Graphic by Jared Wickerham
Progressives have been rising in American politics with prominent progressive figures like Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC) in the limelight. While a progressive president may seem out of reach, many progressives have found success on the state and local levels. For instance, the 2018 midterm elections saw some major wins for the Democratic party with the blue wave flipping the House of Representatives. During this time, progressive women like Representatives Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Rashida Tlaib, Ayanna Pressley and Ilhan Omar won their seats in Congress. Since then they have been able to champion legislation like the Green New Deal, the Postal Banking Act and Medicare for All. In Pennsylvania, these local victories included the election of Representatives Summer Lee and Sara Innamorato to the state’s House of Representatives.
Prior to her election, Rep. Summer Lee was a lawyer and community organizer. She is now the first Black woman to represent Southwestern Pennsylvania (SWPA). Rep. Sara Innamorato spent her career organizing to elect women to local offices through an organization she co-founded, She Runs SWPA. We recently had the opportunity to sit down and speak with Representatives Lee and Innamorato and gain some insight on the issues facing progressives in local politics.
In the current two party system, progressive politicians are grouped with the Democratic party, though they may share few common values. The wide spectrum of ideologies in the Democratic party can create an extra hurdle to overcome when trying to create progressive change. Rep. Lee explained that in navigating partisan politics as a progressive, she has found “one of the biggest tensions that I have experienced has been … what I represent, my community and our progressive ideals … not so much our progressive policies, but our progressive politics.” The differentiation between politics and policies is something that is important to Rep. Lee and her work. She said that progressive values are easy to claim to support, but “if the politics, the way you do your politics don’t match that, then all of that is just empty words.” When Rep. Lee talks about politics, she means the more concrete aspects of being a politician: for instance, how politicians campaign, who they get their funding from, and how and with whom they do community outreach. The alignment of progressive policies and politics are crucial when working towards change.
The year 2020 highlighted the importance of accountability for our elected officials, with the presidential election, the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement and the coronavirus pandemic. While holding politicians accountable is an essential element of our political system, Rep. Lee explained that accountability is a “two-way street.” She explained, “The reality is that a politician or an elected official is only as powerful as the people they represent.” When holding politicians accountable we must consider who they are representing. Are they representing the interests of all of their constituents or only the rich and powerful? Rep. Innamorato said that it is important to remember that “No politician is your savior. No politician is perfect. If you see an elected representative, even if they are a progressive, they’re probably going to stumble.” Humility, a willingness to share and a readiness to learn, are all important for both elected officials as well their constituents.
Education plays a crucial role in the fight for racial justice. We know that the way American history is taught in schools is often whitewashed, further harming marginalized groups. Rep. Innamorato explained progressives need to ask themselves, “Are we actually going out and inviting people to our spaces to educate them on the rhetoric?” Sharing knowledge will lead to more awareness about the history of oppression and how we got to where we are now. As a white woman, Rep. Innamorato called on other white people to not only hold their family members accountable, but to be ready to educate them. For instance, she explained that you may have condoned a family member’s decision to vote for Trump, but did you sit down and talk to them about it? She said, “Did you tell [them] why that decision was harmful for people [they don’t] interact with? Did you do your part as someone who has that connection with that person to try to change their heart and mind?” Being open to both learning and teaching is needed when trying to make change. Another important element of proper education is understanding the political system. Rep. Lee explained that “Understanding the system is going to be the first thing we have to do before we can ever dismantle it.” To make political change and make the system work for the people, we need to understand how it works.
This disconnect between politics and policies also manifests in how Black and brown women are undervalued by Democrats, despite being the backbone of the party. Rep. Lee explained how having a seat at the table does not always translate to equity: “Black women or brown women, or marginalized trans or queer folks … [are] supposed to come and be happy [that] they gave us a folding chair at the table that they created.” Not only are BIPOC expected to be grateful for the limited room they are allotted within these spaces, they also bear the brunt of criticisms. Rep. Lee highlights how women of color holding elected office in particular, often face attacks from their fellow progressives who are frustrated with a lack of advancement. “Here we have these Black and brown women who are fierce enough to say, ‘I am going to go in a place where I’m already not welcome … [and] as soon as they don’t have a blueprint to dismantling a 400 year system, we have people who at the end of the day are still benefiting from the system screaming at them and telling them that they aren’t doing enough.”
Many young progressives are disillusioned with politics as a whole. Representatives Lee and Innamorato shared what keeps them motivated to engage in electoral politics, and what they think can be accomplished through it. “Everything and nothing,” said Rep. Lee, “Electoral politics is only as useful as we use it, as we understand how the system works, and as we organize and mobilize.” Both Representatives Lee and Innamorato hit on a very important point — as much as we want to work around the system we can’t opt out. We cannot underestimate how much power and influence the government has. Through electoral politics we can redirect that power and influence away from moneyed interests and as Rep. Innamorato said, “Redirect it back to the people, back to focus on what it should be — achieving justice for all of us.” To those who don’t vote or engage in politics, Rep. Lee urges them to imagine what the government would look like if they were in charge. She reminds them that the changes they want to see can be worked toward. “There is something inherently flawed about this system. I will never deny that … [but] every election cycle we learn a little more, we organize a little bit better, a little bit more efficiently. Every single state, election, locality, we gain something each time.”