Why Keith Ellison Should Chair the DNC
By the Political Revolution team
On November 14, 2016, Representative Keith Ellison formally announced his candidacy for Chair of the Democratic National Committee. With endorsements from progressives Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren as well as establishment Democrats Chuck Schumer and Harry Reid, Ellison finds himself poised to take control of a Democratic Party that is currently in freefall. After suffering defeats at almost every level of government, many progressives believe it is time for their party to ditch corporate interests and instead once again become the party of the working people. With his long record of standing up for minorities and labor unions, progressives believe that Keith Ellison can be a leader that will push their party in just that direction.
Following in the footsteps of his grandfather, a dedicated member of the NAACP, and his father, a social worker, Ellison graduated with a law degree from the University of Minnesota and went on to become a civil rights and criminal defense attorney based in Minneapolis. But his devotion to his local community stretches far beyond just that of his professional work. He has volunteered for years as the host of a local radio program about public affairs and coached for youth track and field. As one of only two elected Muslim members of Congress, Ellison has repeatedly drawn parallels between the struggles of American Muslims and the plight of African Americans, saying, “We understand someone getting shot because they wear a hoodie and someone getting bullied because they wear a hijab is the same thing.” When addressing Muslim crowds and interfaith groups, Ellison has consistently advocated for civic engagement as a path forward towards greater social equity.
Minneapolis and St. Paul, the Twin Cities, are notably diverse pockets within the mostly homogenous upper Midwest. Representing a district where newly arrived Somali immigrants and business people pass each other on the streets, Ellison has faced the challenge of simultaneously serving the incredibly wealthy and those suffering from unemployment and poverty. As a member of the House Committee on Financial Services, he has defended low-income Americans from predatory financial practices and housing foreclosures by modifying regulations on bankruptcy and the notorious subprime loan industry. He has continually fought for efforts to increase spending on anti-poverty programs.
Keith also successfully introduced the Money Remittances Improvement Act, making it easier for the Hmong and Somali immigrant communities in Minnesota to provide support to their families abroad. Throughout his career, Ellison has been a strong advocate for minority communities and working-class citizens, communities that have otherwise felt abandoned by the Democratic Party.
Always willing to stand up and lead for his beliefs, even before his political career began, Ellison took charge as the executive director of the Legal Rights Center of Minneapolis, a nonprofit law firm that provides criminal defense and restorative justice legal services at no cost to low-income residents. In Congress, Ellison serves as the co-chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus. When Ellison became co-chair in 2011, the CPC was reeling from the resurgence of Tea Party enthusiasm in the Republican Party. Eager to revitalize the progressive caucus, Ellison, alongside co-chair Raul Grijalva (D-AZ), connected the caucus to progressive labor and environmental activist groups. The CPC soon became the leading voice against the Trans-Pacific Partnership and became a stronger force even as the Democrats have seen their numbers in Congress drop.
Keith Ellison has both the experience and the vision necessary to build a more inclusive and grassroots-fueled Democratic National Committee. Ellison has been a vocal advocate of increasing voter turnout, both by making it easier for all citizens to vote and by focusing on policies that voters care about. He understands and speaks of the challenges facing a Democratic party disconnected from its base: “There’s a distribution of labor. No member of the progressive community can introduce a bill because they’re not in Congress. No member of Congress can mobilize, educate, create the wave effect that grass roots do.” Recognizing the gap between activism and national politics, he has pushed for a more policy-focused and accountable Democratic Party — a party that draws its strength not from fundraisers at cocktail parties but from grassroots activism focused on working for the basic rights of all Americans.
