Calling All Activists That Don't Vote : Consider Third Parties, Consider the Greens!

To all  left-leaning citizens /activists, especially that  chose not to vote in last year's presidential election, nor any other election in recent history, stayed home because they see the Democratic Party as a lost cause, or because they see the two parties as different wings of the same bird, or simply think elections are useless, but are in the fight to make their communities better and the  world at large a better place, this blog post is an open letter to you. I'm not going to attack you, berate, you nor blame you. I get it. Both of the choices that the lame stream media presented to you over and over again sucked. Bernie was cheated. The little guy or gal never seems to gain anything whether we vote or not. The only people that like politics are the politicians, and most of them are corrupt, or puppets for some special interest groups or corporation, so why bother?!

POLITICS HAPPEN TO YOU WHETHER YOU PARTICIPATE IN THE POLITICAL OR NOT. Political based decisions that affect your life or the lives of your family and friends happens everyday. From town ordinances, to state laws, to international trade deals, to military conflicts -  a decision making process is happening that  infringes upon your life & liberty daily. BUT you all know this! So why this piece? Because this republic, this representative democracy only works if it has an informed politically active citizenry.

The reason why things don't work in the favor for the poor, the working class, the little guy & gal, is because 90 million plus voting age adults do not participate. Without an engagement in the sociopolitical discourse of this nation by the majority a minority can gain control and make decisions that benefit themselves that goes against the interests of said majority. We see these decisions happening every day. The wars in Iraq & Afghanistan, the Wall Street bailout, Arctic drilling, TPP, Fracking, Standing Rock, and so on and so on. Decisions made that will only benefit long-term that minority known as the plutocracy, or 1%.

 YES, YOU CAN BE ACTIVE IN YOUR COMMUNITY AND NOT VOTE BUT THERE IS A CEILING ON WHAT COULD BE ACCOMPLISHED IF ELECTORAL POLITICS ARE NOT PART  OF THE OVERALL STRATEGY. You can run a soup kitchen, halfway house, home for battered women, rehabilitation center, teen center, take over land and create a community garden,  or operate a socially relevant  hotline but if  any funding comes from the town, country or state your non-participation in politics might do those efforts in. Numbers or lack thereof affects a great many things in our communities. The one group of numbers constantly looked at are whose voting and for what, and from which demographics, and by what percentage.

The elites use their economic might to influence the politicians and the voters. They own the 2 major parties, the media  and have rigged the system in their favor. So freaking what! We can use our economic might via boycotts and strikes. We can also form new political organisations and run our own candidates. The situation isn't a hopeless one, it's just one in which a lot of work needs to take place on the ground at the local level. You are already out there helping in your communities around various issues from police brutality to having control over your schools, to re-entry of the formerly incarcerated , to fighting for less restrictions on medicinal marijuana, and assisting the undocumented. Now is the time to couple those grassroots efforts with an electoral strategy.

I DON'T WANT YOU TO VOTE FOR THE SAKE OF VOTING BUT TO VOTE WITH PURPOSE OR A PLAN IN MIND. If the 2 major parties do not speak to your concerns you need to find a party that does. There are several left-wing third parties out there. Some come out of Trotskyist  movement such as SAlt, SWP, ISO, SEP, WWP, PSL. Others come from the movement for a multi-tendency orientation like SP USA. Others have names like Peace & Freedom. Still others serve as sheepdog for one of the major parties like Working Families Party does so often. The party that I believes exemplifies a path forward that always has putting people and planet before profits is the GREEN PARTY OF THE UNITED STATES.

The Green Party is built upon its four founding  pillars of Peace, Ecology, Social Justice, & Democracy. It is the party of gender, racial, & economic justice. It is the antifascist party. The peace party. The progressive party. The people' party. The save the planet party. It is the type of party needed for the 21st century. The Green Party is by no means a perfect organisation. It doesn't gauge every political situation correctly (no party does). It doesn't understand every nuance of every movement (no party does). It still hasn't developed a comprehensive strategy for engaging communities of color and other minorities, nor how to keep them off  the treacherous Democratic  Party plantation ( all parties are dealing with this same issue).  With the above said, it's platform is a forward thinking blueprint for a better America.

