Jess W.

@WajahatAli Let me be perfectly clear: I am sick of supposed leftists who do not understand politics outside of their own fucking zip codes trying to dictate how Black Democrats in the South are supposed to navigate ours. Calling Hakeem Jeffries “AIPAC Shakur” is not clever. It is racist as fuck. And attacking Southern Black Democrats because we stand with our Jewish communities ignores the political reality of the South. Black and Jewish coalitions have been organizing together down here for generations. Some of you have not poured a dollar, an organizer, or a meaningful resource into building Democratic power in the states you love lecturing us about. We have spent generations fighting Republican control, voter suppression, gerrymandering, and the systematic destruction of Black political representation. We are still fighting for basic political power that many of you take for granted. Yet somehow, you expect Southern Black voters and leaders to subordinate the needs of our communities to your ideological priorities while you contribute virtually nothing to building the majorities necessary to accomplish any of it. That is not solidarity. You do not get to demand Black political labor while disrespecting Black political leadership. You do not get to traffic in racism against Hakeem Jeffries and antisemitism against our Jewish allies and then call yourselves progressive. And you damn sure do not get to dictate how we build coalitions in the South from the comfort of communities where you already have political power we are still fighting to obtain. Worry about your own fucking communities. We know what it takes to survive politically down here. We know who has stood beside us. And we will build the coalitions necessary to protect our communities whether you approve of them or not. Fuck your racism. Fuck your antisemitism. And fuck the idea that Southern Black politics requires your permission.