A far more hopeful picture of the future emerged from state Representative Maria Chappelle-Nadal’s recent pow-wow in Washington, D.C. with DNC Chairman Howard Dean.
Maria writes that when she entered the DNC headquarters, “I was struck by the new complexion of the DNC staff. Chief of staff , DNC pollster, fundraiser, college campus coordinator n all African-American. True amazement!”
Maria urged the DNC to go young. “I stated at the meeting that our young people must have access to mainstream politics in Missouri, and then let’s elect them,” she writes. “Rather than always pushing the Who’s Who out front, a distasteful tradition in my mind, we should aggressively seek the Who’s Not.”
And, go black. “The Missouri State Party has the best opportunity to support African-American candidates, like Kelvin Simmons, Ronnie White or another A-list candidate. The last time I can remember the Missouri State Democratic Party supporting an African American for a statewide office was Alan Wheat’s bid for the U.S. Senate. Does Missouri have to wait for another 20 years?”
More good news from her visit: “State committees will be subject to strict quality-assurance measures before DNC funds are distributed to state parties. The most stunning measure is that state parties must prove the diversity of their staff and minority-driven projects.”