Perspectives | Midterms, Minorities, and Myths

It's only been 2 years, since both houses of Congress and the Executive Branch began an all-out war on human rights and diversity. This is going to be a fight we're going to be fighting for a long time to come, so encouraging a narrative of defeat is absolutely detrimental to the cause. We took back a House, and at least 7 governor seats (2 more too, hopefully). That's progress, even when we don't look at the sheer diversity of the candidates that got elected. I'm going to celebrate these wins, because people like us rarely ever get to do so. 



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You can't take my youth away.

This soul of mine will never break.

As long as I wake up today,

You can't take my youth away.

Shawn Mendes and Khalid just released their video for the song Youth, which includes messages of hope, love, and perseverance, interspersed with videos of the youth in all their spectacularly talented glory. It's linked here. People ask "what do these kids know?" all the time. Well, turns out, a lot.

Emma Gonzalez and her squad, The Parkland warriors, became a group of newly minted voters. As survivors of a trend that's all too common, they did focused outreach and activism and beat 27 NRA-backed candidates in this midterm election. Their singular focus was to rid the country of NRA-loving candidates so we can finally have common-sense gun laws, and 8 months of work has already delivered results old-school liberals have been trying to deliver for decades. The kids are the future and the future has arrived.

- here I want you to pause and send a prayer, or positive vibes, in the direction of the victims, survivors, and relatives of the Thousand Oaks shooting. And another for every life lost to gun violence. Thank you. - 

This midterm was a revolution, but for some reason, it's been treated as anything but. I'm going to split this up into broad themes, and below the line, you can find a list of all the victories that impacted me, as well as social media handles for some incredible winners yesterday.

The "Losses"

It's a little ridiculous to call Stacey Abrams and Andrew Gillum losses, because currently as I type, there are recounts going on, as well as almost certain election fraud in both Georgia and Florida. But the media is treating them as they are Beto O'Rourke- martyrs in a battle they were destined to lose.

In doing so, Republicans are obviously getting off on their narrative of the golden children of the liberal Dems not being able to win. But by treating their "losses" as big blows, the Democratic base is doing them, and their incredible campaign teams, a huge disservice. I want to urge everyone to think of the effects that the coverage Abrams, Gillum, and Beto received, both for their campaign tones and the policies they back. 

The Democrat surge that we witnessed is in no way a defeat for these candidates. They should be able to celebrate this win as theirs. Obviously, they were defeated. But their contributions to this movement should not be written off as disappointing losses; rather, they were part of a collective effort to raise a middle finger to this administration. 

The Wins!

I'm as pessimistic as they get, but I made an active effort to document and list out the wins (if you follow me on Instagram, @thirdworldjar, which you should, you already saw this). This is because I felt the devastation of Clinton's loss (don't @ me, I love her). 

In 2 years, this country has drastically shifted to one where I feel unheard, unwanted, and unsafe. Before reading this next sentence, please do not read the bleeped out word aloud in your head; just visualize it, and then let it go; we shouldn't be saying words that justify violence against other communities, especially black folks, if we don't belong to those communities. About a week after Trump's election, a white woman on the streets of Westwood, right outside UCLA campus, called me a "sand n*****," as I walked passed her towards my apartment. 

So for me, a loud and proud Muslim who lives in this nation with concerning amounts of Islamophobia, seeing Ilhan Omar in Minnesota and Rashida Tlaib in Michigan become the first two Muslim women to sit in U.S. Congress was life-changing. I was at work when I read the elections had been called, and I broke down in tears in the bathroom. Dreams I had never thought possible of turning to reality, with any amount of skill or hard work, suddenly got realized, and I shouldn't think of this as a monumental victory? Representation MATTERS. My spontaneous tears tell a story of oppression and perseverance, a story that deserves a platform. And Ma sha Allah, I just got two.

It's only been 2 years, since both houses of Congress and the Executive Branch began an all-out war on human rights and diversity. This is going to be a fight we're going to be fighting for a long time to come, so encouraging a narrative of defeat is absolutely detrimental to the cause. We took back a House, and at least 7 governor seats (2 more too, hopefully). That's progress, even when we don't look at the sheer diversity of the candidates that got elected. I'm going to celebrate these wins, because people like us rarely ever get to do so. 

We have, for the first time since this administration came into power, gained a stronghold. The House is Blue. Every committee will be headed by a Dem. Auntie Maxine (Waters from California's 43rd District) will head the House Financial Services Committee, poised to launch investigations into 45's bank records. This is INCREDIBLE, considering the defeat in 2016. 

Speaking of the Dems...

I know a *lot* of Young Dems like myself are pissed that Nancy Pelosi is probably going to be speaker again. I considered the angle that we need the party to introduce fresh faces for leadership.

But the House is all we got, so far. Most of the seats that we won in Red states were won by first timers. We need badasses like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to settle in before they can start hammering away with the powers of the institution now backing them. Change is coming, I have to believe that, but if it happens a little slower than at tsunami speed, I think we've waited long enough and can wait a little bit more. So that finally, when this wave of change hits, it'll be here to stay, and change the landscape of policy-making altogether. 

And now, the rest of the world

Voter apathy (I call it disenfranchisement and suppression, but I guess apathy works too) is not news. If Americans themselves can't be trusted to vote in their own elections, why should the entire world care what happens in their elections, that too, midterms no less.

