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Many pundits and politicians are hyper focused on whether Joe Biden needs to step aside, but they’re missing a critical point: What’s essential to get people out to vote in November to avoid another Trump presidency?
To answer that question, it’s vital to first understand why we are in this position in the first place and how we could have prevented it.
In 2008, Americans across the country voted for a Black man with a foreign name, Barack Hussein Obama, on the Democratic Party ticket. Many likely had never voted for a Black candidate before, much less for President. This was a clear sign that people were so fed up with politics and systems that weren’t working for them that nothing was off the table.
Eight years later–in an almost complete reversal–they voted for a Republican President who initially seemed more of a joke, a showman who leaned into a populist message. The Democratic Party could have chosen its own populist candidate and its own populist message. Instead, it did what it always does, leaning into an “establishment” candidate with stereotypical mainstream message. We lost that gamble, barely won the next election, and now we’re here.
While the Republican Party initially ignored Donald Trump’s candidacy, it ended up embracing him and his message. His populist message is rooted in exclusion and “otherizing” individuals as the way to make America great again. The Democratic populist messengers have been rooted in inclusion and reigning in greed, promoting a “there’s enough for us all” platform. Still, the Democrats too often do everything possible to reject those candidates while taking core constituencies for granted. To our peril, assuming that the “you have to vote against” message will be strong enough to win. This strategy has cost us dearly.
The truth is, the party maintains its own system of privilege, power, and wealth, threatened by messages of equity—the same systems voters have told us they no longer want. Real Democratic ideas of public safety and economics work in places least expected when spoken with the concerns and fears of that community in mind. Yet, we often decide to ignore that too, either not acknowledging their concerns or, worse, adopting Republican-lite messaging, despite learning repeatedly that Republicans are better at their own talking points.
I am stunned by the number of people I’ve heard from in Black and Brown communities I represent who have said they are voting for Trump or not voting at all– which, frankly, is the same thing. At the same time, I understand their anger, rage, and frustration. Yes, it’s likely well past time for President Biden to do what most of us would struggle with: step aside for the betterment of the party, the country, and, without hyperbole, the world.
But more importantly, my party needs to be honest about its own missteps and how we’ve gotten to this point with this candidate. In doing so, we can tell those who are disillusioned and furious that we see them and will take concrete steps to do better. This will allow people like me, who are vocally and equally as furious, to convince more voters that yes, a second Trump term will do irreparable harm to our democracy, and sitting it out will certainly not solve the problem.
At this point, it’s not a gamble we can take.
Jumaane Williams is the New York City Public Advocate.
As the nature of work evolves and groups include greater bendy and collaborative environments, the design of conference tables has also advanced to fulfill these changing wishes. From included-era solutions to sustainable substances and customizable configurations, modern conference tables are designed to enhance productivity, sell creativity, and create a dynamic assembly space. This article explores…
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Beyoncé dressed to the nines in an all-white pantsuit and matching cowboy hat when she did a surprise in-store appearance last week at Innersleeve Records in the Hamptons village of Amagansett to promote her “Country Carter” album. The megastar signed copies of the album cover for her elated fans. The visit was part of her Record Store tour. In addition to the Hamptons, Queen Bey will be making stops in Austin, Texas, her hometown of Houston, Texas and Atlanta, Georgia. There was chatter flying around last week that the 32-time Grammy award winner had plans to do a residency at the Sphere in Las Vegas. However, the New York Post reported that the talks fell apart because the venue didn’t want to close for two weeks for Beyoncé to rehearse. Now, tongues are wagging that she is reportedly talking to the MGM Grand to do a residency there of 100 shows over four years……..
The fourth annual Kool Kids Foundation Celebrity Golf Tournament took place on July 16 at the Cedar Hill Golf & Country Club in Livingston, New Jersey. The Kool Kids Foundation was created by Robert “Kool” Bell, co-founder/leader of the Grammy winning, Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees Kool & The Gang, and his late wife, Sakinah Bell. A 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, the foundation’s goal is to support music education in schools and communities across the country. Last year, the Kool Kids Foundation awarded grants to schools and youth marching bands to help further music education. “We are instrumentally influencing children to find their rhythm and melody in music and life so we can all live in harmony,” said Robert Bell…….
