Election Reflection: Good News and Bad News for Women and Families

We have mixed feelings after this historic election. We're elated at the record voter turnout that broke down such a monumental racial barrier in electing Barack Obama for President. His bottom-up campaign strategy mobilized tens of thousands who dedicated hours, days, and even weeks and months to the campaign and organized their way to victory on November 4. President-elect Obama's campaign demonstrated that grassroots community organizing is a powerful tool for bringing about profound change.

Community organizing also helped defeat California's Proposition 4, an initiative that would have required doctors to notify parents prior to terminating the pregnancy of a woman under 18. Community organizers helped convince voters to reject Colorado's fetal personhood initiative, which would have amended the state constitution to define life as beginning at fertilization, effectively redefining abortion as homicide. Community organizing was central in protecting South Dakota from a ban that would have outlawed abortion and challenged Roe v. Wade.

And yet, community organizing by the Christian Right was also effective in taking away rights for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people across the country. It's a true shame that on the very day a majority of Americans voted the first African-American into the country's highest office, in California and Florida voters also passed constitutional amendments that eliminated marriage for same-sex couples. In Arkansas voters took away the right of same-sex couples and most straight unmarried couples to adopt children or be foster parents.

In California, election results showed that Proposition 8 was affirmed by people in many regions including the Central Valley, the Inland Valley, and San Diego and Imperial counties. The Yes on 8 campaign was successful in organizing in these areas and included in their efforts was specific organizing in African American, Latino/a and Asian communities.

So, what can we learn from these wins and defeats? Community organizing is important and it works.

The irony of the high voter turnout among African American and Latino/a voters supporting Obama is that, according to exit polling, it is this same demographic that put Proposition 8 over the top.

This result drives home the point that if we are to win progressive victories, we must do more organizing in communities of color, particularly in a state where people of color are now a majority. It also points to the need for more organizing across issues. More organizing in conservative regions of the state and rural parts of the state; more organizing in immigrant communities; more organizing in churches, temples and mosques.

Too many people who are informed, politically engaged and consider themselves progressive on many issues voted for Proposition 8 because they believe same-sex marriage threatens their religious or moral beliefs. Supporters of Proposition 8 successfully exploited homophobia in religious communities and communities of color to turn unprecedented enthusiasm for the presidential race into a win for discrimination. Sadly, many voters did not see past their fears to understand how denying LGBT people rights is cut from the same cloth of discrimination that made Obama's election such a poignant event.

This election shows us a path forward. We saw at least two successful models for progressive organizing in communities of color around sensitive social issues.

In California and in Colorado, communities working to oppose the parental notification initiative and the fetal personhood initiative strategically organized in communities of color, in immigrant communities and in churches. They framed these issues within the context of specific experiences and concerns of their diverse communities, understanding the ways in which gender, race, class, sexuality, ability, age, immigration, religion, and economic status overlap. They built alliances across issues and movements. With labor unions and teachers. With medical professionals and ministers. They built political power with diverse leadership through values-based coalitions and with marginalized communities.

These coalitions have proved that organizing works, even on really tough issues. Building broad based multi-issue coalitions is long-lasting and effective. It is a strategy that ensures that policy campaigns are effective in terms of actually addressing problems in ways that result in meaningful change. We will need these coalitions moving forward. The Christian right is already organizing for the next round of ballot initiatives. A new organization, Personhood USA, plans to assist local groups in different states to put fetal personhood amendments on their ballot by using the petition process.

We have a lot of work to do in the coming months and years. We need to take immediate action to work towards long-term structural transformation so that all families in California and throughout the country are recognized. So that we can all access health-care, live in affordable housing, feel safe in our neighborhoods and find jobs that pay a living wage. It's our hope that having a former community organizer in the White House will move this agenda forward alongside millions of other organizers across the nation.

Judy Patrick is President and CEO of the Women's Foundation of California. Surina Khan is Vice President of Programs for the Women's Foundation of California.

Read more reaction from HuffPost bloggers to Barack Obama's victory in the 2008 presidential election

Comments

[blasofsky]

A close friend and I recently started a grassroots site (www.OurVoicesForMarriage.com) as a response to Proposition 8 passing. It is a VERY basic, no-frills site that allows individuals to voice their sadness, their frustration, and, most importantly, their personal stories on how the passing of Proposition 8 effected them. Our hope is that President-Elect Obama will soon announce a GLBT liaison whom we can refer to this site, and, who in turn, will refer President Obama to it with the hope he will speak out and say, loud and clear, that discrimination written into any constitution is a violation of everyone's civil rights.

PLEASE take a moment, go to the site, and post YOUR story. The more voices we have the louder our message will be. . .

www.OurVoicesForMarriage.com

Thanks!

