I oftentimes think about the thousands of young people — mostly Black and brown — I’ve trained on electoral politics and advocacy. Many who told me they never see themselves in politics or policy until we’ve taken them to the Hill. Now they can’t get enough of it. Made me think.

Many from the south and Midwest. Many sex workers. Many queer and trans. Many who recognize the system wasn’t built for them and want to figure out how to hold that tension with wanting to demand access and resources from policymakers.

This isn’t easy but this is how I approach policy, especially as a Director of Policy. How are we building state and federal strategies? How are we organizing? How are we coalescing coalition spaces? How are we allowing organizers to lead THEN weave in policy outcomes?

While I think far too many of us lead with formal education, there are many of us who demand that we lead w/experience. But I emphatically believe we can’t cede electoral politics en masse without some strategy for saving our own people.

Policy is harm reduction. It isn’t proof-positive of how we’re going to save everyone’s lives; and it can’t exist in a vacuum. I really despise how either/or we have these electoral conversations every 2-4 years especially because I know how much we love Black people.

Since everyone had an opinion, figured I’d share mine. I’ve seen policy work in real time and help many people. We cannot pretend otherwise.

We can write all the articles in the world. We can argue on social media all day. But if we aren’t actively organizing on these issues locally, in states, and federally, then electoral politics will be the least of our worries, sadly.