We previously shared with you why we feel it is important that Eritreans vote in the upcoming midterm elections. We wanted to highlight some of the gains that immigrants and first-generation American communities are making in electoral politics. There is much to learn from the success stories below, but chief among them, is that they all share an ability to set their racial, ethnic, national, and religious differences aside to reach across boundaries, and build strong coalitions based on shared interests.
Although we may have substantially-sized populations of Eritreans in places like Washington, DC, the San Francisco Bay Area, and Seattle, we are still significantly smaller than many other immigrant groups, with the added disadvantage of hailing from a small, often unheard of country. In order to have the ear of local politicians, we must collaborate with other immigrant and ethnic populations who share our same concerns. The Eritrean community in Seattle has done so successfully by being one of the driving forces behind the Coalition for Immigrant, Refugee, and Communities of Color. As recently reported following their latest candidates forum, “in three years, this small, underfunded organization had convinced local, state and national policymakers to sit down with them and respond to their issues. Every panel ended with the same question: Do you, if elected, promise to meet with the CIRCC within 60 days? Every candidate said yes.”
In 2013, four members of the Bronx African community ran for election to fill one, vacant city council seat. This phenomenon reflects the shifting demographics that are occurring all over the nation. The Bronx has long been home to African-American and Latino residents, but New York City has seen a 39% increase to 128,000, in the African-born population between 2000-2011. The candidates quickly realized that as individuals, they had a very slim chance of achieving electoral victory. They decided to select and endorse one candidate among them. Although a popular state assemblywoman was the eventual victor, a forum of African leaders in the Bronx was created so that in future elections, the African community will have a united, amplified voice.
Eritrean-American Joe Negusse is currently running for Colorado Secretary of State, along with Liberian-born Naquetta Ricks who is running for University of Colorado’s Board of Regents. In response to these two campaigns, the African Leadership Group was formed, “to provide a more unified voice from the African community, and results have been positive. It’s getting noticed by politicians from different parts of Colorado.” Having secured the Democratic Party nomination in a crucial swing state is already a massive achievement in and of itself, and Negusse and those who helped to catapult him to where he stands, should be commended and encouraged by it.
The Washington metropolitan region is ripe for its own unified African voting bloc. The Washington area is the second-most popular destination for African-born immigrants, after New York City. More than 161,000 African-born people live in the District and nearby suburbs, although other estimates suggest that many more are living here. There is much that could be achieved if we harness our voting power and build strong networks among our fellow immigrant neighbors. But before we can do so, we must get out the vote. This Tuesday, November 4th, we encourage all Eritrean-Americans who are able, to cast their ballots in their local elections. It is the first step in building a strong political foundation for our community in our adopted home. We know many of us are disillusioned by politics or uninspired by midterm elections, but the examples above serve as encouraging models of what’s possible.