Tlaib says Dems won’t be successful if they silence Black, brown districts
Similar frustrations have been voiced by other progressive Democrats
Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) says that centrist Democrats have blamed progressive Democrats for giving conservative lawmakers “slogans and policies to scare voters,” according to Politico.
This comes after Democrats lost some of their House seats during the election, although they still hold the majority in the House.
Read More: ‘Squad’ member Rashida Tlaib wins primary in Michigan
Tlaib is a vocal advocate for the Black Lives Matter movement, has regularly called to defund the police and fervently pushes for policies that help combat climate change.
She says that the accusations from center-left politicians are calls for silencing radical change makers.
“We’re not going to be successful if we’re silencing districts like mine,” Tlaib said, per Politico. “Me not being able to speak on behalf of many of my neighbors right now, many of which are Black neighbors, means me being silenced. I can’t be silent.”
Tlaib says that she is not interested in appearing united if people are not afforded their basic human rights. She is one of a group of progressive Democrats that have circulated a memo about Joe Biden’s presidency, letting center-left lawmakers know that they will not aid and abet any government officials who advocate a lethargic push to end racism and systemic inequality.
“If [voters] can walk past blighted homes and school closures and pollution to vote for Biden-Harris, when they feel like they don’t have anything else, they deserve to be heard,” Tlaib said.
Similar frustrations have been voiced by other progressive Democrats such as House Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY).
As theGrio previously reported, AOC said she might quit politics because of resistance from centrist Democrats.
“We’re always messaging around bipartisanship and how much we love working with Republicans all the time in a lot of these sensitive areas,” AOC said.
Read More: AOC might quit politics after Democrats blame progressives for House loss
“We need to have an unapologetic agenda, have an actual alternative and counter-messaging that is distinct from the Republican Party instead of trying to play to notions of civility,” she said.
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