An Interview with Shamako Noble
The Peoples Tribune interviewed Shamako Noble, the Racial and Economic Justice Organizer for Jill Stein’s 2012 Green Party campaign for President. He is also the co-founder and Executive Director of Hip Hop Congress.
Peoples Tribune: Why is the Green Party strategic at this time, and what are the challenges it faces today?
Shamako Noble: The Democratic Party has historically positioned itself as the “progressive” choice in elections, but its policies are getting more and more conservative and harmful. The drama over the “fiscal cliff” is a good example. Our movement needs electoral politics, so we are going to have to look for alternatives beyond the two major parties. Right now, the Green Party is the best alternative out there. It has a rudimentary infrastructure and was on the ballot in almost forty states.
However, the Green Party cannot move forward unless it recruits new leaders at the state and local levels. And it cannot recruit new leaders unless it gets involved in the day-to-day survival struggles of people for the basic necessities of life. The Green Party up to now does not have the reputation of being there on the ground in these battles. The will and the potential are there, but decisions need to be made and the work needs to be done.
Peoples Tribune: What lessons did you learn in the 2012 election campaign?
Shamako Noble: The most important lesson was that elections are a critical area of resistance, and the struggle there is intensifying. We cannot say our vote does not count, when the ruling class just spent $6 billion fighting for it. We cannot say our vote does not count, when they handcuffed the Green Party candidates, Jill Stein and Cheri Honkala, in an empty warehouse for eight hours, just to stop them from participating in a presidential debate.
Our campaign was important because it raised the issues of jobs, human needs, and the environment at exactly the time when Republicans and Democrats were both promoting austerity and fossil fuels. It offered an alternative to the growing merger of the state with corporations.
Peoples Tribune: Will the Green Party have a significant impact on electoral politics in the near future?
Shamako Noble: Yes. There is a raging debate in Hip Hop between some artists who are active in the Democratic Party, and others who are open about totally rejecting it. This will only get more intense as people rise up against the austerity policies and school-to-prison pipeline pushed by Republicans and Democrats. The debate on economic human rights is getting sharper, and both the Green Party and Hip Hop are well-positioned to enter it.
Hip Hop Congress this year will be rolling out what we call the Love Movement: love for ourselves, love for our families, love for our communities, love for our work, and love for our planet. We also will be promoting an initiative called Hip Hop for Health. Both these ideas are under attack by the program of austerity and violence coming out of the two major parties in Washington, DC. But both are totally consistent with the values of the Green Party. Our work is cut out for us.
