As chair of the Saint Paul DFL I wear many hats. There’s the process hat; that worries about running fair and transparent endorsement processes. I have the fundraising hat; which worries about whether we have the money in the bank to pay for that process and to elect our endorsed candidates afterward. Finally, I have what I’ll call my aspirational and inspirational hat. When I wear that hat I think about what this organization could be and how to get there.
All across the country we are experiencing a call to action for much needed social change. This MLK Day I joined a march along University Avenue of over 2,000 people standing up and saying “America isn’t working for all Americans” and “Racism is still the problem.” Not just a problem, but the problem. A number of the people marching down University were from Saint Paul. They are demanding progressive change, yet we have not seen them at Saint Paul DFL events. We have not seen them at our caucuses or conventions. We have not seen them following the Saint Paul DFL Facebook page. We have not seen them out door knocking for our Saint Paul DFL-endorsed School Board Candidates.
Why?
Because they don’t see the DFL as a vehicle for social change. We must change this. The future of our party depends on it.
Our party has a proud history of being a powerful force for change. This election year, we must once again rise to the challenges of our time. We must do what is necessary to bring more of our neighbors into our caucuses and our conventions. We must make sure that our endorsing bodies represent the City that we serve. We must make our processes more transparent. We must move beyond simply having “party events” to hosting community events that draw residents from all corners of our city. It isn’t going to be easy, it isn’t going to be quick and we can’t do it alone. But together we can do it. We can be the social change that our city and our country needs.
This Saturday, January 24, the Saint Paul DFL is taking the first of many steps toward expanding our movement for change.We are sponsoring a hip hop showcase of local artists whose lyrics focus on issues that are effecting our community. At the event, along with great music, we will have information on how to caucus as well as how to write and introduce resolutions. Our goal is to inspire our neighbors to see caucusing as a means to advocate for the issues they care about and make a commitment to attend their caucus on February 3rd. Please show your support by attending and bringing your friends, your family, and your neighbors. This event is the first step in the long term work of strengthening both our party and our city. Let’s recommit together to continue the fight for justice and equality.
Hope to see you Saturday.
Sincerely,
Libby Kantner
Saint Paul DFL Chair
Saint Paul DFL 
You must be logged in to post a comment.