IT'S DECENTRALIZED GRASSROOTS BASED ORGANISATIONAL STRUCTURE ALLOWS ANYONE WANTING TO GET INVOLVED TO BE INVOLVED. The Green Party allows  any member that wants to  organise, mobilise, educate, recruit, or  fundraise on its behalf to do so as long those efforts are in line with its four pillars and 10 Key Values (http://www.gp.org/ten_key_values_2016). For any member  to propose new or change current policies on the state and local level according the membership rules and norms of a GP organisation. For any member to take personal ownership of their local organisation. If you are a grassroots activist, well the Green Party is your grassroots political party.

We are living during a political climate in which our activism must go  hand in hand with our engagement in the political process.  Community action plus political action equals change. To have sustainable change we need to to use both the soap box and the ballot box. We must procure power via the  building of movements locally & nationally, and thru electing candidates from within those movements or those that are those movements allies, locally & nationally.

I won't bore you further with my words, I only ask that you think critically about electoral politics, third parties, & consider supporting the Green Party in any way that you are comfortable doing. Look us up online. Check out a public meeting in your area or reach out via email, phone, Twitter, or Facebook and ask questions. Whatever you decide please remember that only thru independent political action will we affect the changes needed to transform the world.

The Green Party of NJ-Black Caucus Statement on Parker Space

For Immediate Release

Contact: Jim Brash , Co-chair, GPNJ-BC at brash.gpnj.bc@gmail.com


Knowingly taking a picture in front of the battle flag of Tennessee, commonly known as the rebel flag, and remains the most well known symbol of not only the confederacy, but also of white supremacy was not only insensitive , and disrespectful, but also  callous  on the part of Parker Space no matter how he attempts to spin it- he knew better. Furthermore , with his  opposition and eventual abstention  to the 2016 bill that  condemned its use at certain state monuments, along with his double downing on the photo that kicked off this sad controversy, we demand his immediate resignation from the NJ state assembly.

He attached an apology to the origin posting of the pic , so another half-hearted apology won't do and anyone asking for one and nothing more  doesn't understand the seriousness of the offense nor the current sociopolitical climate we are living in that is giving neo-nazis, white supremacists, the Klan,  their sympathizers, &  ideology breathing room to stretch it's hateful wings, and spread its detestable stench. Mr. Space has also proudly claimed that what he did was an act of working class humor and this is how working class people do. Mr. Space is from one of the most affluent families in Sussex and the only working class people he deals with daily are the ones that are in his family's employ at Space Farms. To claim that hard working people routinely engage in acts of insensitivity towards minorities and are dismissive of those acts being perceived as bigoted or racist, he should be ashamed of himself.

If Mr. Space is unwilling to resign, we call upon the members of the NJ assembly to protect the integrity of their legislative house under section 7:6 of the NJ General Assembly Rules (Punishment of Members) and at least censure Mr. Space, if not outright expel him from membership of said body. We are asking the good men and women the State assembly -  both Democrat and Republican - to make a stand against the behavior displayed by Mr. Space, no matter how trivial or harmless he personally finds it to be. There is no room in our state for elected officials to embrace symbols of hatred & bigotry, no matter the context, in the 21st century.

Our Statement in Response to Mr. Bruce Dixon's Blog Post : White Liberal Guilt, Black Opportunism, & the Green Party

The following statement was passed by consensus of the GPNJ Black Caucus - of which Mr. Dixon and all others should be aware is composed of registered members-in-good standing of the Green Party of NJ, with bylaws ratified by the GPNJ-BC membership and approved by the NJ Green Council via the GPNJ Membership Committee, conducts regularly scheduled meetings, and holds a seat on the NJ Green Council under the established bylaws of the Green Party of New Jersey.

The GPNJ Black Caucus strongly abhors and condemns the recent Black Agenda Report article written by Bruce Dixon.  Its inflammatory remarks and false narratives are not only offensive to several of our members, but are also based on conjecture and hearsay, as Mr. Dixon was not present during the Annual National Meeting.

