GRASSROOTS ALEXANDRIA

by Jonathan Krall

When writing on this website, we have adopted the convention, similar to that of the Washington Post, of capitalizing Black and White whenever we refer to these significant cultural groups. I am occasionally asked why we do this. Today, the idea of capitalizing Black is not as controversial as when W. E. B. Du Bois advocated for Negro instead of negro in the 1920s. In a nation where anti-Black racism is visible daily, the capital B is an elevation. Because Whiteness needs no further elevating, many hesitate to apply the capital W. In his excellent book, How We Win The Civil War, author Steve Phillips says “I am no longer capitalizing ‘white’ because white nationalism has become so powerful…” However, in the Atlantic, Kwame Anthony Appiah quotes two (Black) staffers from the Center for the Study of Social Policy: “To not name ‘White’ as a race … frames Whiteness as both neutral and the standard.” Here, in Virginia, where “white” became a term of law as early as 1705, we can move beyond the “white” default. We can embrace multiculturalism. We can envision a world where race is known only as the archaic social construct that produced those elements of White culture and Black culture that we continue to enjoy.

Embracing knowledge

In November, 2019, I attended an Undoing Racism workshop hosted by OAR and conducted by the People’s Institute for Survival and Beyond. I was taught that it is racist to assume that White is a neutral default, such as in a story where only non-White characters are described in racial terms. Arguing for the capital W and against the idea that white is somehow a neutral default, Appiah states that, “Perhaps a stronger argument would be that white people don’t deserve a lowercase w and shouldn’t be allowed to claim it.”

Continue reading “Multiculturalism in Black and White”

by Jonathan Krall and Mo Seifeldein

Today, in 2024, the decades-long war between Israel and Palestine is a national issue. The post-October-7 “plausible genocide” in Gaza has broken the relative silence surrounding US complicity in this lopsided conflict between a national military and an occupied people. As with Vietnam in 1968 and Apartheid in 1986, students are acting. Students in Virginia universities and activists in Virginia city halls and county boardrooms are doing their best to make Palestine a Virginia issue. Are they correct? We say yes because we uniquely use our Virginia tax dollars to connect Israeli and Virginia tech firms, because Northern Virginia is host to so much of that military technology, and because (plausible) genocide touches so many Alexandria families.

(Plausible) Genocide impacts Alexandria

Let’s begin with one of the most fundamental questions raised by Gaza: how should we respond to a horrific event that is either “a war” or “a genocide”, depending on who you ask?  We note that the International Court of Justice calls the events in Gaza a “plausible genocide,” only because their litigation is ongoing. Weirdly, because genocide is so serious, some institutions and some individuals hesitate to recognize their reality.  Because modern genocides rarely match the stunning planning, mechanization, and scale of the Holocaust, some believe the oft-repeated phrase “never again” does not apply. They lie to themselves and to us.

Our point is not that these are genocides (even though they are; the legal definition is included below). Our point is that the mental gymnastics that seemingly allow our political leaders to tune out the humanitarian crisis in Gaza are letting them ignore other, equally significant humanitarian crises. With the Holocaust as a yardstick, every modern genocide is, seemingly, just another war. These “just another wars” impact Alexandria communities. They have been too-long ignored.

Here in Alexandria, where many speak the Amharic language of Ethiopia or the Arabic language of the Middle East and North Africa, many families were and are touched by genocides in Tigray, Darfur, and Gaza. The politically-convenient blind spots that enable politicians to ignore genocide are making some of these Alexandria families feel ignored and marginalized. We can do better.

Virginia is uniquely entangled with Israel

In Virginia, politics and the military uniquely intersect. The taxpayer-funded Virginia Israel Advisory Board (VIAB) partners Virginia and Israeli businesses to obtain American grant dollars. To our knowledge, only one other state funds a similar entity. Unlike other advisory boards, such as the Virginia LGBTQ+ Advisory Board, VIAB will not advise the Governor to support human rights and will receive taxpayer funding ($244,000 in FY 2024). Other such Virginia boards are unfunded. Citizens in Virginia are questioning this relationship and demanding that it be ended.

