ERI post-election statement: November 10, 2020

Today marks a week since the election. When all is finally said and done, the story of the election is about Black, Brown, Indigenous, Asian, Muslim, and youth organizing. Period.

We might not see it accurately portrayed in mainstream news outlets or find it centered in the narratives post-election analysis, but make no mistake: the movement showed up and made their voices heard at the polls.

Georgia. Pennsylvania. Nevada. Arizona. Wisconsin. Michigan: And to the millions across the country who knocked on doors, urged family members to vote, created art for mobilizations, donated, or built community power through integrated voter engagement year after year: We see you, we celebrate you, we stand with you for what comes next.

Boldly and courageously, community organizing in key states mobilized record-breaking numbers of voters building power from the ground up. We also honor the generations before us who fought injustice and discrimination, who lived through legacies of colonization and slavery, and who established the foundations for the civil rights we have today.

Now comes the work of the beyond: beyond an election, beyond any politician, through and beyond a pandemic. We’ve seen starkly where there the fault lines are: systemic racism, white supremacy, patriarchy, and racialized capitalism among others.

And although hopes for a “big blue wave” were dashed, we clearly saw how movement organizing turned the tide in historic ways: California on criminal justice reform with Prop 17 and LA’s Measure J; progressive candidates across the nation; and that nearly half of all eligible youth turned out in 11 battleground states, among many other hard-won victories.

And while there have been many reasons for celebration, there were also disappointments and heartbreaking losses. Our own predominantly blue home-state of California turned away from many progressive propositions including those that tried to curb corporate powers and restore affirmative action. If there are any lessons to be learned from this election cycle it is that we are all vulnerable to racialized capitalism and California is not exempt.

In times like these, and when words seem to fall short of the immense pain and joy that we are holding personally and collectively, we can always return to basics. What’s our mission, our vision, our values? The USC Dornsife Equity Research Institute (formerly known as USC PERE and CSII) uses data and analysis to contribute to a more powerful, well-resourced, intersectional, and intersectoral movement for equity. At ERI, we produce accurate and credible numbers with narratives to support movements for social, racial, economic, and climate equity. The work we do is grounded in research to create new narratives, systems change, and a more equitable approach to power and justice.

In the post-election period, we are keeping ourselves open to emergent learnings and questions that shape our work forward:

• What are the impacts of investing in long-term movement building? (Two of our recent reports underscore the importance of this work: Leading Locally: A Community Power-Building Approach to Structural Change and BRIDGES|PUENTES: Building Black Brown Solidarities Across the U.S.)

• What new narratives are emerging from our communities and grassroots organizers? And how can we use data to tell stories that reflect the realities on the ground?

• What barriers, opportunities, and collaborations do we see for broad systems change and racial equity?

We don’t fancy ourselves as electoral experts, but we do work with many groups in California and around the country who made history this year. As always, ERI will work with our partners to develop theory, frameworks, and data analysis; to advance new narratives; and to convene communities of learning and practice–perhaps in an entirely new context but always in collaboration and alignment with our values.

Moving forward, we know that voting is just one arena for change. We can push governments and hold electeds accountable at all levels to enact anti-racist policies and practices that center Black, Indigenous, and People of Color. While many of us celebrated in the streets or let out a relieved sigh this past weekend, we’re still keenly aware of the enormous challenges ahead regardless of who is in the White House: equitable recovery post-COVID, climate crisis, immigration reform, healthcare, and so much more.

It’s been said that the campaign that owns the narrative of the future, wins. As our United Front colleagues have underscored: no matter the outcomes of the election, we are pushing California toward a better, inclusive and equitable future, and that we can only create that future if we build it together.  With a country so polarized, we must double down our support of the work in our communities: of community self-determination, of taking back power, and of using that power to bring about tangible changes that will bring mutual benefits to all.

With resolve, resiliency, and renewed momentum to move through an uncertain future, we hope to do the intentional and deep relational work it will take to see our shared values and democracy in action.

In solidarity,

The ERI Team

ERI resources

• BRIDGES|PUENTES: Building Black Brown Solidarities Across the U.S.
• Leading Locally: A Community Power-Building Approach to Structural Change
• Changing States: A Framework for Progressive Governance
• Power and Possibilities: A Changing States Approach to Arizona, Georgia, and Minnesota
• California Immigrant Data Portal
• The National Equity Atlas and a new Racial Equity Index by PolicyLink and USC Equity Research Institute

Related links

• Our Demands for the First 100 Days, United We Dream
• Skills for an Inclusive Economic Recovery: An Agenda for President Biden and Congress, National Skills Coalition
• Color of Change PAC: “Black Voters Behind Biden/Harris Landslide Win; Now its Time to Implement the Changes Black Communities Need” 
• Color of Change PAC: “Local Wins by Progressive Candidates will Strengthen Black Communities Across the Country” 
• Press Release: Presidential Election, National Partnership for New Americans
• “California Has Work Ahead: Investing in the Economic Health and Well-Being of Every Californian Can’t Wait,” California Budget & Policy Center

Special thanks to the authors and editing/review team: Gladys Malibiran, Ashley K. Thomas, Joanna Lee, Emma Yudelevitch, Jeffer Giang, Dalia Gonzales, Blanca Ramirez, Vanessa Carter, and Jamie Flores.