Our Demographic Destiny is Not Our Democratic Destiny
By Sayu Bhojwani, Founder and President of The New American Leaders Project
I wish I could take credit for being prescient when I suggested to Ali Noorani that he write a book. I thought the approach the National Immigration Forum had taken to building center-right support for immigration reform would make for an interesting story. Really, he, the Executive Director of the Forum, and I, then a board member, were just bemoaning the woes of our thankless jobs and throwing around ideas that ranged from retiring on a beach to writing books. But like a good overachieving Asian American kid, Ali took on the project, in a short time. His book couldn’t be more timely and relevant.
Ali joined Julia Preston and me for Beyond the Headlines: A Conversation about Immigration and Immigrants on April 6 at the Carnegie Corporation. As often happens, a rich discussion ensued in the question and answer session, and from it, I draw three highlights that also allow me to make recommendations for the philanthropic sector.
First, we must accept that our demographic destiny is not our democratic destiny. My feeling is that after the 2000 Census numbers came out, many of us fell into a default dream about the impending political power of the new majority. Barack Obama’s election in 2008 reinforced this fantasy for some, and the media’s coverage of a “new demographic coalition” lulled us into complacency. But of course, the Obama coalition was an ad hoc coalition based on his potency as a candidate and not because Asian Americans, Latinos and Blacks were in sync politically. The reality is that on our news feeds, at family events, and in general conversations, voters of color started to out themselves as Trump supporters. The reality also is that the white working class is now being seen merely as a political constituency, rather than a group of people with economic and cultural anxiety about a changing America. And, the reality is that many Americans, including people of color and immigrants, share their economic anxiety.
In our conversation, Julia, Ali and I explored what this means for our country going forward, which leads me to a second point—that we need to lead with people rather than policy. As funders and practitioners, we often get lost in a missionary zeal about the issue or issues on which we’re working. We lose sight of our primary motivation for working on these issues – the people around us. For some of us, it’s the mother who died because of inadequate healthcare, the brother we lost to gun violence, the bullying we experienced in the fourth grade. For me, it’s been about correcting the sense of isolation I felt when I first moved to America and sharing with my fellow immigrants the ins and outs of politics that it took me decades to learn. Voters make decisions on multiple issues, and if we lead with policy, especially just one, we lose people.
Finally, Ali’s book, my work and this turning point in our political history demonstrates that political change is a long game that is being played at the state and local level. If all we learn from this election, is that 2018 will be a referendum on Trump, we’re no farther along than we were in 2010 or 2014. Midterms are indeed a barometer. But one election is still just that – one election. Whether it’s Mormon leaders in Utah designing a compact about immigration, American Muslims in Michigan stepping up to run for public office, or nonprofits registering Latino voters in Arizona, America is being built on the ground and not in Washington. Most of us living and working in the Acela corridor don’t see the mood in communities across the country. That explains why we were surprised that voters would be interested in Trump. I was shocked, not surprised. Because the undercurrent of anxiety is real. Because racism – subtle or overt – is a daily reality. Because sexism is ever present.
What can philanthropy do in the face of these seemingly intractable issues? First, look at the groups you fund. How many of them are led by women and people of color? Prove to yourself that demographics is indeed not destiny, not in democracy and not in access. Correct the problem by investing over the long-term in organizations led by people of color serving their base communities. We know that demographics is not destiny, and we lead with intention to correct the access gap for people of color, women and immigrants. Second, accept the reality that we will lose in 2018, especially if you have not already gotten civic engagement money out the door. Stop waiting until late in the election year to fund groups mobilizing communities and voters. Last but not least, fund multi-year civic engagement plans that include voter registration, candidate development and issues advocacy to lay the groundwork for 2020 and beyond. Getting ready for 2042 requires at least 20 years of work and investment, not a mad scramble in the years just before and after our country becomes a majority-minority.