenn., but the courts have ruled against all these attempts.
Polls show that while support for desegregated schools continues to increase, disapproval of busing as a means to accomplish it has hardened. ''If mandatory busing had proven to be effective in desegregating school systems across the country,'' says Assistant Attorney General Reynolds, ''then I think you would probably have a much different public response. But time after time, in jurisdiction after jurisdiction, it's been shown that (busing) has not been effective, and as a result of that, public education has suffered mightily.'' But many civil-rights professionals and academic desegregation experts argue that such remarks are completely at variance with the facts about racially focused busing, and they have presented substantial evidence that busing largely works. Their research shows that, contrary to popular opinion, busing has usually been imposed only after careful consideration and, in many cases, after voluntary desegregation measures have been tried and proved unsuccessful. It has found that minority students generally have made academic gains without damaging the scholastic performance of whites. In most instances, the health and safety of students has not been jeopardized; nor have they been forced to travel extraordinary distances to school. Busing does not consume a large portion of the school system's budget, nor does it subvert the so-called neighborhood-school principle. Their assertions have been bolstered by the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Civil and Constitutional Rights, which concluded after hearings in 1981 that ''busing achieves a degree of desegregation that is unattainable through other means.''
Polls show that while support for desegregated schools continues to increase, disapproval of busing as a means to accomplish it has hardened. ''If mandatory busing had proven to be effective in desegregating school systems across the country,'' says Assistant Attorney General Reynolds, ''then I think you would probably have a much different public response. But time after time, in jurisdiction after jurisdiction, it's been shown that (busing) has not been effective, and as a result of that, public education has suffered mightily.'' But many civil-rights professionals and academic desegregation experts argue that such remarks are completely at variance with the facts about racially focused busing, and they have presented substantial evidence that busing largely works. Their research shows that, contrary to popular opinion, busing has usually been imposed only after careful consideration and, in many cases, after voluntary desegregation measures have been tried and proved unsuccessful. It has found that minority students generally have made academic gains without damaging the scholastic performance of whites. In most instances, the health and safety of students has not been jeopardized; nor have they been forced to travel extraordinary distances to school. Busing does not consume a large portion of the school system's budget, nor does it subvert the so-called neighborhood-school principle. Their assertions have been bolstered by the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Civil and Constitutional Rights, which concluded after hearings in 1981 that ''busing achieves a degree of desegregation that is unattainable through other means.''
https://www.nytimes.com/1983/04/17/magazine/in-defense-of-busing.html
Harris poll stats and methodology only 3 pages in PDF format
https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwi90NbQ9qDjAhU5wcQHHZqZBDUQjhx6BAgBEAI&url=https%3A%2F%2Ftheharrispoll.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2017%2F12%2FHarris-Interactive-Poll-Research-MAJORITY-OF-PARENTS-REPORT-SCHOOL-BUSING-HAS-BEEN-SATISFACTORY-EXPERIENCE-1981-03.pdf&psig=AOvVaw0efgZUv5_Sw6TAYCDd6YOu&ust=1562523517896238
July 5, 2019
Yes, Iyemọja originally from Nigeria. Mother of all orishas and life, the unconscious, deep
secrets and, of course, women -especially pregnant women - and children.
Olokun, orisha of wealth and the deep sea who is androgynous, depicted as female or male. I love the male depiction because there are so few imagery of mermen.
Oftentimes Oshun, the orisha of freshwater, rivers and love is naturally depicted as a mermaid.
The most renown through the Caribbeans is Mami Wata, the mother of all waters. I've never gone far enough to place her squarely in West Africa but I suspect she is a combination of Iyemọja, Olokun and Oshun.
July 3, 2019
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2020-election/joe-biden-kamala-harris-virtual-tie-democratic-nomination-new-poll-n1025656
Biden, Harris in virtual tie after dramatic shift in black support, poll shows
Haven't finished reading because of her last jump and thought was a given but...
Sen. Kamala Harris of California has catapulted into a virtual tie with former Vice President Joe Biden in the race for the Democratic presidential nomination — and she'smade significant inroads with black voters — following her widely praised debate performance last week, a new national poll released Tuesday showed.
The latest Quinnipiac University poll of Democratic and Democratic-leaning voters showed Biden with 22 percent support and Harris with 20 percent — a double-digit jump for her since the university's previous poll last month.
Sens. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Bernie Sanders of Vermont were in third and fourth place in the poll, with 14 percent and 13 percent, respectively. Mayor Pete Buttigieg of South Bend, Indiana, was in fifth, with 4 percent support.
No other candidate got more than 3 percent in the poll.
Biden's 2 percentage point lead over Harris was within the poll's margin of error of plus or minus 5 percentage points.