At least 4 members of the GPNJ Black Caucus, two of them officers, participated in the protest and/or events which led up to the protest on July 15. All of them, completely and without doubt, refute the notion that there was any sort of collaboration with other political factions, parties and/or opportunism in any form involved. The protest was organic and rose up with grassroots support, led by the GPUS Black Caucus and joined by members other Green Party groups in solidarity. The notion that any other parties were involved is not only offensive, but in and of itself racist, divisive, and counterproductive.

Furthermore, Mr. Dixon’s article betrays the trust of national Black Caucus members and the privacy of discussions on the listserv. If we can't discuss, debate, and even argue amongst ourselves without fearing that one of our own members will trash us publicly before we've reached any consensus, then we are finished as a caucus. The GPUS Black Caucus was created to provide a safe space for a marginalized & disenfranchised community both nationally and within the party - Mr. Dixon polluted that safe space. Without safe spaces, the recruitment, organizing, and mobilizing of the Green Party's Black members and members of other identity caucuses will become severely impeded.

Mr. Dixon’s false narrative will only serve to hurt our efforts to combat racism and a pervasive atmosphere of white supremacy within this party, which he makes no mention of. Sadly, he also makes it clear that his loyalties lie not with the popular uprising that gained broad-based support across the full spectrum of Annual National Meeting participants, but with those interested in maintaining the status quo. His decision to release his self-serving diatribe publicly has also severed the trust within the national Black Caucus during what is potentially its greatest hour.

The GPNJ Black Caucus stands firm with our national Black Caucus comrades in their struggle to call attention to and combat the racism and white supremacy that has tainted the Green Party. Mr. Dixon's actions are counterproductive to the processes currently underway by the Black Caucus and other bodies of the GPUS. Spreading misinformation and slander isn't helpful to the Black Caucus, the National Committee, or the Green Party in general, nor is it objective and effective journalism. We ask that Mr. Dixon retract his statements; that going forward he respects the privacy of any discussions taking place in the safe space that is the GPUS Black Caucus; and that he refrains from making further public statements via his blog/Black Agenda Report on this matter until all above processes have come to conclusion.

Statement On Co-Chair Amendment (Prior to its Bifurcation) and Its Potential for Tokenism

GPNJ Black Caucus does not support this amendment.  Horizontal leadership always favors the privileged.  While the language in this amendment guarantees a person of color a position as co-chair, we must articulate our position that the perception will be that the de facto chair will be the one open to cis-heterosexual white males.  The nature of hegemonic culture is such that perception becomes structural/operational reality. We therefore recognize an obvious danger where the end result of our officer voting would be a scenario where a higher degree of credibility and respect would be improperly ascribed to the winner of the third (open-to-all) chair position, thus marginalizing the other two officers and rendering the notion of co-equal co-chairs operationally worthless.   

We've witnessed over the past few months how little weight a title carries within the party if the person holding that title is a person of color, and mandating diversity in these positions is little more than quintessential tokenism.  What we need to do is educate our membership on issues of racism, and foster an environment that promotes equality regardless of skin color. We must also do legitimate outreach to marginalized communities in such a way that the composition of the rank-and-file membership changes significantly. Otherwise, any diversity-related reforms of the party leadership structure will have the perception of being merely for show, and not reflective of the true nature of the Green Party of NJ.

In the meantime, the Black Caucus will be fielding candidates for leadership roles and we aspire to reach these positions through our own merits and not through tokenized positions that distract the Green Party of NJ from the pertinent issues at hand.

The Bylaws of the GPNJ - Black Caucus

Bylaws of GPNJ - Black Caucus

Bylaws of GPNJ - Black Caucus

Section 1 -- Mission Statement

Section 2 -- Definitions

Section 3 -- Members

3.1 -- Criteria

3.2 -- Rights

3.3 -- Responsibilities

Section 4 -- Executive Committee

4.1 -- Composition

4.2 -- Co-Chairpersons

4.3 -- Caucus Liaison

4.4 -- Authority

4.5 -- Governance

Section 5 -- Voting Procedures

Section 6 -- Candidates for Public Office

Section 7 -- February Meeting

Section 8 -- Parliamentary Authority

Section 9 -- Amendments

******                                

Section 1 -- Mission Statement

 The mission of the Green Party of New Jersey - Black Caucus (GPNJ-BC) is to represent African and African-American voices within the Green Party of New Jersey.  