For better or worse, this is probably the only country that has power over pretty much every sovereignty in this world. That influence and power- to impose sanctions, declare wars, pull out of treaties that devastate economies- is not going anywhere, regardless of who sits in the Oval. The fact that a demagogue has a check on him that is, again, supported institutionally, is a Good Thing for the entire universe.

So, ya'll should care. If you have family that immigrated here, you should care. Tell them to vote to protect their own beliefs. If you have friends that came here to study, you should care. Tell them to attend rallies, marches, and phone bank to get progressive candidates elected. If you have any intention of coming to this country, you should care. Read up on the movement, go and speak on it on social media. 

Looking Forward

Dems can, if they unite like the way this new wave of candidates have, take back at least the Senate, if not the Presidency. I think we can do it all, but it's going to take focused, tireless groundwork. We can't continue ignoring middle America and the South. Clearly, the action from this midterm proves as much. There are candidates worth supporting in every corner of this country, and constituents just needing a platform to voice themselves that's not riddled with complications for their daily life. Let's do it ya'll, I'm ready.

In Conclusion

I just wanna say, this was a WIN. A big win. I'm hopeful that the youth vote will keep increasing and keep turning up. I'm hopeful that the young Congresspeople will learn from the bosses that held it down thus far, and change the fabric of this American society. So let's look at 2020 with hope, not dread. (Michelle Obama, if you're reading this, please bless my entire existence and run for office, amen).

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Individual People

1. Alexandria Ocasio Cortez, from New York 14th District, is the youngest womxn elected to U.S. Congress at 29 years old. I'm predicting this womxn is going to be Speaker within the next 30 years. Her twitter is fire, and her handle is @Ocasio2018.

2. Ayanna Pressley, Massachussetts 7th District, is the first Black womxn elected to Congress from MA. She frequently shares selfies and hypes up other Queens on her Twitter, and her handle is @AyannaPressley.

3. Rashida Tlaib, Michigan 13th District, is the first Muslim womxn elected to Congress, and is also Palestinian-American. Her handle is @RashidaTlaib.

4. Ilhan Omar, Minnesota 5th District, is also the first Muslim womxn elected to Congress. She is a refugee and is Somalian-American. She GLOWS, and is hilarious in addition to being a powerhouse. Her handle is @IlhanMN.

5. Tish James, New York Attorney General, is the first Black womxn who holds the title. She is fierce, she's here to take names, and she has all the power suits lined up for battle. Her handle is @TishJames.

6. Jahana Hayes, Connecticut 5th District, is the first Black Congresswomxn from CT. She's a former National Teacher of the Year. She's a mother who is raising children, and a generation, who are civically engaged. Her handle is @JahanaHayes and also @JahanaHayesCT.

7. Sylvia Garcia, Texas 29th District, becomes the first Latinx Congresswomxn from TX. She is fighting to secure better lives for working families, immigrants, womxn, and overall equity. AND DACA KIDS. She got a cute smile and her lipstick on point. Her handle is @SenatorSylvia.

8. Veronica Escobar, Texas 16th District, also becomes the first Latinx Congresswomxn from TX. This is Beto's vacated seat, and this womxn is fighting for immigration reform, civic engagement within communities, and promoting humanity. Her handle is @vgescobar.

9. Michelle Lujan Grisham became the first Latinx Womxn Dem Governor in the COUNTRY. She supports gun reform, raise wages for public educators, and reforming public education in equitable ways. Her handle is @Michelle4NM.

10. Joe Neguse, Colorado 2nd District, is the first Black person to be elected to Congress from CO. He's the son of refugees, and vocally opposed Kavanaugh's confirmation. His handle is @JoeNeguse.

11. Deb Haaland, New Mexico 1st District, becomes the first Native American Womxn elected to Congress. I don't even know what to highlight about her because she literally is a progressive Queen. Her handle is @Deb4CongressNM.

12. Sharice Davids, Kansas 3rd District, also becomes the first Native American Womxn to get elected to U.S. Congress. Let's let it sit that this land is Native American, and this country has never before had a Native American Womxn in its governing body. Ok. Now. She's a former MMA fighter, openly gay, her twitter is full of features of her team, which is diverse af. Her handle is @sharicedavids.

13. Jared Polis, in Colorado, is the first ever openly gay governor. He supports common-sense gun laws, environmental protection, universal healthcare, and as all the candidates on this list, a host of issues that care about human life above all. He has multiple verified Twitters, but @RepJaredPolis seems to be the most active one talking about policy.

14. Chris Pappas, New Hampshire 1st District, is the first openly gay Congressperson from NH. His handle is @ChrisPappasNH.

15. Angie Craig, Minnesota 2nd District, is the first lesbian mother elected to Congress. She raised 4 boys and loves Grey's and that's good enough for me, but she also champions actual family values, i.e. the rights for families to love and be loved by one another without boundaries. Bles up, a Queen, we stan. Her handle is @AngieCraigMN.

16. Kyrsten Sinema, Arizona, is the first womxn to be elected from AZ to U.S. Senate. Not only that, she IS THE FIRST Bisexual person ever to be elected to the Senate. This one's personal!! Her twitter is @kyrstensinema.

A. This is the ballot measure I think is the most significant, which is Florida Amendment 4. This got confirmed and just gave 1.5 million ex-felons the right to vote, given that they completed their sentence. This is HUGE. This number could absolutely be a game changer in the 2020 Elections.

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