“If I Can’t Dance It’s Not My Revolution”: Or a love song to my Jewish family

I started saying this Emma Goldman quote on repeat when my commitment to progressive values and left politics were consistently questioned because I didn’t support Bernie Sanders or his brand of revolution. The mostly white and male gatekeepers of progressivism deemed me unworthy because I support Hillary Clinton, question if Medicare for All is the best path towards universal healthcare, and prioritize universal pre-k over free college. I am the fourth generation of a progressive leftist Jewish family. These men aren’t the gatekeepers of leftist politics and as the daughter of my fierce great grandmothers I will not be kept out.

About a week ago I posted this as my 2020 election motto. My revolution will include an intersectional policy not just a focus on class issues. My revolution will be through policy so marginalized communities aren’t further harmed. It will include bills that address the high levels of maternal mortality among black mothers, healthcare policy that centers the disability community, reproductive justice, bail reform, and voter rights.

What should have been an innocuous, fun homage quickly turned into my defending my progressive bona fides because I deigned to quote a leftist hero. Now these leftist gatekeepers weren’t just defining progressivism but also taking away a woman I had admired my whole life, a woman I felt a great affinity for due to the similarity in our backgrounds.