 We shall work to promote issues of interest to the African and African-American community to GPNJ, and ensure that GPNJ conducts and implements programs that are specified in its platform and/or practice that address the needs and disparities of the African and African-American communities.  

 We shall work to facilitate communication and coordination amongst African and African-American individuals within the committees and other caucuses of GPNJ, and maximize the participation of Human Beings of African and African-American descent in the political, policy making, and party building activities of GPNJ.  

 We shall work to increase the participation and election victories of African and African-American supporters of the GPNJ Platform, and utilize said individuals between or post election cycle(s).

 Through GPNJ-BC, we shall bridge Green values with Black struggles, as we work to strengthen our communities.

                                                

Section 2 -- Definitions

"Annual Caucus Report" means a report put together by the Executive Committee highlighting the achievements of the Caucus over the previous year, the problems faced by the Caucus, and the goals of the future.

"Amendment" means a permanent change to these Bylaws, as described in Section 8.

"Auxiliary Membership" means a non-Caucus Party Member who enjoys all the privileges of association and participation in the Caucus, but is not eligible to vote or hold any formal Caucus positions. Auxiliary Members, however, may serve the Caucus in ad hoc positions at the discretion of the Caucus Executive Committee.

"Caucus Member" means an individual who has joined GPNJ-BC, as described in Section 3.

"Complaint" means a formal written objection, concern, or protest filed by a Member, described in Section 3.2.

"Executive Committee" means the decision-making body described in Section 4.

"Green Council" means the decision-making and advisory body of the Green Party of New Jersey.

"Meeting" means any gathering where there is quorum and Caucus business is to be discussed.

"Membership List" means the official list of Caucus Members and contact information, maintained by the Co-Chairpersons.

"Officer" means a member of the Executive Committee.

"Party Member" means an individual who has joined the Green Party of New Jersey, as described in their Bylaws.

"Rule" means a formal issuance on substantive or procedural matters that is consistent with and subordinate to these Bylaws.                                                                                                        

Section 3 -- Members

Section 3.1 -- Criteria

 Membership is open to registered Greens who identify as Black, African, or African-American.  Membership is secured by sending name, address, and email to the Caucus Liaison, who will confirm that applicants are registered Greens.

Section 3.2 -- Rights

Caucus Members in good standing may

1. vote, at all monthly meetings, on proposals, decisions, and amendments;
2. vote, in Executive Committee elections at the February monthly meeting;
3. object formally to any decision, action or policy of the Caucus or of a Caucus Member by filing a Complaint with the Executive Committee.

Section 3.3 -- Responsibilities

Members shall:

1. participate respectfully in all proceedings;
2. fulfill obligations undertaken, unless excused; and
3. abide by the letter and spirit of these Bylaws and any duly adopted Rules.        

Section 3.4 -- Active and Inactive Caucus Members

An active Caucus Member is defined as someone who has:

1. attended 3 of the past 6 monthly meetings since becoming a Caucus Member and;
2. voted in 3 of the past 6 GPNJ-BC proposals since becoming a Caucus Member.

New Caucus Members are assumed active until 6 monthly meetings, or 6 proposals have occurred; whichever is sooner.  An inactive Caucus Member may participate fully in GPNJ-BC activities, but their absence will not count against quorum when counting votes.  An inactive Caucus Member may regain active status by fulfilling the requirements for active Caucus Members.  The Executive Committee will collectively keep track of active and inactive statuses of Caucus Members.

                                                                                

Section 4 -- Executive Committee

Section 4.1 -- Composition

(a) The following persons shall constitute the Executive Committee: two co- Chairpersons, and a Caucus Liaison.  The “Officers” of the Caucus.

(b) Requirements for the Executive Committee:

1. must be Party Members in good standing;
2. must be an active Caucus Member.  When an Executive Committee member becomes inactive, the remaining members of the Executive Committee will vote on whether to remove the inactive Executive Committee member.

