Attica Scott's reflective democracy
- Nov 11, 2017
- 3 min read
If you are silent in times of injustice, you are complicit in the injustice.
This was Representative Attica Scott’s message that I hope resounded with every audience member fortunate enough to hear her speak at TEDxMiddlebury, an independently organized, annual event. This was the message that I heard from her, loud and clear. And this message resonated with me.
Representative Attica Scott is a black woman who, during the 2016 election cycle, defeated an incumbent white man in a local race. She now serves as part of the minority in the Kentucky State House – just 6% of the House is non-white. The context in which she was elected is astounding. Kentucky is the home state of Sen. Mitch McConnell, one of the most powerful Republicans in Washington. Kentucky has long been an electoral haven for far-right Republicans, particularly during the 2014 (and ongoing) Tea Party Movement. To challenge these conservative ideologies is, for some, an impossible task.
But for Rep. Scott, this is not the case. She unequivocally stands for the legal recognition and equal treatment of all marginalized communities. During her TED talk, she emphasized her commitment to funding and improving Louisville public schools, despite the strong majority in the Kentucky House to invest in charter schools. In the House chamber, she sits behind Dan Johnson, a Republican who published images of former President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama as apes during his campaign.
Her experiences inside the House chamber are jaw-dropping in the worst way – the amount of internalized and institutionalized racism within the House and in the local community are simply unfathomable. In Louisville, there exists a long history of racial segregation. Kentucky is a longtime conservative stronghold, where, according to Rep. Scott, people use the Bible to justify oppression.
The adversity she faces on a daily basis does not discourage Rep. Scott, however. She urged the audience to speak up and call out injustice when we see it in our local communities. She implored the audience to involve themselves in politics. This message comes as an especially pertinent time, when American politics seem more damned than ever. Her message harkens back to the government created “of the people, by the people, for the people.” Except Attica Scott is less idealistic than she is realistic. The American system of government is not perfect. In many ways, it is not the pinnacle of Western, liberal freedoms. Scott’s message does not ignore the flaws of an electoral democracy; rather, she offers an alternative model, the “representative democracy.” She aims to represent marginalized voices in her community; she most poignantly claimed to be a face for her daughter, who has “never seen someone who looked like her” in the state government.
Rep. Scott’s electoral feat is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the reinvigoration of local politics. Her message – to stand up to injustice – was heard across the nation on Election Day. She is one of the many emerging politicians who stood up to injustice by running for office. And, in many places, these courageous Americans won.
In Virginia, transgender woman Danica Roem defeated a Republican incumbent who labeled himself Virginia’s “chief homophobe.” Kathy Tran, a Vietnamese refugee, was also elected to the VA House of Delegates.
In Minneapolis, Andrea Jenkins became the “first openly transgender person of color” elected to the city council.
New Jersey voted in Ravi Bhalla, the city’s first Sikh mayor.
In Seattle, Jenny Durkan will become the city’s first lesbian mayor.
And in Montana, Wilmot Collins – a Liberian refugee – was elected mayor of Helena.
These victories matter. These victories resonate in their local communities, but in a much larger sense, each little victory is a step toward Rep. Scott’s “representative democracy.” And I’m here for it.
More information about local electoral victories can be found here.
Attica Scott's website can be found here.
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