The latest news from the deep south indicates a continued rift in the Democratic Party of Georgia. It goes much deeper than an Atlanta Mayor and a newly elected Chairman. It is indeed endemic of a much greater illness; like a very unhealthy portion of a body, it is diseased and dying. Many folk act as if this deeper illness does not exist, others that it is "not as bad as it used to be". I say it is sickening and weakening a much larger institution, the National Democratic Party and ultimately our Nation as a whole.
The first thing one might ask is, what is the favored son system? I will tell you that the best rendering of a definition is found in the historically accurate book, Praying for Sheetrock, which outlines the power structure of McIntosh County, Georgia after the Civil Rights movement of the 60's. In the book it explains how the favored son system became so deeply embedded in southern politics. Suffice it to say that it goes something like this: Counties that once received federal dollars for the upkeep of US highways found themselves without that income because they had no black elected officials as designated by the Civil Rights Act. To remedy a situation of such grave financial loss, older, respected, compliant, black folk were 'selected' by the ruling white class to fulfill this necessary requirement so southern counties could receive federal funding. These 'selected' leaders of the black community essentially became the favored son system of which we see today.
I wear an activist's hat, an Obama organizer's hat, and an elected official's hat. I am the elected Congressional Chair of the 1st District for the Democratic Party of Georgia. This encompasses 17 counties from Savannah to the Florida line. Beginning in 2008 while I worked on the ground as an Obama organizer I saw a huge disconnect with the Obama Campaign and the Democratic Party. I thought if Obama had waited on these folk to come on board he would have never been elected. I say racism is alive and well in the Old South, I saw and documented it on so many levels. After the election I joined my local county party, thinking that we must rebuild this broken system from the inside out. I have been beloved and hated for the work that I do. It is a dangerous thing to look closely at such institutions with the desire to "rebuild" or move it into the 21st century. That is why I share my diary with you today.
In the recent election of a new chair, the foremost thought on my mind was and still is how do we empower local county parties to be vibrant and engaged? I coined three questions to each of the candidates in the recent contest for Chairman of the Democratic Party of Georgia.
1. As Chairman what will you do about the favored son system?
2. What will you do to reign in "tantrum" counties who do not engage newcomers?
3. What is your plan for rural engagement?
In asking these questions I wanted answers, not only answers for me but answers for my constituents who are regularly shut down and out of the democratic process in their local county parties. Suffice it to say, that only one candidate answered all three of my questions. Another never addressed any of my questions until pressed and then he spoke only on one; his plan for rural engagement. I say that it is not sufficient for me that we continue to badness across the deep south. Why in 2011, I was told by a young attorney that everyone knew that $5000.00 and a fifth of scotch will get you out of a felony in Wayne County, Georgia and I do not know many black or white folk who can enjoy those kinds of perks within the favored son system.
Indeed, I have worked in Arkansas, Georgia, Florida, and North and South Carolina and time and time again I see the renderings of the favored son system and I am sickened every time. I see this continued fight over the Democratic Party in Georgia as a fight over an old bone. The dixie-crats are now the minority in the party yet they still render undue pressure on the outcomes of all elections. On the local level good people are suffering. They are arrested for some minor charge, put on probation (which they can not afford to pay), and then trapped into a system that is continually building prisons in which to house them. All across rural Georgia new prisons are cropping up. I guess you know who they have been built for.
I have democratic elected officials in my district to whom I, the house minority leader, and caucus director, have asked to run for higher office.
I was told, "I can not run unless they tell me to".
One whispered, "Didn't you know that I am a favored son Jeana"?
If the elected leaders within the Democratic Party of Georgia can not recruit sitting elected Democrats to run for higher office we will never get the fox out of the southern hen house. With that said, unless the Democratic Party at the National level supports and empowers constituents at the local level to join the process and engage in their county parties we will never raise the money that we need to ever make Democrats viable in the Old South.
We have had an elephant in the room for to many years and for too many years folk have fed, watered, and cared for a system that is unnecessary and antiquated. Everyone on the local level in rural Georgia knows who runs what county. They know who pays for votes. In Georgia it's called "lunch money" in South Carolina it's called "walking around money". Most people don't vote or run for office not because of apathy but because the system is rigged against them and they know it. So what do we as Georgians do? What will we as a party do; and ultimately what will we as a democracy do?