Philanthropist and author Jean Shafiroff hosted her Annual Bastille Day Luncheon at the elegant Maison Barnes restaurant in New York City. The luncheon was held in honor of the French Heritage Society, a charity on whose board Shafiroff has served since 2012. This year, the luncheon was attended by 56 distinguished guests including three fashion designers of color, B Michael, Frederick Anderson and Ese Azenabor, additional designers Victor de Souza, Nicole Miller and Taiwan Ambassador Malan Breton. A regular on best dressed lists, Shafiroff began the luncheon wearing a dress by Oscar de la Renta, then changed into a flowing pajama pantsuit by Alexander McQueen. Other guests who attended included Prince Dimitri of Yugoslavia and NYS Assembly member Rebecca Seawright………
Grammy winner Stephanie Mills has returned to Broadway as Hermes in “Hadestown.” The eight-time Tony Award winning musical, which also stars Phillip Boykin as Hades and Jordan Fisher as Orpheus, continues to be in performances at the Walter Kerr Theatre on W. 48th Street in New York. Celebrating five epic years, “Hadestown” intertwines two mythical tales: young dreamers Orpheus and Eurydice, and that of King Hades and Queen Persephone…..Go With The Flo
The dance performance maker, dancer, educator, and consultant Kayla Hamilton can’t seem to stop doing good for the community; she is getting recognition for her work on and off the stage. The Texas-born, Bronx-based Hamilton holds many accolades: a 2023-2025 Jerome Hill Artist Fellow, a 2023-2024 Pina Bausch Foundation Fellow, a 2024 NEFA National Dance Project Production Grant recipient, a 2023-2024 Bronx Cultural Visions Fund recipient, and a 2024 BAM Resident Artist. Her dancing has been described as “an undercurrent of freedom that is palpable and intoxicating.” And now, Hamilton announced the establishment of Circle O, a new cultural organization created by and for Black disabled and other multiply marginalized creatives. Circle O is based in the Bronx and centers access as creative innovation, from process to outcome, operating in three different wings: performance, education, and consultation.
Hamilton responded to some questions about Circle O exclusively for AmNews.
AmNews: What drew you to forming Circle O?
Hamilton: Circle O is really about putting a container or umbrella around the things I’ve already been doing (performing, educating, consulting); now I can put them into one container and all these things can speak to and be with each other. It’s about having a holistic space to be working towards a dance world where Black disabled and other multiply marginalized creatives are central, and everybody is worthy of care.
AmNews: Why now?
Hamilton: I was fortunate enough to receive financial support and that support gave me the means and the audacity to dream larger and to dream outside of myself. I think it’s important that we name that: what resources can do for dreams.
AmNews: How did you land on these “Circle O Wings”: Performance, education and consultation?
Hamilton: These are the things I had already been doing for a certain amount of time and so these wings made sense. Sometimes we look at one thing [one methodology, or way of thinking] to be the answer, but there’s a collection of things that can come together to make it feel more complete or whole. Rather than tackling an idea or a challenge from only one direction, sometimes you need more. All facets of the work are creative endeavors, not just performance making. The teaching, for example, is also performance, is also creative, is also choreography.
AmNews: Does anything about this ambitious project scare you?
Hamilton: Of course. But the things that I’m afraid of are not me, the ideas I’m afraid of are not mine. For example, I’m clear that Circle O is about movement making and collectivizing, rather than it being only about me—but hopefully other people won’t get it twisted or misunderstand. It’s not about me, it’s about what we’re doing together. I know mess-ups will happen. I’m learning, I’m learning a lot, all the way around; what’s scary is that I must be in a practice of reminding myself of my own humanity while I’m also making space for other people’s humanity. To give myself what I’m trying to give others. So, it’s not fear, rather it’s awareness, or maybe it’s just reality. So, scare…no. I think I would call it more like: you dreamed up a thing, you named the thing, you made the thing, and now it’s time to do the thing. It’s about the doing. The reality of here it is, it’s go time.
AmNews: What are you most looking forward to in realizing with Circle O?
Hamilton: I’m most looking forward to being with other people and collaborating with people, meeting new people, connecting people.
The dance community has also come together to support Hamilton’s initiative. She has been presented and supported by BAAD! Bronx Academy of Arts and Dance; Dance/NYC; Danspace Project; Gibney Dance; Jacob’s Pillow; New York Live Arts; NYC Department of Education; Performance Space New York; River to River Festival; The Shed; UCLA Disability Studies Inclusion Labs; and the Whitney Museum of American Art.
Hamilton will offer the world premiere of “How to Bend Down/How to Pick it Up” (HTBD/HTPU) at The Shed, August 15-17. HTBD/HTPU is an immersive, community specific, multidisciplinary dance performance exploring lineages of Black disabled imagination and alternative world building. The work utilizes an elaborate multimedia design, multiple audio descriptions, ASL, a multi vantage-point performance space, and a performance structure that can reconfigure every night based on the performers’ changing needs. To find out more about Hamilton, the performance at The Shed, visit https://www.theshed.org/program/402-open-call-kayla-hamilton
And to find out more about Circle O visit https://www.circleo.org/
