Eight years ago this month, I attended the Facing Race conference, and we gathered then in the aftermath of the 2016 presidential election. What pulled me out of my state of shock then was hearing an Indigenous speaker tell the audience, “We have been living in Trump’s America since 1492.” I wrote about that at the time here, and today, I am writing once again about an impressive Facing Race conference that just concluded, again in the aftermath of a similar election. I attended powerful sessions that focused on fighting anti-Palestinian racism, reflecting on the 10 year anniversary of the police killing of Michael Brown Jr. and the Ferguson uprising, advocating for community colleges, and writing books that can change the world. I’m going to share some highlights that focus on processing the election and planning for what’s next, based on the plenaries and keynote.
First, I want to observe that there were 4,000 attendees this time, almost double the number of attendees in 2016. It was an energized audience, mostly people of color, a significant number of young people, and many people doing equity-related work for non-profits or local governments.
Second, even though the speakers were pretty much in agreement that we are in a potentially far more dangerous situation than we were 8 years ago (which I’ll get to), the overall mood had much less of the frenzied panic than it did then. Instead, the mood this time was far more focused on the need to keep doing the work.
Third, one of the themes that struck me the most is about narrative. As an English professor, it may be no surprise that narrative captures my attention, but I was moved by the emphasis throughout the sessions on the need for narratives that speak the truth of our history, counter-narratives that resist dominant ideologies of white supremacy, capitalism, and patriarchy. We need to be able to debunk disinformation, but if we focus solely on that, then we’re playing whack-a-mole, and we’ll always be reactive instead of proactive. We need to create narratives that build solidarity by speaking to people’s basic needs. We need to resist narratives that divide and conquer, that uphold hierarchies. We saw the dangerous power of harmful narratives that provoke fear of Haitian immigrants and trans kids. If we have narratives based in solidarity, in justice, then those false narratives cannot take root so easily. We need strong narratives that reveal how white supremacy does not benefit white people, that toxic masculinity does not benefit men, and so many more. We need to keep fighting for a multiracial democracy where everyone can thrive.
The following are some highlights that stood out to me as most significant with the hope that it may help you.
- President of Race Forward Glenn Harris set the stage in his opening when he quoted Vincent Harding: “I am a citizen of a country that does not yet exist.”
Plenary: “Navigating the Post-Election Landscape: Insights and Strategies for a Just Democracy” moderated by: Judith Brown Dianis
Maurice Mitchell (Working Families Party):
- There is no one single answer to explain the recent election results in a meaningful way. We need multiple answers, that include how neoliberalism isn’t working, that authoritarian leaders use racist appeals, that Black women understood the assignment, and that there were progressive electoral victories in various levels of government and with ballot measures. We are in a reactive mode; they are setting fires, and we’re trying to put them out. We are playing into their game, and chaos is an authoritarian strategy. We can’t be bit players in their game. How are we writing our own story?
- We need to heighten the contradictions, especially when many people believed Trump would be good for the economy. There are opportunities even now to reveal these class contradictions and show the oligarchy at work. You don’t fight misinformation with better information; you fight it with solidarity and organizing. This is the work we should have been doing all along. If our fight is against something and not for something, we will lose our people to the far right or to staying home during elections. We need to build trust and relationships, not just during campaign season. We have the majority when it comes to issues. We weren’t out-voted; we were out-organized.
Kim Anderson (NEA):
- Exit polls are notoriously inaccurate and built to support the political consultant industry. 90 million people didn’t vote despite a choice between authoritarianism and democracy. The narrative that union members are voting more conservatively is incorrect; when organizations educate their members, it works. Vouchers were defeated in several states. We also need to believe Trump when he says what he wants to do, which is laid out in Agenda 47, his administration’s plan to increase executive power. Educators are asking how they can protect their most vulnerable students when classrooms are raided for mass deportation. Federal civil rights protections could be eliminated through block grants to the states.
- Furthermore, there will be even more financial support to wealthy families for private education even when a significant number are already paying for private education. Dismantling the Department of Education is about the dismantling of a public good, a common good, the education of our citizenry. When discussing how we respond, “don’t anticipatorily comply.” Authoritarian regimes move quickly to consolidate power; don’t exhibit pre-obedience. Don’t get baited into everything. We need to rest up and suit up. When we’re tired, we make mistakes. “Never underestimate a public educator.”
Kim Desmond (International City/County Management Association):
- “Don’t let this political moment interrupt the movement. Keep your eyes on the movement.” When discussing DEI positions in government, should we change the title before the position is cut?
Keynote Joy-Ann Reid interviewed by Alicia Garza
- One major factor that is different now from 2016 is that back then, many of the people surrounding Trump reined him in and told him no. For example, when Trump wanted to shoot racial justice protestors in the legs, they told him no. Now, he’s no longer surrounded by the people who will tell him no; he’s surrounded by loyalists. They will take orders from Trump, and their job will be to destroy the departments they are supposed to protect. Multiple nominees have sexual abuse allegations. Linda McMahon is the nominee for the Dept. of Education, and in addition to her lack of education experience (and WWE experience instead), she is named in a lawsuit for being complicit in an employee’s sexual assault of boys.
