Akilah Bacy is:
a) Amazing
b) Ready to flip TX HD 138 (where Democrats lost by a mere 47 votes in 2018) to the Blue column
She’s also endorsed by Sister District, the national, grassroots state legislative organization that is the place to be for online Democrats as we move ever closer to election day. If you haven’t signed up at Sister District and been connected to their fantastic organizing program, well, why they heck not?
Before I tell you more about Akilah and her campaign, let me take one second to tell you a story that helps explain why I’m spending from now until election day pushing for us ALL to get behind the amazing local candidates who are instrumental to Democrats building local power in the decade to come.
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Back in 2007 I wrote a piece here called Abel Guillen: the rise of the Millenials in which I documented a young, ambitious local candidate who was running a grassroots campaign to challenge the status quo in Oakland.
If you don’t have time to read the piece, here’s the key takeaway for 2020:
The reason we give to local, down ballot candidates is because they bring new people into the system and then those new people vote and bring their friends.
I saw this with Abel’s campaign first hand.
First, I saw how he and his campaign manager fought for every small dollar donation. (I remember walking with them to the P.O. Box to pick up those envelopes. Trust me, each hand written check was precious. Imagine this when you think about where your $25 donation will be most appreciated!)
Second, I remember how Abel built a GOTV team of young, energized completely new to the process voters and activists. (In fact, one of those grassroots activists eventually ran against Abel for Oakland City Council years later, and she won.)
And that’s exactly the point.
When we give our small dollar donations to local candidates who are running to shake up the system from the bottom up, they invest that money in grassroots organizing like their political lives depend upon it. (And they do.) Our dollars in state legislative races go directly to energizing and mobilizing new voters, bringing new folks into the system. And that kind of grassroots activism has long term follow on impact that is healthy for the Democratic Party.
And it’s intrinsic to these campaigns. That’s how you have to do it if you’re local, grassroots and trying to overcome the status quo.
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Which brings us back to Akilah Bacy.
When the Democratic candidate who lost by 47 votes decided not to run again, Akilah stepped in, and as Progressives Everywhere wrote:
Akilah Bacy, a tireless legal warrior for the community and one of the most compelling candidates I’ve interviewed []. When I called Akilah last Sunday, it was 7pm and very dark outside, but she was just wrapping up a weekend of door-to-door canvassing in her western Houston community. I was drained from a weekend of hanging with friends; she was bubbling with energy after two days spent walking and talking with voters.
“While I’m a new candidate, I’m not new to the community,” Bacy told me. “I grew up around the area and I’ve always been involved, working in the legal field first as a prosecutor and then doing defense work and then employment discrimination work. I always believe that you grow where you’re planted.”
But why take it from a 3rd party when you can hear it from the candidate in TX 138 herself?
What Akilah needs you to do is three things:
1. Please comment, recommend and engage with this diary. You don’t have to live in TX to understand that supporting local State Legislative candidates will directly impact your live and the lives of people you care about. Write about your own favorite local races below!
2. Please support Akilah! and consider volunteering with Sister District! Trust me, this is the most rewarding volunteering you will do in 2020.
3. Finally, please take a look at the other local candidates I’ve profiled in this diary series below. Trust me, this is how we win back power for Democrats. from the bottom up!
Joanna Cattanach | Ricky Hurtado | Sara Rodriguez | State Level Impact 2020 ActBlue Page
