Post Election Statement from Reclaim Executive Director Seth Anderson-Oberman
Hi All,
I am hurting with you today. We are again facing a fascist, racist, anti-worker regime set on dismantling our rights and selling them to the lowest bidder. Our immigrant communities, our black and brown neighborhoods, our bodily autonomy, and our right to resistance are all at risk. We can not fight it all unless we know what brought us here. I echo Senator Bernie Sanders’ statement that the Democratic Party leadership has abandoned the working class, especially Black and brown workers and our communities.
Instead of campaigning on a Green New Deal with good jobs and affordable housing, Kamala Harris stumped during the second hottest October ever about *increasing* fracking. Instead of empathizing with the families struggling to handle skyrocketing inflation and stagnant wages, they campaigned on finishing Trump’s racist, pointless border wall. Instead of higher taxes on the millionaires and billionaires, it was our tax dollars spent on genocide of Palestinians.
Right now instead of taking deep reflection, Bob Brady, the head of Philadelphia’s Democratic Party, and national party leadership are pointing fingers at each other – or worse at voters. It’s clear that the democratic establishment locally and nationally is committed to putting the needs of billionaires ahead of working class people. In Philadelphia, we are seeing it play out right now with Mayor Cherelle Parker and City Council clearing out their schedules for an arena deal that will be a giveaway to billionaires instead of focusing on the strong schools, affordable housing, and good jobs our communities have asked for!
It’s time for a mass movement of the multi-racial working class to stand together and demand better. To stand up and take leadership.
Reclaim Philadelphia was born right before the first Trump Presidency, because we believed in the long term project of building the power we need to liberate ourselves.Unfortunately, we’ve been here before. But we’ve also won big in Trump’s shadow. We elected Larry Krasner to District Attorney starting a national conversation about the need for progressive DAs. We invested in hundreds of our own leaders to push our movement forward, with some of our proudest achievements being electing and sending our own members Nikil Saval and Rick Krajewski to Harrisburg. Even now, we are keeping Republicans out of control of the PA House, with all of our endorsed State Reps returning.
We know that our power lies in the ability of neighbors to come together and fight for each other. Democratic party leadership in Philly and nationally will not save us. Billionaires will not save us. We protect each other, and Reclaim will continue to do the work of building power block by block.
To that end,we’ll be holding a community meeting in the near future to get together, reflect and grieve, and strategize for the fights ahead. Until then, there are several ways you can get involved right now to build the movement needed to fight back and win big:
If you are not a member or your dues have lapsed, now is the time to commit to investing in our political home. If you’re already a member, consider increasing your monthly contribution. Reclaim relies on member dues to sustain our organizing work long-term.
Whether you’ve been involved before or not, we ask that you join us in taking action and leadership with one of our neighborhood groups. If one doesn’t exist in your neighborhood, reply to this email to open conversations on starting one where you live.
We know to have a party that actually reflects working class people that means fighting back against the local democratic establishment and their billionaire interests. To that end we ask that you join us Tuesday November 12 at Dilworth Plaza at City Hall from 9-11am for a People’s Hearing on the Arena fight.
James Baldwin said, “The world is held together, really it is held together, by the love and the passion of very few people.” Now is the time to make the decision – will you join us to fight for the world we deserve?
Much love and Solidarity Forever,
Seth Anderson-Oberman
Executive Director