(c) Officers are elected at the February monthly meetings, and serve for terms of one (1) year beginning on March 1 and ending on the last day of February the following year.

4.2 -- Co-Chairpersons

The Co-Chairpersons of GPNJ-BC shall:

1. preside at meetings of GPNJ-BC;
2. maintain all records of the Caucus, including but not limited to these Bylaws and Amendments hereto, all meeting records, and the Membership List;
3. issue a call for a special meeting of the Executive Committee, Special Committee, or general GPNJ-BC membership;
4. and perform such other duties as may be assigned by the Party and/or Caucus.

Section 4.3 -- Caucus Liaison

The Black Caucus Liaison shall:

1. represent GPNJ-BC as a non-voting observer at weekly Green Council meetings;
2. recruit potential Caucus Members from the Party Membership;
3. serve, at the pleasure of GPNJ-BC, as a full Green Council member should such a position arise.  (If such a position arises, the Caucus Liaison cannot hold another position on the Green Council.)

Section 4.4 -- Authority

Within the limitations established by these Bylaws, the Executive Committee shall have the authority to:

1. make proposals to Caucus Members and oversee the voting process of proposals;
2. delegate specific tasks and decision-making authority not established by these Bylaws;
3. appoint Special Committees;
4. and expel or discipline any Member for good cause, pursuant to Rules and subject to the review of the other Members.
5. grant Auxiliary Membership, subject to confirmation by two-thirds (⅔) majority vote of the Caucus Membership, to non-Caucus GPNJ members who have demonstrated a clear alignment with the philosophies and efforts of the Caucus in such a manner that a formal partnership would result in a measurable positive impact in the advancement of the Caucus mission and objectives.

Section 5 -- Voting Procedures

1. Any reference to voting in this document shall be construed to refer both to voting in person at a meeting or electronically during the gaps between meetings.
2. Any Caucus Member in good standing may make a motion to adopt a proposal.  Once a motion to adopt a proposal is made and seconded, voting shall begin, except in the case that both Co-Chairpersons decide, on feedback from the Caucus Membership, that the motion to vote was premature.  In this case, a call to question must be affirmed by a three-fourths (¾) majority.
3. Once a proposal is made pursuant to subsection (b) of this section, each member has 48 hours to cast a ballot either yes, no, or in abstention.  Failure to vote will be recorded.  A proposal cannot be passed until the 48 hours have passed, to give ample time for all members to participate in the voting process.  An exception is made on time-sensitive matters, in which case, any Executive Committee member may call to have an immediate tally.  In immediate tally may only be granted by unanimous vote of the Executive Committee.  Failure to vote by absent members will not be recorded.
4. Proposals must receive a two-thirds (⅔) majority vote in order to be adopted, and one-half (½) of the active Caucus Membership shall constitute a quorum.
5. An absolute majority must be received by voters for Executive Committee elections, which shall be conducted through a Ranked Choice Voter ballot.  One-half (½) of active Caucus Members shall constitute a quorum for Executive Committee elections.

                                                                                                

Section 6 -- Candidates for Public Office

 The Caucus reserves the right to inform the Party of their position on all candidates within GPNJ jurisdiction.  Caucus Members will vote to decide whether a prospective candidate will have the support of GPNJ-BC.  The Caucus Liaison will then report to the Green Council the recommendation of GPNJ-BC for the potential candidate.

Section 7 -- February Meeting

 In honor of Black History Month, the February monthly meeting of GPNJ-BC shall serve as an informal convention.  Caucus business to be conducted in February shall be all of, but not limited to, the following:

1. Election of Caucus Officers;
2. Amendment proposals; and
3. Discussion of Annual Caucus Report.

        

Section 8 -- Parliamentary Authority

 The rules contained in Robert's Rules of Order Revised shall govern the Party in all cases to which they are applicable and in which they are not inconsistent with these Bylaws or with any special rules of order duly adopted by the Party.

