Fighting for Black Lives Requires Continued Electoral Organizing

Ahead of the 2024 election, NPQ spoke with Rukia Lumumba, the co-director of M4BL’s Electoral Justice Project, about her work fighting for Black lives with directly impacted people to advocate for policies that will improve their conditions.

Rukia Lumumba on Electoral Organizing and the Continued Fight for Black Lives

Rebekah Barber: Based on your experiences, why do you believe that electoral organizing is so critical in fighting for Black lives?

Rukia Lumumba: I work at the intersections of the criminal legal system and the electoral governance system. I come from a long family history of organizing for the development of self-determined communities—the ability to improve conditions and increase the political power of Black people to govern themselves. I also come from the lived experience of growing up with community members and family members who have struggled with some of our most vulnerable situations, like addiction, gun violence, lack of adequate housing, and the inability to just make a good living. I’ve also been directly impacted by all those things because of the lack of good policy that protects our basic needs and continues fighting for Black lives.

I’ve witnessed the police abuse my father, and I’ve also witnessed my brother become a victim of gun violence. My older brother was shot in the head and is currently paralyzed—since he was 21. I’ve seen ineffective policing on many levels, including in investigations. I also have several friends who have experienced incarceration.

We’ve been in this experiment of engaging in the electoral process and governance—and have learned a lot of lessons about the importance of co-governance. I’ve served as a campaign manager, and I’ve also been a candidate myself, so I bring all these experiences into the work that I do.