Continue reading “What does Palestine have to do with Virginia?”

by Jonathan Krall

On March 12, 2024, after nearly two years of steady effort by a coalition of Alexandrians, the Alexandria City Council passed a resolution in support of Medicare For All, adding to the national map of Medicare For All support. The coalition consisted of Grassroots Alexandria, the Northern Virginia Branch of the Democratic Socialists of America, Our Revolution Northern Virginia, and Tenants and Workers United. This is how we did it.

We were doing so well. We had the votes lined up. Then…

This is part 4 of a 4-part story. Part 1.  Part 2. Part 3.

The process, part 4: we become City Council whisperers

We met with one member in July, emailed back and forth through the summer and fall, and received a draft resolution from him in November. Then nothing.

Continue reading “How We Succeed, part 4: coalition politics”

by Jonathan Krall

On March 12, 2024, after nearly two years of steady effort by a coalition of Alexandrians, the Alexandria City Council passed a resolution in support of Medicare For All, adding to the national map of Medicare For All support. The coalition consisted of Grassroots Alexandria, the Northern Virginia Branch of the Democratic Socialists of America, Our Revolution Northern Virginia, and Tenants and Workers United. This is how we did it.

In many instances, a successful coalition shows that their persistence is greater than the decision-makers’ patience. The price of persistence is time, effort, and (whether we like it or not) higher standards of conduct.

Speaking to City Council

People who speak to City Council for the first time are given a lot of latitude. Some repeat popular myths, such as the myth that most politicians are corrupt (they are not). Others claim that every vote is rigged in advance (also not true). Some cite “facts” that don’t add up. Some are insulting. They are given a pass because public speaking is not easy, because many speakers are inexperienced, and because most political issues are more complex than they seem on the surface. As activists who show up month after month, we ourselves are expected to “learn the ropes.” We no longer get a pass.

Continue reading “How We Succeed, part 3: the price of persistence”

by Jonathan Krall

On March 12, 2024, after nearly two years of steady effort by a coalition of Alexandrians, the Alexandria City Council passed a resolution in support of Medicare For All, adding to the national map of Medicare For All support. The coalition consisted of Grassroots Alexandria, the Northern Virginia Branch of the Democratic Socialists of America, Our Revolution Northern Virginia, and Tenants and Workers United. This is how we did it.

This is part 2 of a 4-part story. Part 1.

During the long months of intermittent Public Health Advisory Commission debate over aspects of public health deserving of their advice (Medicare For All was not deserving), we turned to the public. In July 2022, we posted action-alert messages, asking our supporters to write to the commissions.

As our institutional support campaign seemed to fall on deaf ears, we built up our public support campaign. In October 2022, we drafted a petition and started gathering signatures. While gathering petition signatures for Medicare For All, we received kind words of support from the public. We also received more than our share of skepticism.

Skepticism

Personally, I know I am not the only one who has little faith that Congress will soon deliver the healthcare, public safety, immigration reform, or life-improving climate action that a majority of Americans are asking for. I am not the only one who feels like they’re screaming for billionaire taxation, social security that gets stronger instead of weaker, and a housing safety-net that isn’t a prison. However, even as my faith in American democracy wanes, I follow tradition and fight on.

Continue reading “How We Succeed, part 2: public support”

by Jonathan Krall

On March 12, 2024, after nearly two years of steady effort by a coalition of Alexandrians, the Alexandria City Council passed a resolution in support of Medicare For All, adding to the national map of Medicare For All support. The coalition consisted of Grassroots Alexandria, the Northern Virginia Branch of the Democratic Socialists of America, Our Revolution Northern Virginia, and Tenants and Workers United. This is how we did it.

This is part 1 of a 4-part story.

What is power?

Power is the ability to get a decision-maker to do the right thing when they would prefer to do otherwise. Even when we ask a decision-maker to support a cause that they already favor, they can be hesitant to take action. They might be busy with the annual cycle of meetings. They might not have confidence in public support for this particular “right thing.” When we asked our city council for a Medicare For All resolution, we were adding to their workload.

Coalition power is temporary. Our coalition came together around a specific goal. We built tools, such as flyers and petitions. We demonstrated our power by showing up in public and in the media. Fortunately, power is attractive. When our coalition becomes attractive enough, decision-makers join us. When enough decision-makers join us, we win.

Continue reading “How We Succeed, part 1: visiting commissions and gathering receipts”

by Shira E. and Beth S.

