For Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed, Black history isn’t just a lesson—it’s the playbook for saving American democracy. In the debut episode of The Root’s “What’s Popular?” El-Sayed tells publisher Ashley Allison that expanding democracy requires channeling the same spirit of Black organizers who fought to broaden America’s promise for everyone. Reflecting on his own roots, the public health advocate highlights how Civil Rights activism directly paved the way for immigrants like his father, urging voters to choose a “big-hearted” vision of the country over small-minded division. Check out the exclusive interview here:
This midterm election season, The Root is going straight to the candidates to hear how their vision for the future will impact Black communities. In this first episode, Allison sat down with the candidate to discuss his background, policy priorities, and what he thinks is at stake for democracy ahead of the election.
“America has always been this competition between small-minded people who want America to be small, and big-hearted people who want America to be big,” El-Sayed told Allison. “I want America to be big.”
During their thought-provoking conversation, Allison and El-Sayed discussed who gets to define America and who gets to benefit from its promise. For El-Sayed, an Egyptian American physician and public health advocate, the answer is rooted in Black history and the generations of Black organizers who fought to expand democracy for everyone. He recalled how a Black teacher pulled him aside after the September 11 attacks and encouraged him to study the writings of Frederick Douglass, W.E.B. Du Bois, Martin Luther King Jr., James Baldwin, Malcolm X and Sojourner Truth.
Recent Comments