"Round 1 of the Democratic debates puts Senator Kamala Harris and former Vice President Joe Biden on two different trajectories, as support for Harris surges but continues to slip for Biden," Quinnipiac University Polling Analyst Mary Snow said in a statement. "Biden's once-commanding lead has evaporated," she added.
The poll, conducted June 28 to July 1, also showed that Harris had caught up with Biden in receiving support from black Democratic voters — a bloc with which Biden has done well.
In the latest poll, Biden's support among black Democratic voters shrunk to 31 percent from 48 percent in the June poll. Harris, on the other hand, saw her support among black Democratic voters grow to 27 percent, from 11 percent in the June poll. The June poll numbers on African American voters were provided to NBC by Quinnipiac.
The poll suggests a substantial upswing for Harris and a notable decline for the former vice president. In the Quinnipiac's poll of Democratic and Democratic-leaning voters last month, Biden received the support of 30 percent of the respondents, while Sanders had 19 percent, Warren had 15 percent and Buttigieg had 8 percent.
The latest Quinnipiac University poll of Democratic and Democratic-leaning voters showed Biden with 22 percent support and Harris with 20 percent — a double-digit jump for her since the university's previous poll last month.
Sens. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Bernie Sanders of Vermont were in third and fourth place in the poll, with 14 percent and 13 percent, respectively. Mayor Pete Buttigieg of South Bend, Indiana, was in fifth, with 4 percent support.
No other candidate got more than 3 percent in the poll.
Biden's 2 percentage point lead over Harris was within the poll's margin of error of plus or minus 5 percentage points.
"Round 1 of the Democratic debates puts Senator Kamala Harris and former Vice President Joe Biden on two different trajectories, as support for Harris surges but continues to slip for Biden," Quinnipiac University Polling Analyst Mary Snow said in a statement. "Biden's once-commanding lead has evaporated," she added.
The poll, conducted June 28 to July 1, also showed that Harris had caught up with Biden in receiving support from black Democratic voters — a bloc with which Biden has done well.
In the latest poll, Biden's support among black Democratic voters shrunk to 31 percent from 48 percent in the June poll. Harris, on the other hand, saw her support among black Democratic voters grow to 27 percent, from 11 percent in the June poll. The June poll numbers on African American voters were provided to NBC by Quinnipiac.
The poll suggests a substantial upswing for Harris and a notable decline for the former vice president. In the Quinnipiac's poll of Democratic and Democratic-leaning voters last month, Biden received the support of 30 percent of the respondents, while Sanders had 19 percent, Warren had 15 percent and Buttigieg had 8 percent.
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2020-election/joe-biden-kamala-harris-virtual-tie-democratic-nomination-new-poll-n1025656
July 3, 2019
Unfortunately his record painted him as such
because he had nothing else to offer PoC then and now on desegregation and that's why Harris is gaining among African-Americans as they get to know her.
If only part of the reason for dropping out of his 1988 presidential bid was not based on one of his lies including marching for civil rights. He can't have it both ways as a liberal segregationist.
July 1, 2019
State Sen. Williams was arrested last fall during a protest to count every Georgia vote. All charges were eventually dropped. Abrams endorsed Williams during her 2017 bid. "I am proud to endorse my friend and our leader, Senator Nikema Williams, to be the next Democratic Party of Georgia chair. Nikema has been a stalwart for our party, working hard, guiding us through tough times, and working alongside me to make great inroads in 2018."
Here Sen. Harris answers a voting rights question posed by State Sen. Williams at She the People Presidetial Forum. Starts at 01:16:33 to 01:22:40.
Two Georgia State politicians I'm watching: State Sen. Nikema Williams & Stacey Abrams.
Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms endorsed the White House hopeful Friday, hours after he struggled to respond to a searing attack by U.S. Sen. Kamala Harris on his defense of working with segregationists in Congress and his opposition to mandatory busing of students. The Biden campaign had vigorously courted Bottoms, though both Harris and U.S. Sen. Cory Booker – who each stumped for Bottoms’ mayoral campaign in 2017 – hoped she would repay their favors or at least stay neutral.
Contrast that with the response from another high-profile black woman who will likely play a bigger role in Georgia’s 2020 race: State Sen. Nikema Williams, the chair of the Democratic Party of Georgia.Williams said on social media that she broke down in tears watching Biden “continue to defend his flawed position” during the debate, when he invoked a state’s rights argument to defend his opposition to busing to integrate schools in the 1970s. “I see you #Kamala. Vice President #Biden was and is wrong. We have a fundamental difference in belief here,” she wrote on her Facebook page. “As a black woman in the south, leading a State Democratic Party, I will make sure our party recognizes all the little Kamala’s and Nikema’s out there that deserve someone and a party to fight for them,” she added.
