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Reclaiming Our Power for Radical Change

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Alumni Spotlight: Kristerfer Burnett

Kristerfer Burnett is a City Councilman in Baltimore and an alum of our Progressive Governance Academy.

Q: What does power look like to you?

A: Power is when organized people mobilize around a shared collective vision to bring about change to their communities, institutions, and our democracy.

Q: If you could scream something from the rooftops that you want people to know about organizing, what would it be?

A: Effective community organizing must be rooted in truly authentic relationship building, deep listening and understanding, and 1-1s are the “bread in butter” of effective organizing work – and it takes time! Don’t rush it.

Q: What’s the best piece of advice you carry with you in your organizing work?

A: Being an organizer and being an activist are very different roles in movement building. We as organizers have to ensure that the identification of problems in a community, and the development of solutions to those problems are theirs alone – leave your own biases and solutions at the door! People may not always come to the same desired outcome that you’d like to see, but it’s their lived experience that needs to be honored.

Q: What do you wish you knew or what do you wish someone would have told you when you were first getting started in organizing?

A: The importance of self-care! As an organizer, so much of your time in the work is spent meeting people where they are, literally and figuratively, and that can take a toll on you in many ways. But you are only helpful to our communities if you are able to bring your full self into the work – so develop a wellness plan to ensure you can do that.  

Q: What are some of the biggest organizing lessons you took away from 2020?

A: This past year, and the three that proceeded it, were particularly difficult to organize in because there were so many problematic issues all occurring at the same time and all seemingly as important as the next. So the biggest lesson for me was to prioritize issues that arose from community and not to lose focus on elevating those to the forefront of the work. 

Statement on the Breonna Taylor Decision

Our hearts once again go out to the family and friends of Breonna Taylor. We #SayHerName today and every day.

We are not surprised that a Kentucky grand jury decided not to hold accountable any of the officers involved in the murder of Breonna Taylor. After all, when has the criminal justice system, which is rooted in slavery and white supremacy, ever worked for Black people?

We are, however, disgusted and angered, that the only charges levied were against an officer who ‘disturbed the peace’. The lives of Breonna’s neighbors — who are alive and well today — mattered more to this grand jury than her life. Bullets fired into walls of an apartment building were seen as more criminal and egregious than the bullets pumped into the body of a woman sleeping in her bed.

This miscarriage of justice is an offense to Breonna’s memory, and to the efforts of the countless folks who have uplifted her name in recent months. But it is not shocking.

This non-decision is yet another reminder that this system — this society — is not the center of our power. Rather, it is the center of our fight. We cannot continue to attempt to work within a system that perpetuates white supremacy and state-sanctioned violence. Instead, we must care for each other while collectively and strategically dismantling each and every institution that seeks to oppress us.

Black Lives Matter. Black Women’s Lives Matter.

Our Strategy is Working

The United States Congress has confirmed the election of Joe Biden and Senator Kamala Harris – the result of a fair and legal election. At re:power, we are celebrating this next step toward seeing the first Black and South Asian and first woman Vice President with pride and joy. We also celebrate the victories of Senator-elect Raphael Warnock, who will be the first Black senator from Georgia, and Senator-elect Jon Ossoff. Their wins are a testament to the power of multi-ethnic/multi-racial coalitions building power together over the last ten years led by the inimitable force that is Stacy Abrams.

The hostile actions of white nationalists, both inside and outside of Congress, were an attempt to distract us from the historic nature of these wins. We watched as our elected Representatives and Senators stood up and made baseless claims that the 2020 election had been “rigged,” “unlawful,” and “fraudulent,” undermining our democractic institutions within the halls of our democracy. Just outside, a mob of white nationalists echoed these sentiments through more violent and physical action.

What we witnessed Wednesday afternoon was not simply a coup d’etat, but rather the result of centuries of white supremacist and white nationalist culture that has been upheld by American democracy. Senator Harris was forced to sit in a chamber and witness several of her White peers call her election fraudulent. Before she’s even taken office, they have undermined her authority and rightful place. These elected officials chose to call this election, one in which Black and Brown people created the margins of victory, fraudulent, perhaps because they are too ashamed to say what they really want to: White votes should be given more weight than Black and Brown votes.

Nothing we saw on Wednesday was shocking – it was simply the system doing what it was built to do – to reinforce white supremacy. Joe Biden’s & Kamala Harris’ election, the historic organizing in Georgia, the incredible turnout of Black voters who created the margins of victory – these are all actions that are breaking the carefully constructed system of power designed by White men. And a mob of angry white nationalists storming our halls of congress is an indication they are losing.

As we go into the weekend, we wanted to reach out and help ground everyone in this moment. We should not feel dismayed or confused. We should feel empowered that our strategy is working. Long-term, cycle-over-cycle organizing of people of color and their White allies, is what will ultimately loosen the tight grip of white supremacy on our institutions of democracy. We are not simply here to restore our democracy, we are here to STRENGTHEN it by working tirelessly to recognize the humanity of Black, Native, Latinx & Asian people, and by centering the voices and leadership of those who have been pushed to the margins for far too long.

Dismantling white supremacy is messy, but we will win.