What happens after the Blue Wave?
November is Native American Heritage Month, and we began with an election night that brought us many milestones in political representation. Deb Haaland won in New Mexico, where she will be the first Native American woman governor. Keisha Lance Bottoms won in Georgia, becoming the first Black woman governor. Chris Pappas of New Hampshire will be the first openly gay man elected to the Senate, Bentley Hudgins of Georgia is the first nonbinary and first Japanese-American lawmaker in Atlanta, and Jaelynn Scott of Washington State is the first out Black trans state lawmaker elected in the country. This election night was historic, especially in the context of everything that’s been happening with the current presidential administration.
Unfortunately, we also experienced losses in many states. Measures restricting trans girls from participating in sports with other girls passed in Arizona and Nebraska, with similar bills still too close to call in Washington state and Colorado. During this period of historic celebration, we must be sure not to forget to continue advocating and fighting for our trans relatives, on the ballot and beyond.
So what do we do now? Let’s push this momentum further as we realize the collective power we have as people. Let’s celebrate and find joy in our successes while not losing sight of the communities and people we must continue to fight alongside. We will create a decolonized, equitable, liberated future together!
Further reading:
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/new-mexicos-deb-haaland-on-making-history-as-first-native-american-woman-elected-governor
https://www.ala.org/aasl/advocacy/promo/NativeAmerican
https://mapresearch.org/brief/the-revival-of-anti-lgbtq-ballot-measures/
.