Brian Lasofsky

[WASanford]

“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” Martin Luther King Jr., letter from the Birmingham jail, April 16, 1963.

It seems a shame that those who’s equality and dignity MLK gave his life for, either didn’t hear or failed to understand his message. Perhaps they thought that he was only talking about what was happening to them and that injustice to others is ok.

If the religionists want to own the word “marriage” then we should let them have it. In California, at least, we should strike the word marriage, out of our laws, past, present, and future, then couples wanting to form a partnership, whether they are Jack and Judy, Jack and Jack, or Judy and Judy, would get a simple license to form a domestic partnership

[PhDiva]

I am a heterosexual African American in California and voted against Proposition 8. I am shocked and disgusted that it passed. However, it is simply not true that there was effective action against 8 taken by organizers within communities of color. It just didn't happen.

[newpotusplease]

WHY AREN'T YOU ORGANIZING FOR

PAY EQUITY FOR WOMEN?

THAT IS THE MOST IMPORTANT ISSUE FOR WOMEN.

THAT, AND UNIVERSAL HEALTHCARE.

[HHarvey]

Watching the bay area news the other day I couldn't help listening to an african american man being interviewed and he said "I'm really glad the no on prop 8 didn't pass" and I was thinking to myself, does this man understand what he voted for?

[KeboDrew]

As a long-time community organizer and artist/activist, this is a bittersweet week for me. My work is founded in coalition and movement building among seemingly disparate communities, as a queer Black woman, I am at the intersection of those communities and I bridge their differences.

I would caution us all to focus on systemic causes and issues that cause homophobia. Already, a number of white LGBTQ people have focused on blaming people of color for the passage of Prop 8, and not other white people. It's a disturbing manifestation of white privilege and racism that I find quite frightening. Sexism (anti-choi­ce/reprodu­ctive rights) and homophobia are intimately intertwined with white supremacy/privilege and racism.

What I find disturbing is most post-election coverage tends to further marginalize LGBTQ people of color by pitting people of color against the LGBTQ community (that is perceived as only white) as if they were diametrically opposed. Though a proportionately large number of non-queer/­straight/h­eterosexua­l people of color voted in favor of Prop 8, they are in fact a minority of total voters. Non-queer/­straight/h­eterosexua­l and LGBTQ people of color who were opposed to Prop 8 were not actively included in the campaign and that was a grave mistake. In the future we must reach out to all of our natural allies, and progressive religious communities to show them that the creation of an equitable and just society is spiritual work.

[M1]

I am a hispanic Lesbian and I do assign hypocracy to my fellow hispanic minority members who for voting yes on prop 8. They don't get a pass. You can not go around demanding Equality for ALL on the one hand and discriminate against gays on the other hand. They are both bigots and hypocrites but they are not to blame for its passing.

[Nettie1]

I voted for McCain/Palin KNOWING Obama/Biden would win. My criteria was in my conscience, voting for pro-life.

Now, I can hope and dream that Obama will listen to pro-lifers, that abortions are wrong-wrong in every state of America. Barack has two beautiful daughters who are just as liable for unplanned pregnancies as any women are. Would Barack and Michelle be willing to observe an abortion of one of their daughters? There are alternatives-plenty of people would love to adopt an infant.

Embryonic stem cell research is a scientific adventure for mad scientists, and again, there are alternatives. But these mad scientists prefer human cells. We have become a country of ghoulish acts of our unborn.

There cannot be pride in our economy recovery or bringing our soldiers home from Iraq until, first, we acknowledge and honor our unborn children.

[HHarvey]

Again, that is one opinion but I am of the other. Should our government make this decision for me or you? No because it is a religious perspective. And as for Barack Obama's daughters, well I would hope that if there was a decision to be made with an unwanted pregnancy they would have a CHOICE whether to keep it, abort it, or give it up for adoption. I also do not agree with you on embryonic stem cell research as it has already been proven to be resourceful. I wonder if being pro-life and voting on that single issue will also put food on your table. Any time religion rears its ugly head in government business there will always be problems and always be a fight.

[M1]

Choice is the order of the day.....why don't you pro-lifers help single mothers more than you do. If women had more support and educational opportunity they would likely choice life more often. Being pro-life means more than just forcing a women not to abort....which history has proven that you can't even do that.

[PartyPartyParty]

You can't be pro-life if you're not pro-choice.

[newpotusplease]

what is your stance on the death penalty?

the McCain/Palin ticket is a continuation of the Bush Admin.
the Bush Admin has lead to seeing a lot of innocent people dying.

In what respect is that supporting pro life.

I respect the pro life stance people take, but only when they are consistent.