Section 9 -- Amendments

 An Amendment to these Bylaws may be adopted upon a two-thirds (⅔) majority vote at any monthly GPNJ-BC meetings.  Members must be given at least 30 days to discuss proposed Amendments, by indicating the language to be amended and describing the nature and intent of the proposed change.  Three-fourths (¾) of active Caucus Members shall constitute a quorum when proposing Amendments.  Once an Amendment is passed, the Caucus Liaison will submit proposed Amendment to the Green Council for approval.  The Green Council must approve Amendments before they are ratified by GPNJ-BC.                                                                                

The Proposal to the Green Council of the Green Party of New Jersey to Recognize, & Accept as an Affiliate the newly formed the GPNJ - Black Caucus

Proposals are usually sent to the Green Council, but this is a special one.  This is a rather momentous occasion for GPNJ, and I think it should be celebrated and shared with the rest of our membership.  I will be moving out of state in a month, and if kick starting identity caucuses is the last thing I do here, I will be leaving knowing the NJ is in good hands.

I also think it's important that all members who identify with disenfranchised groups witness this vote so that they can see that the naysayers are few, and that minorities have the overwhelming support of the Green Council, and are always welcome within GPNJ.  I've been very disappointed with the lack of responses I've gotten after posting my first my message.  Just 1 to be exact.  Yet every time I speak to an individual who identifies with a disenfranchised group in private, they seem overwhelmed with joy at the idea of joining a caucus, and ask me to sign them up.  I can only assume that the insensitive remarks over the past few days have succeeded in bullying the disenfranchised into questioning their own participation.  What is clearly a beautiful and empowering show of tolerance, has been given the appearance of a divisive issue within the membership of a party that we so proudly call, progressive.  Shameful.

And now we have resistance to Julie's mere suggestion that cisheterosexual white males should be limited to just 1 of 3 co-chair seats.  Wow.  Really?  Cis, Hetero, White, Male.  That's 4 fucking privileges!  How could anyone see a problem with reserving the other two seats for people with 3 privileges or less?  Shameful.

I really do think that people fail to realize how differently other groups see the world.  Some talk about class struggle, workers of the world unite, but they fail to realize that's just part of it.  There is a lot more justice to be demanded for disenfranchised groups, and it's incredibly insensitive to deny that, thus limiting the struggle to just your own.  No one denies class struggle, there is even a labor caucus in the suggestions (free for all laboring CHWMs to join), but some people need to consider how the world looks through the eyes of a minority.  Their struggles, often times, are dismissed.

I remember seeing this study once where children were asked to close their eyes and picture an American.  Hair color, eye color, age, weight, everything.  Really get the picture into their head. An overwhelming majority pictured a old white man.  Why is that?  It's because that's the picture that has been entrenched in our heads as to who is American.  Who is normal.  Everyone else is abnormal, different, an immigrant, or pick your word that ultimately implies, inferior.

For starters, the problem with this study is that the majority of U.S. citizens are actually women, so there is that.  Then, non whites make up about 40% of U.S. citizens.  So really, white males only represent about a third of the population.  How is it then that the white male dominates what we view as "American"? These things don't just happen by coincidence.  It's intentional, it's rampant, and it's systematic.  That's how that happens, that's how one-third of the population becomes a psuedo-majority... and you know what, it's happening to Greens right now too.

I'm sure there is a group of readers who are going to claim that they were thinking of a white woman, a black man, a red giraffe, etc.  Unfortunately, this test doesn't work through email.  But the good news is, we don't even really need this test.  We kind of already had it with Julie's proposal.

When you consider the backlash received from Julie's proposal to amend the bylaws to allow only 1 of 3 seats to be held by a cis hetero white male, the effects of systematic racism, sexism, etc. on this party become evident.  Take a look around.  We're not a very diverse party, but still, take a look around.  Even with our overly white membership, you'll find that cis, hetero, white males make up around a third of our membership.  Yup, go ahead, check the membership, it's about a third.  

Julie's proposal simply limits a third of the membership, to a third of the seats.. yet people objected, and even left the part.  When people are this upset with equal distribution, you know that these people are accustomed to the privilege of receiving more than they're owed.  I call it racial capitalism, patent pending, and it's a problem.  So I don't need that test..  the proof is in the previous thread.  Once again, the third becomes a psuedo-majority in the eyes of some.  And if we do indeed have members who will complain about such awful and divisive FAIRNESS.. then clearly, we need such rules, and clearly, we need caucuses.

