“Apparently All Y’all Are White”
Last week Rosario Dawson gave, what is so far my favorite speech of the election. She’s one of the founders of Voto Latino and one of my favorite actors working today. So when she took the stage I knew it was going to be interesting. In front of a crowd so yuge that it would make Donald Trump blush, she declared the running meme of the election – that Bernie can’t win states that aren’t ‘white and rural’ complete garbage.
After correcting the facts on Bernie’s pro-choice record, Dawson continued with the line “…apparently all y’all are white— that’s crazy. I must be having issues with my eyes. No, the reality is when they’re talking about that stuff, they’re trying to divide us.” She’s right. This idea that Bernie can’t win in states that aren’t demographically like Vermont is something that the media* and Clinton’s campaign continually talks about – citing most recently, Alaska. Well, for those of us who’ve lived in Alaska knows that’s (excuse my French) bulls**t. The statement was so ridiculous the website Snopes.com felt it necessary to weigh in. They proclaimed it FALSE.
A cursory check of US census data for Alaska would have shown it as one of the most racially diverse states in the country. Same with Hawaii – both states that Sanders won. Facts, as they so often do, tend to ruin media meme’s. This should also be a wake up call to the Democratic Party that until 2008 barely recognized that Hispanics voted.
The Democratic Party leaders should not take minority votes for granted – they aren’t all older African American voters that have a good memory of the Clinton Presidentcy. Many are young Hispanic activists are fighting Obama’s mass deportations and who don’t care too much for Hillary Clinton’s remarks on Central American refugees. There are also Native American and Native Alaskans fighting against off the Democratic Party’s on again off again love affair with shore drilling and mining on their land. They may be overall a small minority – but as Hillary now knows, they can make a difference.
Rosario Dawson’s speech is at the bottom of the post. I highly recommend giving it a watch whatever candidate you back and if you’re a white middle class Superdelegate in Alaska – I think it should be mandatory viewing.
*I hate when people talk in generalities about “the media” but this time it’s nearly universally true.
Good article, good job Zach.
This old mixed race woman is 100% for Mr Sanders.
Stoopid how this hasn’t been called out enough…
Gotta say though native Alaskans can be Alaska Natives or they can be white or they can be Latino or Asian American or African American- or American Indian / Native American.
Is a nitpick I know but an important one.