Unusual Politics

The P4 Hub in Germantown was teeming with Black entrepreneurs, professionals from all sectors, and PA Lawmakers for Unusual Politics: Navigating Local Power In Unpredictable Times on Tuesday night, presented by DiverseForce and broadcast live by WURD Radio. Described as a mini- politics bootcamp, the event kicked off with dinner and a networking hour followed by an open discussion with a panel of legislators.

DiverseForce, an organization dedicated to the empowerment of social impact leadership, held the event as part of The Lenfest Institute for Journalism’s Every Voice Every Vote (EVEV) initiative. Representatives Jordan Harris, and Darisha Parker of Philadelphia, State Senator and Minority Appropriations Chair Vincent Hughes, and Representative Aerion Abney of Allegheny County were panelists, and the conversation, moderated by Rep. Napoleon Nelson of the 154th district and Dr. James Peterson, host of “Evening WURDS” on WURD Radio, was geared largely toward demystifying the mechanics of government at the local and state levels, sharing the challenges and wins that come with navigating a Democrat- majority House and a Democrat- minority Senate, and offering insights into how community members can get involved and stay engaged beyond the election cycle.

Opening remarks highlighted the critical importance of holding space for open, transparent conversations about political mechanics that bring community members and policymakers to the table together. 

Representing Lenfest, Head of Philadelphia Programs Shawn Mooring took the stage briefly to highlight the intent of the EVEV initiative, which is to equip and galvanize community members to “lift their voices” and engage in the political process. Mooring outlined some key questions at the heart of the initiative, namely, “What are folks getting out of these policies [implemented by the officials they elect]? How are we holding our leaders accountable? How are we holding ourselves accountable?”

Rep. Nelson emphasized the importance by reminding those in attendance, “Let’s not forget we are 84 days until an election that is going to be historic, one way or the other”.

There was unanimous agreement among the attendees and everyone onstage that the stakes are very high this election season, and that we are attempting to operate a long-established process under an unprecedented set of circumstances – quite unpredictable times. Indeed, that gravitas set the tone for the panel discussion itself, in which each panelist introduced themselves and shared with attendees exactly what, in their opinion, is most at stake this November. 

Rep. Parker of the 198th district in Philadelphia went first and named women’s health. In terms of what’s at stake this election, without representatives who are committed to preserving women’s health, “I’d say women –  our lives, our children, our livelihoods, our sanity is at stake, this election and beyond.”

Rep. Abney of Allegheny County’s 19th district weighed in next with the importance of the relationships across levels of government, especially state and federal, and particularly with regard to funding and the way it moves down to be disbursed at the state level. In his words, it’s about “access to opportunities for folks in our communities. As members of state government, the relationship with the federal government matters”, particularly in cases when the interests of the federal government don’t align with the interests and concerns of Pennsylvania communities. 

Rep. Harris of the 186th district had a stark response: what’s at stake this election? Your voice. He explained that in succumbing to apathy or mistrust of the political process and declining to vote, “you have removed yourself from the conversation” altogether. Someone will ultimately hold any given political office “whether you vote or not, but you won’t have any say in who that is”, as opposed to mobilizing to install a representative who can speak to, and fight for, the best interests of Black communities. 

Finally, Senator Hughes of the 7th Senatorial District offered his view that Black voters underestimate how much power we really have. He explained that impactful decisions happen mostly in “small rooms, and without our presence in those small rooms, none of [the budgetary wins] would happen”.

Demystifying processes

The conversation at that point turned toward the mechanics of everyday politics. Dr. Peterson requested that the panelists explain the budget appropriations process, in service of demystifying processes that have massive impact on communities but are entirely opaque to the average voter. “In talking to people,” he said, “they want information,” particularly about the interface between federal, state, and municipal government when it comes to funding.

Rep Harris, as Majority Appropriations Chair, took the lead on breaking down this process.

He explained, what reps think of as “budget season” typically kicks off around February after the governor delivers the budget address. About a week after the address, the Appropriations Committee convenes in Harrisburg for a series of budget hearings over about three weeks. During the hearings, heads of departments and secretaries come before the committee to present their budget needs for consideration. After budget hearings, the committee discusses priorities, budget allotments, and potential compromises with the Senate. Budget analysts crunch the numbers and then after the proposed allotments have been negotiated as necessary across the aisle in order to obtain supporting votes.

According to Rep. Harris, the entire process can be summed up as, “trying to put a puzzle together where our 102 members [of the PA House of Representatives] will put up their votes, where the members of the Senate will put up their votes, and the governor will sign.”

After the facilitated questions, the moderators opened the conversation to attendees’ questions. The first attendee who spoke addressed the panel as a whole. She shared her experience with years of political engagement and involvement, both on a professional level and as a community member, and spoke of how difficult it has been to maintain trust in the political structures around her after she had to experience an issue with her home and faced an absence of support from representatives at every level from local to state. She addressed the panel directly, saying, “You say you work for us, but it feels like you quit.” 

Rep. Harris sympathized with the attendee. “I’m sorry the system failed to support you”, he said. He went on to note that for him and many of his colleagues, this work is “personal, and you feel it when you drop the ball”; and at the same time there are representatives out there who don’t feel that level of direct accountability to their communities and act accordingly.

Generocity posed a question to a point in the panel discussion about community members’ responsibility to ongoing engagement with their elected officials and the political process. If community members can actually shape policies, we asked, then how? Namely, what are the most accessible and effective opportunities for community members to maintain ongoing and direct influence and participation?

The representatives offered an array of options for getting involved. One example, echoed unanimously, was signing up for communications from the district. Most of the reps utilize regular text and email blasts to provide their constituents with news, updates and resources. As for direct influence, block captains, civic association members, and other community leaders often have a relationship and an unobstructed line of contact to their local representatives, the panel said, making those extremely effective pathways for ongoing and meaningful involvement, as well as for direct accountability of officials to the communities they serve. 

City Council President Kenyatta Johnson took the stage to join the panel during questions and offered his point of view on the importance of authenticity, transparency, consistency, and genuine relationships in fostering engagement and trust among community members. “We’ve got to get back to loving people,” he asserted. “My folks know I love them. I go hard for them and they know it.”

As the event wound down, attendees were called to action. As Dr. Peterson put it, “I know everyone in this room is going to vote. What we need is, we’ve got to give them the tools to inspire their neighbors and their family members and the people around them to vote.” 

Chief among those tools are information, where community members are brought into the fold of policymaking process that impact their lives and opaque operations are made transparent, and involvement, where community members have access to opportunities for engagement with their elected officials through service to the community, i.e block captain roles, civic associations, etc. The key, as emphasized throughout the discussion, is to keep the conversations and knowledge-sharing ongoing because it is through these conversations that we empower one another and strengthen our city.

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