This divide may soon grow even sharper. Several state Democratic lawmakers expressed support for Harris on Friday, though stopped short of giving her an endorsement. Most Georgia Democrats have stayed on the sidelines so far.Georgia’s most prominent Democrat, Stacey Abrams, has also not picked a side. Neither has Williams, who said in an interview that she’s neutral in the race. Still, she told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, she’s deeply concerned with Biden’s remarks.“Everybody is going to be vetted,” Williams said. “That’s what the debate season is about. We’re having a robust conversation. Last night it was Joe Biden who had something dredged up from his past, and it was a missed opportunity for him to face it head-on.”She continued: “It’s 2019 and that happened before I was even born. To say that he was still doubling-down on state’s rights – it’s problematic. Elections are about the future. But you have to address what happened in our past.”https://www.ajc.com/blog/politics/sharp-split-over-joe-biden-among-black-georgia-leaders/DH9GkQI4WJAY7ML7hkUeOI/
Contrast that with the response from another high-profile black woman who will likely play a bigger role in Georgia’s 2020 race: State Sen. Nikema Williams, the chair of the Democratic Party of Georgia.Williams said on social media that she broke down in tears watching Biden “continue to defend his flawed position” during the debate, when he invoked a state’s rights argument to defend his opposition to busing to integrate schools in the 1970s. “I see you #Kamala. Vice President #Biden was and is wrong. We have a fundamental difference in belief here,” she wrote on her Facebook page. “As a black woman in the south, leading a State Democratic Party, I will make sure our party recognizes all the little Kamala’s and Nikema’s out there that deserve someone and a party to fight for them,” she added.
This divide may soon grow even sharper. Several state Democratic lawmakers expressed support for Harris on Friday, though stopped short of giving her an endorsement. Most Georgia Democrats have stayed on the sidelines so far.Georgia’s most prominent Democrat, Stacey Abrams, has also not picked a side. Neither has Williams, who said in an interview that she’s neutral in the race. Still, she told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, she’s deeply concerned with Biden’s remarks.“Everybody is going to be vetted,” Williams said. “That’s what the debate season is about. We’re having a robust conversation. Last night it was Joe Biden who had something dredged up from his past, and it was a missed opportunity for him to face it head-on.”She continued: “It’s 2019 and that happened before I was even born. To say that he was still doubling-down on state’s rights – it’s problematic. Elections are about the future. But you have to address what happened in our past.”https://www.ajc.com/blog/politics/sharp-split-over-joe-biden-among-black-georgia-leaders/DH9GkQI4WJAY7ML7hkUeOI/
State Sen. Williams was arrested last fall during a protest to count every Georgia vote. All charges were eventually dropped. Abrams endorsed Williams during her 2017 bid. "I am proud to endorse my friend and our leader, Senator Nikema Williams, to be the next Democratic Party of Georgia chair. Nikema has been a stalwart for our party, working hard, guiding us through tough times, and working alongside me to make great inroads in 2018."
Here Sen. Harris answers a voting rights question posed by State Sen. Williams at She the People Presidetial Forum. Starts at 01:16:33 to 01:22:40.
July 1, 2019
Great question. Back in the '80s, I worked for a company with headquarters
based in Belgium. My experience was there were not many blacks from any other countries or born there. When we'd see each other though it was amazing. We were like long lost friends...LOL. Though it's not that we wanted to hang out together or best friends forever, just seeing another black face, biracial, triracial, whatever included, it was enough to start a conversation that were always similar in my encounters.
It was enough to see each other because we knew that no matter where we're from, imperialism and colonialism bound us together.
Now, here in the States, as an immigrant kid, I grew up in very multi-cultural neighborhoods. Africans- not many, Caribbeans, Puerto Ricans and African-Americans got along just fine, bound by the same thing mentioned above. I think the beautiful thing was there was always cultural links in food, music, upbringing.
I can only recall 2 negative experiences with African-Americans knowing that I was African. One of them was ridiculous, an incredibly Afro-centric woman accused Africans of not coming to the rescue of enslaved Africans in America. I couldn't believe I had to explain to her the continent was and still dealing with the affects of imperialism. The other more serious incident was perfectly balanced by an African-American woman a few years later, so I chalk it up to just running into sometimes nasty and sometimes beautiful human beings.
I have to include a group of black Vietnamese friends. I met the first at the same job mentioned above. I thought he was probably Filipino. He was fascinated by my last name. And when I told him where the name is from, I don't think I've ever seen another human go numb and then crazy with joy going off about the Motherland. OMG! Before I knew it, I was inundated with his friends when he brought the group who found each other here hoping to one day find their black dads or families. It was just an experience I treasure. They were blacks in Vietnam and accepted by black people here.
As for Sen. Harris, to me, everywhere I've lived and traveled she is considered black, experiencing the same force that separated us and bring us together.
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