Monday, Nov. 20, 2017 | 2 a.m.
View more of the Sun's opinion section
View more of the Sun's opinion section
This month, in a historic sweeping fashion, the U.S. saw progressive wins across local and state elections. In Virginia, the first transgender woman was elected into office and beat the man who wrote the controversial Virginia anti-transgender bathroom bill. Voters in Charlotte, N.C., for the first time elected a black woman as the city’s mayor, and in New Jersey, a Sikh American won the race to become the mayor of Hoboken.
Across the nation, we’ve seen how our grassroots activism efforts matter.
Take it from Amanda Litman and Ross Morales Rocketto with the Run for Something Campaign. This month, more than 40 percent (31 candidates across local and state elections) of the organization’s candidates won their elections. From school boards to houses of delegates, their activism and grassroots organizing led to change in local races across the country with strong conservative voters.
Not persuaded? How about the transgender activist who was elected to her local city council after being endorsed by her local newspaper?
Or how about the attorney for the Black Lives Matter movement who won his election as district attorney in Philadelphia, and has advocated for combating racial inequities in the criminal justice system?
But this is just the start.
For the past 290 days, President Donald Trump has tweeted, threatened and toiled on how progressives and activists simply “delay and complain” about important issues like health care, gun control and immigration reform. But what President Trump forgot to acknowledge is that activism is changing what’s up next.
And Nevada is definitely next.
With a 2018 election, our state is ready and battle born. From fierce voter registration drives from nonprofit/nonpartisan organizations to voter education initiatives with advocacy organizations across our great Silver State, our activism in 2018 will prove to be beneficial for local and state elections. The minority-majority state, with fastest-growing diverse communities such as the Asian Pacific Islander American and Latino communities, will rock the West and change the conversation across the United States.
This month proved to us all — from those who simply observe the bombastic tweets to those who actively protest and resist on the daily basis — that our grassroot activism matters.