And so I am honored to be proposing the recognition of GPNJ's first ever caucus; The Black Caucus, and it's only fitting to conclude with this relevant, and summarizing quote by Malcom X:

"Well, I am one who doesn't believe in deluding myself. I'm not going to sit at your table and watch you eat, with nothing on my plate, and call myself a diner. Sitting at the table doesn't make you a diner, unless you eat some of what's on that plate. Being here in America doesn't make you an American. Being born here in America doesn't make you an American. Why, if birth made you American, you wouldn't need any legislation; you wouldn't need any amendments to the Constitution; you wouldn't be faced with civil-rights filibustering in Washington, D.C., right now. They don't have to pass civil-rights legislation to make a Polack an American.

No, I'm not an American. I'm one of the 22 million black people who are the victims of Americanism. One of the 22 million black people who are the victims of democracy, nothing but disguised hypocrisy. So, I'm not standing here speaking to you as an American, or a patriot, or a flag-saluter, or a flag-waver -- no, not I. I'm speaking as a victim of this American system. And I see America through the eyes of the victim. I don't see any American dream; I see an American nightmare."

Brother Malcom had his own, legitimate reasons for picturing the old white man.

Green Councilpersons,

It is my duty, it is my privilege, it is my honor to report the formation of the GPNJ Black Caucus.  Please review the following relevant information:

Founding Members:

Jim Brash -- registered Green

Gary Frazier Jr. -- registered Green

Ahmed Eltouny -- registered Green

Aaron Hyndmann -- dues paying Green

Jake Jones -- registered Green

Shawn Walters -- registered Green

All members are GPNJ members in good standing.

Bylaws: 
Bylaws were voted on by all members, and adopted with a unanimous 6-0 vote.  Members were given ample time to read and contribute.  Bylaws can be read here:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1h4EEgCmrfVtf8efnK3B8aP_9qZj7wGkcuU-w2KT_7cA/edit#

Officers:

Co-Chairs: Jim Brash, Gary Frazier Jr.

Caucus Liaison:  Jake Jones

All members were given an opportunity to run for a leadership position, and these 3 officers were approved by unanimous 6-0 vote.  The election was transparent and democratic.

Meeting:

The Caucus has held one phone meeting, on February 5, 2017,  where bylaws, officers, elections, outreach, and future endeavors were discussed.  Next meeting will be scheduled in March, and in the meantime, communication will be through a newly formed google group listserv.

Projects:

- Delegates shall be sent to various local Black Lives Matter chapters, Movement for Black Lives webinars, POP, Humanize Black, and other solidarity organizations.

- A Kaper-Dale For Governor focus community will be formed.

- Reach out to local Mosques and see if they need a group to guard and defend through the night when they receive threats.

- Two voter registration drives have been planned; in Newark one weekend, and in Camden another weekend.

- Fundraising shall commence using an already formed email address and paypal account.  Provided the necessary funds are raised, the following are some goals of the Caucus:

- Attempt to get tutors to provide GED prep, how to write a resume, personal finance, and basic reading and writing classes at a few local libraries in our poorest communities.

 - Attempt to adopt a school(s) in poor area(s) and provide supplies to students and teachers for a semester or a full school year. Possibly place our logo on supplies.

- Attempt to sponsor kids sports team or a league for the summer.  Look for folks to referee, coach, etc.

- Attempt to sponsor a Saturday recreation program for kids. Could be built around one of our key values or pillars. It could be a weekend environmental club, something dealing with animal rights or vegetarian/vegan living, etc.

- Attempt to pay for the prep and deliver meals to the elderly and disabled.

I propose we temporarily recognize the Black Caucus, allow their representative to silently observe our weekly council meetings, consider their recommendations for candidates, and consult with their leadership on matters pertaining to Black, African, and African American issues between now and our Annual Convention when an appropriate bylaws amendment may be considered.

Salam,

Ahmed Eltouny

(He, Him, His)

Second Vice Chairperson

Green Party of New Jersey

--