Memo: Biden Campaign Must Do More to Connect with Women of Color

 

For Immediate Release

Wednesday, July 15, 2020

Contact

press@shethepeople.org

“Alarm Bells Should be Ringing:” Swing State Women of Color Leaders Report Widespread Enthusiasm Problem

Oakland, CA – She the People, the national network of women of color in politics, released a memo today summarizing a series of focus-group-like listening sessions with top women of color leaders in battleground states, and the results suggest Biden’s 2020 campaign might not be learning the right lessons from 2016. Leaders across Arizona, Florida, Michigan, Georgia, and Texas all report minimal or even no contact from the Biden campaign, women of color members who aren’t excited about the election because there has been little outreach or investment. 

“Alarm bells should be ringing in Biden HQ,” said Aimee Allison, Founder and President of She the People. “We need Joe Biden to win in November, but we are hearing serious red flags from women of color across our network. Biden needs women of color to win the White House, and this begins with a woman of color Vice President. We cannot be complacent and repeat 2016 -- it’s time for an all-out Democratic strategy to engage and inspire base voters.”

The memo is a product of three, focus-group style listening sessions She the People conducted with nearly 50 women of color organizational leaders, elected officials, and voter mobilization experts in swing states including Arizona, Texas, Georgia, Florida, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and Michigan.

Toplines from the listening sessions include:

  • A deep desire for a woman of color VP pick.

  • Women of color report minimal contact with the Biden campaign, and deep concerns about infrastructure to reach them anytime soon. 

  • A growing enthusiasm problem for Biden due to a need for:

    • Deeper investment in women of color voters, strategists, and grassroots groups;

    • Policy plans that speak more directly to women of color; and

    • A comprehensive plan to support down-ballot women of color candidates given the lack of diversity at the top of the ticket. 

Key issues raised by women in the listening sessions included a need for a woman of color Vice President, a plan to support down-ballot women of color candidates, and a reckoning with Joe Biden’s history on deportations and mass incarceration.

"It is critical that Joe Biden choose a woman of color Vice President to get the confidence of  people that have been oppressed by the systems in this country. We can’t afford anything but Biden in November, but we also need bold and courageous leadership to advance a strategy on addressing structural racism in our economic and justice systems to restore faith in our democracy,” said Ponsella Hardaway, Executive Director of Metropolitan Organizing Strategy Enabling Strength Michigan (MOSES MI).

"It's not enough to not be Donald Trump, the same way it's not enough to say you aren't racist. The Biden campaign needs to be proactive in its genuine connection to Black voters, the same way we need to be anti-racist,” added Angela Lang, Executive Director of Black Leaders Organizing for Communities (BLOC). 

You can view a copy of the memo HERE. 

She the People has undertaken a larger survey of women of color leaders on potential solutions to the above identified problems, and expects to release the results by the end of July. 

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She the People is a national network connecting women of color to transform our democracy. We are elevating and amplifying the voice and power of women of color as leaders, political strategists, organizers, and voters. She the People is building an inclusive, multiracial coalition driving a new progressive political and cultural era. Connect with She The People on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.


 
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