I know that there is new money that the democratic party may still tap in to. There are new business owners who after financial success seek local office and rightly so! In the old days teachers, preachers, pharmacists, realtors, anyone who desired to serve in public office were encouraged to do so. Not here. Not in the Old South. The favored son system is like a hand that is strangling a chicken and it is strangling the life and the money out of our democratic party. People do not want to give money to a party that is not transparent or accountable. I and other Congressional Chairs believe that we must never make payments to consultants who do not invoice nor itemize the work they do for our party. We want to see a budget. We want to know where the money goes.
There are 159 counties in Georgia for a reason. Douglas Blackmon wrote the book Slavery by Another Name. It documents the enslavement of blacks through the southern judicial and political system up into WW2 but I say the system is still here. We are still living under a system of things that is detrimental to the health of our local communities and our Nation. One county chairman who ran for office was threatened and even I, a seasoned organizer, while working in Florida has felt the unfriendly pressure from wealthy southerners who did not want their county organized politically.
I read the "essay" on Craigslist from a school teacher who spoke about his (white) experience teaching history in a predominantly black southern high school. I only mention it here because I know that the favored son system is killing the best and the brightest youth in the south by never giving them a fighting chance at political engagement. Knowing what I know and reading the essay, it made all the sense in the world to me and I was angry because I know the cause of their false beliefs and their disconnect.
I personally know of teenagers who wanted to start a young democrats club at their high school in rural Georgia; they had teachers for sponsors and had gained the principals consent, only for the teachers to be told by the wife of the Chairman of the Democratic Committee in that County, that it (starting the club) wasn't that important, that they could wait until after Christmas to start the club. I was frustrated and shocked. I asked the teachers to please not put it off but, dear reader, peer pressure in rural Georgia is like a doe in the headlights. It will kill the best of best intentions. Needless to say the three teachers would not budge and by spring the young people were planning their graduation and they had given up. Of course they could have joined the Republican Club there......
I personally know of a county in Georgia that has citizens who have emailed the state party beginning in March 2013 for help in starting an establishing a democratic committee in their county. You'd think that this would be the passion and purpose of the state party yet his line of forwarded emails to national and state level party officials has appalled me and his request has gone unanswered for 6 months. No reply. He found me in August and emailed me about his troubles and concerns. Don't you know I want to help this man start a democratic party in his county? If I have railed or am beginning to ramble please excuse me, for I hope you are getting the big picture here. I am angry and tired yet I am just getting started.
Come on Georgians. The most important thing for us in our Party is not a Senate seat next year. Let's get real. The most important thing in the party is empowerment of the black community. I say we only have a little time left of a black presidency and if we do not champion our cause in the south all will be lost and it will be our own sorry fault. I hope that we as Georgia Democrats will be the ones riding off into the sunset set free of the old system of politics just like Jamie Lee Fox in the movie Django. We must blow up and shed a bright light upon the last bastion of slavery. Political Slavery. I was told, that after the Civil War the white man left the plantation for the police and for politics. Sadly, I now believe it. I have seen in every southern state the complacent, tolerant behavior that fosters and continues a legacy of corruption by the favored son system. We have no need for the house negro anymore, just like in the movie Django, he fosters mistrust and abuse.
This is not written in any way to shame or disparage anyone and I have written this at great personal expense. The greatest live oak must have the roots to survive. The service that many have given in public office will always be regarded by me as sacred, however, the new branches grafted onto an old tree will bare fruit and that is what we rural progressives should be judged by; not by how much we question and challenge, but by how much democracy we raise up once we have talked about the elephant in the room.
I know if we do this we will never have to worry about raising money for our state party or the national party. Folk want to be engaged. I hope you will agree with me because as the old saying goes, you can fool some of the people some of the time, but not all of the people all of the time. People know what is going on. We must stop this badness.
The time is NOW to talk about this all across Georgia. Please, as a democratic party let us progress forward for the right reasons in Georgia; for transparency, for accountability, and for the empowerment of newcomers into the democratic process. Let's have the tough conversations and make the historical presidency of Barack Obama one of true social and civic change. I hope and pray it will be so. So many people are suffering and this nation needs a healing from old wounds and I claim that healing tonight, right here in Georgia.
As our newly elected Chairman DuBose Porter says, "Let's do this Together".
I say we can do this together with old and new alike.
Your sister in all things,
Jeana Brown