^{Caption: Candidates Aguirre, Bagley, Chapman, and Gaskins respond to a question about holding the school board accountable (photo by Jonathan Krall)}

On May 2, 2024, Grassroots Alexandria partnered with Tenants and Workers United and the Northern Virginia Branch of the Democratic Socialists of America to host a City Council and Mayoral candidate forum. The event took place outdoors at the Tenants and Workers parking lot and was simultaneously translated into Spanish. One out of three Mayoral candidates attended (Alyia Gaskins), as well as ten out of twelve candidates running for City Council: Canek Aguirre (D), Sarah Bagley (D), John Taylor Chapman (D), Abdel Elnoubi (D), Jacinta Greene (D), Kevin Harris (D), Jonathan Huskey (D), James Lewis (D), Kirk McPike (D), and Jesse O’Connell (D). Greene and Elnoubi, current ACPS School Board members, had to leave the forum early to attend a school board meeting.

Continue reading “Mayoral and City Council Candidate Forum”

As many of you may be aware, a growing coalition of individuals and groups, acting under the banner Alexandria for Palestinian Human Rights, is calling for a ceasefire in Gaza. Specifically, they are calling for the Alexandria City Council to join cities across the USA by passing a ceasefire resolution. On February 5, 2024, Grassroots Alexandria voted to join this coalition.

Please Act: there is no time to spare

1. Please support the call for a ceasefire by requesting a yard sign: https://bit.ly/m/ceasefirenow
2. Please write to city council with a simple message: Please support human rights by calling for a ceasefire in Gaza.
3. Please sign a petition calling for an Alexandria ceasefire resolution: https://www.change.org/p/alexandria-calls-for-a-permanent-ceasefire-now
4. Individual activists can join this growing coalition: http://bit.ly/alx4pal
5. Organizations can join this growing coalition: https://forms.gle/zCceX1weKs

Continue reading “Please support Alexandria for Palestinian Human Rights”

by Cedar Dvorin

As a Medicare counselor, the most frequent question is “Why is it so complicated?” In my 20 years with the State Health Insurance Assistance Program, I’ve helped Medicare beneficiaries and their caregivers with the many decisions and choices they are called on to make. A common problem is the continued high expense for those who need care for vision (other than eye diseases), hearing, and dental. My work shows that Medicare has become overly complicated for current enrollees. It needs a reset. If given a chance, currently proposed Medicare For All legislation would do exactly that.

Continue reading “Current Medicare Enrollees Should Support Medicare For All: Here’s Why”

by Jonathan Krall

In January 2023, Alexandria city announced a BIPOC Small Business Grant Program to address negative pandemic-era impacts on local businesses, impacts that were “particularly felt by Black, Indigenous and people of color (“BIPOC”) owned businesses due to structural barriers and discriminatory financial lending practices.” Sadly, an “equal protection of the laws” lawsuit alleged discrimination against White people, causing Alexandria “to scrap the grant program.” Reacting to this lawsuit, Meronne Teklu of the Economic Opportunities Commission told me that “City Council needs to push back without compromise; these people want us to believe that reparations of any kind are illegal.” Ms Teklu, and City Council, recognize that it is unjust to treat people “equally” in a society that routinely produces “tailwinds for White people and headwinds for Black people.” Shouldn’t we be allowed to measure and address the impacts of systemic injustice? In some areas of law, the answer is yes. We need to expand that “yes.” The key is to focus on, and push back against, the very real impacts of racial disparities.

As activists, it is up to us to choose where and how to spend our energy and how we frame our messages. In a nation where White people are implicitly raised to be ignorant of racism, how do we identify and oppose racism? How do we address systemic racism, where no specific person can be identified as the cause of the harm? In many instances, as in pandemic impacts on Black-owned businesses, we have numerical measures. As reported by ALXnow, in the USA, “Black-owned businesses were disproportionately hit by the pandemic, showing a 28% earnings decrease in 2020 compared to a 15% drop for White-owned businesses and a 17% overall decline.” The Community Foundation for Northern Virginia found that 79% of White-owned firms received all of the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) funding they sought, compared to 43% of Black-owned firms. In our quest to push back against systemic racism, instances where we do have clear evidence of racially-disparate impacts seem like a good place to start.

Continue reading “Is Antiracism Still Allowed?”