- Regarding the context for this election, some saw Black Lives Matter and the 1619 Project as a challenge to their hegemony. And those who felt like they were losing their rights “want it all back.” Trump invokes Pres. McKinley to identify “the good old days,” but that period in the late 1890s involved a major recession due to the tariffs that Trump finds inspiring, not to mention rampant white supremacy.
- Despite Trump’s insistence that he has a “mandate,” he does not. He won less than 50% of the popular vote. The percentage of Americans who voted in 2024 was less than 2020, and that’s in part due to some states in 2020 automatically sending all voters mail-in ballots which, not surprisingly, made voting easier, something that is seen as a problem rather than a solution. We are, after all, a low participatory democracy. In 2024, the percentage of white people who voted went up from 2020, and the percentage of every other racial group dropped. Young men in particular came out to vote in 2024, and they are more likely to have podcasts and social media as their main source of information.
- What is the first step an authoritarian government takes? Restrict abortion rights in order to control women.
- Elections matter, and now your rights will depend on which state you live in. These rights include what history you can read, the role of the Bible in your schools, access to reproductive justice, funding for special needs children, and more. Blue states are 1 election away from becoming a red state. Even fewer voters turn out for mid-term elections or other elections, and low turnout elections benefit the GOP.
- Trump was able to get low propensity voters (especially young men) to vote, especially by using a fear of trans kids playing sports and using bathrooms.
- We should expect the worse, and realize that more Supreme Court decisions may be reversed, like Obergefell v. Hodges (legalization of same sex marriage) and Lawrence v. Texas (decriminalization of same-sex relationships). Likewise, access to transgender care may be cut, bathroom bills may be more common, and stop and frisk may be federalized. People should stockpile mifepristone and Plan B. Work on civics education now.
- The Democrats spent more money on consultants and ads rather than on supporting Black and Brown organizers who get out the vote. Why weren’t the Democrats activating social media influencers? We need a liberal alternative to Joe Rogan, someone who is always there and not always talking about politics. People listen every day and trust them.
Plenary: “From Hope to Action: Building Multiracial Solidarity” with Murad Awawdeh, Deepa Iyer, Erin Heaney, Don Ragona, Yavilah McCoy; moderated by Eric Ward
- What did it feel like when you received solidarity and what changed?
- Solidarity is a set of practices; it doesn’t mean a list of similarities.
- Work on space between us to create a bigger “we.”
- Address people’s basic needs.
- Deal with conflict.
- Solidarity can’t be performative; it must be sustained.
- Work on co-liberation and disrupting narratives.
- The Chicago School Board recently voted to protect their children from being taken.
- Build infrastructure to counter disinformation.
- Every wave of immigrants has been targeted. Our foreign policy often prompts immigrants to come, and then we target them.
- NYC is the richest city in one of the richest states in the richest country, and yet not everyone has enough to eat, and people sleep in the street.
- Turn moments of struggle into opportunities for growth.
- Listen to people on the front lines.
- Our opposition preys on white communities by offering them power dependent on misogyny, white supremacy, and transphobia.
- Fred Hampton said, “Fight racism with solidarity.”
- Organize white people so they see the elite power structure for what it is.
Calls to action:
- Full list of actions recommended by conference organizers: Race Forward’s Calls to Action
- As an educator, I want to draw attention to these campaigns to advocate for public schools: HEAL Together and Public School Strong (They provide free virtual training for anyone to learn how to effectively speak up at a school board meeting.)
- Race Forward’s Toolkit “From Project 2025 to Project 2029: How We Resist an Authoritarian Takeover”
- Support the Michael Brown Sr. Chosen for Change organization
- Support the Communities for Our Colleges campaign at the Alliance for a Just Society
- The above resources were promoted at Facing Race, and I’m also including The Trevor Project‘s work to support LGBTQ+ youth (scroll down the page to see the list of resources) and the work of the Othering & Belonging Institute as well as the work of Facing History & Ourselves and the Indigenous Journalists Association
Finally, I want to say to my NJ-based readers, NJ was less blue in 2024 than it has been in many years. Given that we (along with Virginia) are the only 2 states in 2025 with a gubernatorial election, we need to get it together. The primary will be critical, especially since there will not be an incumbent. We need to support on-the-ground organizing that builds multiracial solidarity. The entire Assembly will also be up for election. The point I quoted above from Joy-Ann Reid that blue states are 1 election away from becoming red hit home, and keeping NJ blue will help protect us (only to a point, of course).
-by Karen Gaffney, author of Dismantling the Racism Machine: A Manual and Toolbox (Routledge) and creator of the website Divided No Longer
divided no longer: calling out white supremacy, understanding it, and dismantling it 