The Future Belongs to a Multiracial Democracy

Picture it—a society where every person has and exerts their political and economic power to build a thriving multiracial democracy. Every child, regardless of race or ZIP code, has access to nourishing food, quality education, and safe housing. Public safety means health care, good jobs, and clean parks. The economy is built on cooperation, the public has a say in how public dollars are spent, workers share in the wealth they create, care work is honored and paid, and everyone pays their fair share in taxes. Envision a democracy where every voice counts equally, public officials are not bought by the rich, leaders are accountable to the people, and policies are rooted in love, not fear.

This is not a fantasy; it is a vision shaped by the daily and enduring work and leadership of Black and brown organizers and a coalition of justice advocates across the country. It is a prevailing hope for self-determination and freedom that fueled the liberation movements of the past and continues as we face new, yet familiar, pernicious obstacles to our just, inclusive society. 

Since the close of the Civil War 160 years ago, we have remained locked in a struggle between the forces of white supremacy and Black and brown liberation. Today, we see an extreme consolidation of economic and political power for the wealthy elite, a consolidation facilitated through the formation of a coalition of white supremacists and the billionaires who fund or are complicit with their cause. Today, that coalition is using the same tools as their forebearers, from banning books to criminalizing immigrant communities, in a bid to maintain their outsized power—or, more explicitly, to keep Black and brown people from having any. Normalizing white grievance as mainstream and populist has fueled the work to dismantle equity and inclusion—work that sought to repair the historic exclusion of marginalized communities, particularly Black and brown people. 

The current political moment is being marked by voter suppression, attacks on DEI, and increased policing. The same struggle with a fresh veneer. These are extreme and calculated attacks to shape our future to benefit the few. Due to the wealthy elite’s efforts to hoard power, our democracy is failing, and an authoritarian state has replaced it, all because white supremacy has refused to let go.

Those who cling to power sense that the future belongs to a multiracial democracy. The opposition targets those who build bridges across race and class precisely because they know that a united, multiracial working class threatens their power. The backlash we are seeing today is, in part, a reaction to progress and an attempt to stall the inevitable shift toward a world where power is shared and justice is not selective but universal. The timing and intensity of these attacks are proof that our strategies to build the future we have envisioned have been working, and our charge now is to make sure that future takes root.

At Dēmos, this charge guides our work to build economic and political power for Black and brown communities. To meet this moment, we must have the courage to name white supremacy for what it is and fight for Black and brown communities, even when it is uncomfortable or unpopular. We must face the racism and anti-Blackness that continue to flourish in our society and communities directly.

The oppression of Black and brown communities has always been the engine that suppresses economic advancement for everyone. Data shows that when Black and brown communities have real access to economic and democratic justice, everyone benefits. Equity for those most marginalized creates stronger systems, economies, and democracies for all—white folks included. This is not an act of charity or symbolic inclusion but an essential strategy for the survival and flourishing of democracy itself.

Progress has never come from moderation or retreat.

Progress has never come from moderation or retreat. During the Civil Rights Movement, Black organizers were told their tactics were “unwise and untimely” and urged to “wait their turn,” accept “separate but equal,” and avoid “making trouble.” But those before us refused. They sat at lunch counters, marched across bridges, faced insurmountable police violence and even death. Their courage remade the nation. Today, we face a different but equally defining moment—our lunch-counter moment. 

Black and brown communities already hold the solutions to our collective crises. Too often, institutions treat Black and brown communities as sites of deficit, rather than sources of wisdom. From mutual aid networks to community land trusts, from grassroots organizing to radical reimagining of public safety, Black and brown leaders have always pioneered the strategies that move us closer to true democracy. To survive this political climate, we must trust and invest in the expertise of Black and brown communities, rather than waiting for permission from oppressive systems.

Fighting anti-Blackness is not only a moral imperative; it is a strategic necessity for building a truly multiracial democracy.

Racism and white supremacy are invasive, as evidenced by the anti-Blackness that persists inside liberation movements, and they weaken our collective power. White supremacy thrives on division; it tells us that our struggles are separate, that our liberation is in competition. The same tools used to oppress Black and Indigenous communities are repackaged to oppress all communities of color. Likewise, the struggle for Black freedom has always opened doors for others: labor rights, women’s rights, immigrant rights, and LGBTQ+ rights all have drawn strength from the Black freedom tradition. Fighting anti-Blackness is not only a moral imperative; it is a strategic necessity for building a truly multiracial democracy.

The blueprints for our survival and our freedom already exist, in the courage of those who came before us and in the resilience of those fighting now. The work ahead is difficult, but it is not new. We can create a future where justice is not selective but shared. By rejecting white supremacy, fighting anti-Blackness, and standing boldly with Black and brown communities, we are resisting authoritarianism and building a multiracial democracy that has never yet been fully realized.

This is our moment to stay the course. To call the thing what it is. To act with courage and conviction. To shift power and build the just and joyful future that we all deserve—every one of us.