Sherianne Pierce – Why I am a Democrat

I grew up in a household parented by a single mom.  Hard times were many, but we persevered.  My mother was not a political creature though, in her circumstance, she should have been.  As a child of color with two white half siblings and a white mother, I noticed early on that people treated me differently from my brothers.  I didn’t understand this was prejudice, but that understanding changed as I grew older.  I remember, when I was in school in central California, many of my classmates were first generation Mexican Americans.  They were not allowed to speak Spanish on the school grounds.  I thought something about this was very wrong.  These children were brought in to translate for their Spanish speaking only parents during parent/teacher conferences, but they couldn’t speak their native language at school any other time.

This was the beginning of my awakening. This awakening continued as a young woman, married to an abusive spouse (who was white).  When law enforcement became involved, I was treated differently than I would have been as a white woman.  The seeds of championing the disenfranchised were planted, and have grown over almost half a century.  I learned to speak my own truth, and I listened to politicians; I wanted to hear the ones I felt understood my plight.  The ones who seemed to understand the best were Democrats.  Therefore, the first time I registered to vote, I registered as a Democrat.

I feel in my heart that Democrats understand what I and other disenfranchised persons go through just to exist in these United States.  Since that ill-fated election in 2016, it has become even less safe for people of color, the LGBTQ community, women, and other disenfranchised persons.  I believe Democrats try to do the best they can for all of us, not just a select few of us.  From DC to Corrales, I’ve marched, canvassed, carried petitions, registered voters, and given money to those people I believe have my best interests at heart.  Those people are Democrats, and that is why I am a proud Democrat.