The Uncommitted Movement is the means through which voters across the country are resisting forced complicity in genocide and making it clear to the Democratic Party that their positions are not as safe as they believe.
Originally published in Cosmonaut.
This June 4th, New Jersey voters have the bold chance to rebuke President Bidenās support for genocide in Gaza by voting Uncommitted in the stateās Democratic primary. Since late last year, the Israeli government has been raining death and destruction across Gaza. Upwards of 40,000 innocent Palestinians have been killed by bombs, starvation, and lack of medical care, all of which are directly connected to the Israeli embargo strangling Gaza. Despite sharing ādisagreementā with the far-right Benjamin Netanyahu administration, the Biden administration and the Democratic Party leadership have actively supported Israelās genocide in Gaza with increased funding and military support.
The Uncommitted movement began in Michigan, where in just a few short weeks, grassroots activists won the votes of over 100,000 people, sending a clear message to President Biden that his stance on Gaza could cost him a large chunk of his own electorate.
The New Jersey Uncommitted campaign, spearheaded by the Central, Northern, and Southern chapters of the Democratic Socialists of America, rejects imperialism and embraces a socialist vision of liberation. We are dedicated to bringing about the end of U.S. sponsored violence against the Palestinian people whose futures and dreams have been significantly altered and nearly destroyed. The Palestinian cause echoes the just cause of previous movements that have battled against violent oppression, from the anti-colonial struggles that swept the globe following WWII to the anti-apartheid struggle in South Africa and the fight for autonomy and self-determination within the U.S., from the defund movement to Standing Rock.
As we New Jerseyans watch President Biden and our elected NJ Congressional representatives pass bill after bill shipping money and bombs to Israel, weāre beginning to question why it is that our public transit system lacks funding, our stateās largest cities lack adequate affordable housing, and our children are made to drink lead-contaminated water. In the midst of tax season, many of us canāt help but wonder just how severely the working class is carrying the burden of funding a genocide that over 67% of all registered voters donāt support.
Voting Uncommitted in the Democratic primary is an act of resistance. It sends a message to the Biden administration and to the Democratic party writ large that the working class will not be complicit in genocide, and that candidates who do not represent our values will not earn our votes. In its truest sense, voting Uncommitted is an exercise in democracy. According to activist Azra Baig, āThe U.S. is a democracy where we expect the will of the people to be represented. The genocide we are witnessing of the Palestinian people goes against humanity and does not represent the will of most Americans. Voting Uncommitted shows the power of the people, and I encourage my fellow Americans to do the same.ā
The Uncommitted campaign also presents an alternative to the over 300,000 Muslim voters in our state who feel ostracized by the Islamophobic rhetoric of the Democratic Party, and who have been directly impacted by our governmentās commitment to a war on Palestinian life. Saif Hasan, a Palestinian NJ resident and activist, shared with us why he intends to vote Uncommitted: āAs a Palestinian American I feel excluded from humanity. My community has watched our elected officials fund the killing of our relatives, dehumanize our people, and provide cover for Israeli war crimes. I am voting Uncommitted to show that our voices matter, that we are a part of American society and refuse to be ignored.ā
Since Michigan, multiple other states have run successful Uncommitted campaigns in an act of collective protest by a diverse body of working class voters. Now, here in our beloved state of New Jersey, the Uncommitted campaign aims to do the same, gathering all those within the Democratic party whoāve been left dejected and disgusted by Bidenās support for the death and destruction of Palestine. Our goal, like in Michigan, is to have hundreds of thousands of New Jersey Democrats choose Uncommitted on their primary ballot this June 4th as a way to send Uncommitted delegates to the Democratic National Convention.
The Democratic party leadership should not expect peoplesā support as long as it continues to promote policies that directly go against the interests of its voting base. Every year, the Democratic party portrays itself as an alternative to the GOP, and yet, in recent years especially, itās failed to deliver on policies that would improve the lives of most Americans, including Palestinians and Muslim Americans. Enough is enough.
We hope you will join us in casting your vote for peace and liberation.
Dr. Charisse Burden-Stelly is an Associate Professor of African American Studies at Wayne State University. She is co-editor of the recently published book, Organize, Fight, Win: Black Communistā¦
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