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Our local chapter had a lengthy discussion on this issue last night and while we all agreed that we must do more to preserve the integrity of our Ten Key Values to avoid being co-opted by Democrats or liberal Greens who think like Democrats, we could not agree on the 90 day requirement for 2017 or the increase to 180 days for 2018 onward. All members thought 180 days was excessive and that we need more time this year as May 12th is coming up very quickly. We do understand the reasoning behind this proposal and would be on board if the requirements for both 2017 and 2018 were reduced. For this reason, our chapter casts a vote of Disagree.
DisagreeAndrea has been extremely supportive to me and the Green Party of the Pikes Peak Region, which has also welcomed former Berners. As a woman of color, I personally believe that she is a breath of fresh air and more than qualified to lead the state party. I am glad that our party is finally becoming more inclusive and is actively supporting our most vulnerable communities. As far as the Facebook comments, I share her concerns that SOME former Berners may not be fully aligned with our 10 Key Values. This stems from several interactions where they have criticized Ajamu Baraka's past commentary on white supremacy, racist foreign policy, etc., and argued that he needs to "tone down his language" when it's really not up to them to tell the black community what language they should use to liberate themselves or to chastise them for their outrage when they have the right to be outraged. If racial justice is going to be a pillar of the Green Party platform, we need to ensure that we walk the walk and stand by our principles and that is why we had concerns that SOME former Dems might attempt to deradicalize us in an effort to make the Green Party "more viable" and "acceptable" to mainstream audiences (yes, some have suggested this). This does not mean that we should be unwelcoming, but rather, that we make sure that all members understand that our party is serious about challenging white supremacy, capitalism, patriarchy, etc. Once again, this is not a generalization of all former Berners, but it is something that we need to address and discuss post-election. It IS possible to have these conversations while being 100% welcoming to those who share our values (we do it here in the Springs). Again, I disagree with the proposal and look forward to having a state-wide discussion with you all after November 8th.
