The League of Minority Voters is celebrating its 10-year anniversary with the annual Liberty and Hope gala, to be held on June 28.
Promise King, founder and executive director, sat down with Colors of Influence to look back to successes of LMV and its continued focus on advancing equity and civil rights. This is the final post in a two-part series, where King shares his optimism for the work of civic and political advocacy in these challenging times.
CoI: In the current political and societal climate that we find ourselves in, what do you find most challenging about leading the League of Minority Voters?
PK: I think the distractions are a big challenge. Distractions from the dreams that we have envisioned.
Let me be honest. Before Trump, we had racism, after Trump, we will have racism. Right now, we swing to his evil pendulum when he speaks or tweets. When he sneezes, we have a cough or cold towards it.
We should not be distracted by his buffoonery and bigotry. Right now, we should be focused on the prize of inclusion, on the prize of equity, on the prize of representation, on the prize of empowerment. In the end, those are the strengths that we are going to stand on, in the aftermath of his bigotry and bad leadership.
CoI: We've seen the rise of hate crimes. There’s more outward racism, xenophobia, the border wall, the Muslim ban. Despite all this, what continues to give you hope?
PK: I'm an optimist. I refuse to see the doom and gloom. We will not eclipse any doom and cynical tendencies out in the world. What continues to embolden my optimism is people who work toward results and those who have decided that they will stand regardless of the situation. I'm inspired by people who strongly position themselves in face of fear and threats to their lives. Those selfless leaders in Congress, state Houses and city councils who represent us despite the odds against them.
People who want to see a world that we envision: a world of unity, inclusion and equity. A bouquet of humanity that includes these values, wrapped by a red bow of social consciousness.
My hope is everlasting and whole: it is untouched and unburdened by the dooms of the day. I refuse to be blinded and distracted by what is going on right now.
CoI: Why is bipartisanship important to the League of Minority Voters?
PK: I've worked in politics and advocacy in both state and national levels. We, as minority voters, are not the "children" of any party. The system was not created with us in mind. We have to bust the ceiling to be involved. We need to win folks from all sides of the aisle.
We need to work with good Republicans and good Democrats. None of them is free of racism or exclusion. I look at the Republican party and their history and tradition of exclusion. I also look at Democratic leaders and inquire about who they're hiring or promoting for top positions within their administration. Even among Democrats, there's inclination toward exclusion of our minority folk.
Historically, we're better off when we maintain the center, and are able to win allies from both sides of the aisle. In building bipartisanship, no one can take you for granted. You become the center of attention and the center of collaboration and partnership. If we lose that, then our fight is a little more dreary.
To be honest, we have black, brown and Native American community members who are Republicans. The League of Minority Voters also need to represent their interests. If they are being hoodwinked or discriminated against, within the parameters of our political parties, we want to be able to advocate for their interests.
If we sideline or sidetrack any political party, then we won’t have the moral justification to ask tough questions. We cannot interrogate their vision if our approach is not inclusive. This is why LMV engages both the left and the right of the aisle.
CoI: You mentioned that your politics lean to the left. How do you align your personal beliefs with the bipartisan nature of your political advocacy?
PK: I’m a journalist by training. Objectivity defines the profession of journalism. Journalists are objective to facts to tell the whole story. That has morphed my personal belief that what is good for minorities does not have a label on it.
If a Republican is willing to ride the train of civil rights to a successful end, then why not work with them? Debate, discussion and dialogue should always rest on the outcomes of policy applications and proposals. I yank the labels and look at how policy could affect our communities. By being intentional about outcomes, I examine policy from a point of view that is neither left nor right.
This point of view allows me to query the Democratic Party if their focus is on the environment, at the expense of civil rights.
At the same time, I’m able to tell the story about how Republicans stand to lose the future, if they don’t go back to the roots of a party that gave us Lincoln and the Emancipation Proclamation. Sadly, the Republican Party has been successful at riling up racial animosity, which goes against the history of Conservatism.
CoI: What exciting developments are coming up for the League of Minority Voters?
PK: We are excited for the next 10 years! We are going across the country: setting up shop in Nevada, Washington, Colorado, North Carolina, Florida, and Virginia.
We are starting partnerships with the League of Women Voters as well, to look at issues that directly affect women. We see the need for communities to come together across the board. We are paying close attention to issues that impact minority voters.