Harris-Talley: I believe in a tradition of taking action on our values and being in good trouble with our neighbors.
Seattle, WA—Election results on Tuesday night show Kirsten Harris-Talley has secured 67% of the vote with 70% of eligible voters having been counted. As with many parts of the nation, King County saw unprecedented 72% voter turnout led, in part, by the 37th Legislative District, a historic hub for activism and civic engagement in the region.
Read Representative-elect Harris-Talley’s full statement below
A lot is happening tonight. Like so many of my neighbors, I’m some combination of apprehensive and hopeful. This year has been marked by so much change, so quickly. Some in our control, yet, so much is not. I know in these times - and all time of uncertainty - I turn to community. I remind myself of all the little ways we come together and look out for one another.
I’m grateful for getting to this point with all of you. I owe eternal thanks to my family, the campaign team, the youth team, and all the neighbors that volunteered, donated, and put up yard signs. All our lives are so different then they were in January when we launched this campaign. I can’t imagine having gone through this without the support of each of you. I love my community, my neighborhood, and the 37th legislative district for nurturing me and showing me love. I’ve learned so many lessons here—some of which I've had to learn the hard way; but many of which came easy. Because of the people who built this place, who helped show me the way.
Some who have shaped my life up to this moment are still here with us, and others are on the other side. When I think of the collectiveness that orients our community and activism, I think of lineage. I believe in ancestors—my own and my people’s. I believe in a tradition of taking action on our values and being in good trouble with our neighbors. Of making change for us all, anywhere we can. So tonight, while so much is still left to be determined, I want to leave you not with my words but with the words of someone who understood deeply that the work is not yet over, that there is time for joy and celebration, but always and together, we move ever forward:
“Affirmation” by Assata Shakur
I believe in living.
I believe in the spectrum
of Beta days and Gamma people.
I believe in sunshine.
In windmills and waterfalls,
tricycles and rocking chairs.
And i believe that seeds grow into sprouts.
And sprouts grow into trees.
I believe in the magic of the hands.
And in the wisdom of the eyes.
I believe in rain and tears.
And in the blood of infinity.
I believe in life.
And i have seen the death parade
march through the torso of the earth,
sculpting mud bodies in its path.
I have seen the destruction of the daylight,
and seen bloodthirsty maggots
prayed to and saluted.
I have seen the kind become the blind
and the blind become the bind
in one easy lesson.
I have walked on cut glass.
I have eaten crow and blunder bread
and breathed the stench of indifference.
I have been locked by the lawless.
Handcuffed by the haters.
Gagged by the greedy.
And, if i know any thing at all,
it’s that a wall is just a wall
and nothing more at all.
It can be broken down.
I believe in living.
I believe in birth.
I believe in the sweat of love
and in the fire of truth.
And i believe that a lost ship,
steered by tired, seasick sailors,
can still be guided home
to port.
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