One of the lessons of living, working and studying in Camden, NJ is how interrelated urban and regional issues are. There’s simply no way to understand issues in Camden — such as the racial and environmental justice issues surrounding the methadone clinic, or affordable housing, or the ways concentrated poverty affects school funding — without looking at the wider history of segregation and discrimination. Increasingly, I’ve come to believe that it’s extremely difficult to address urban issues from within a city. State politics just matter too much.

And so, I’ve started on a funny journey for an urban studies professor — one that is increasingly looking at statewide issues alongside urban issues. That’s reflected in my research agenda, where I have my first statewide grant. It’s reflected in my blogging (I’m a regular blogger at Blue Jersey now). And it’s reflected in my activism, where I’m getting involved more with groups beyond the Camden City borders. 

This week, that journey took me to a new place. I wrote up some of what I was reading on rural progressivism for Blue Jersey. That post dives into some maps of New Jersey and its congressional districts, but here’s the heart of the political discussion:

There are a couple of typical strategies in the playbook for Democrats in purple or red districts. One would be to play to the base, double-down on Democratic policies, and try to win on turnout alone. A second is to tack towards the center, adopt a couple of high profile centrist or conservative positions, and try to peal off moderate Republicans. Rarely is there a turn towards progressivism, in part because in 2016 Bernie Sanders struggled with rural voters, southern voters, and African-American voters.

But, in the aftermath of the 2016 presidential election, there’s been a discussion about rural progressivism in which the conversation about the farming industry parallels the more traditional progressive frustration with Wall Street and the banking industry.

In the aftermath of that piece — the first of a series I’m writing for Blue Jersey — there’s been a lot of feedback and discussion. 

I wanted to write a little bit about that here, because that investigation — including the things I’m reading — is deeply influenced by the ways that I understand urban communities. I’ve seen first-hand how urban communities can be disenfranchised in part because they believe firmly in one party and have nowhere else to go. Too often, New Jersey cities are the bargaining chip given away by politicians. At times, and in some places (I’m thinking particularly of Newark here), progressive politics have been a powerful rejoinder to this conundrum not only because they harness the left, but because they champion those who feel their communities are beholden to wider economic forces that undermine their communities. 

I can’t help but think that same thing is true in many rural communities and represents an opportunity for outreach. 

There are many tricky things here, including the ways that people of color have been scapegoated for the effects of the wider economy on rural communities. But I also see the sliver of an opportunity here, to speak to people about their communities in a progressive way that has the potential to resonate. I’d love to hear your thoughts (or your suggested readings) as I continue to explore this in my writing.

 

 

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