Kshama Sawant

Kshama Sawant

Template:TOCnestleft Kshama Sawant is a Seattle Washington, activist and politician.

Married to Calvin Priest.

Background

Sawant was born in India and moved to the United States after graduating from college when her husband was hired by Microsoft. She is an economics professor at Seattle Central Community College. When Seattle police evicted the Occupy Wall Street encampment from Westlake Park, she arranged for the camp to move to the campus where she teaches. Sawant, herself, was an organizer for the Occupy Wall Street movement.

She is a member of the Socialist Alternative party, followers of Leon Trotsky. The labor leadership in the U.S. she has stated, "has completely betrayed the working class. They are hand in glove with the Democratic Party .... and they tell the workers that you have to be happy with these crumbs."

She charges that the "Democratic Party pays lip service to workers' needs. In reality both the Democrats and Republicans serve the interests of a tiny financial aristocracy."

"Coronavirus Wreaks Havoc"

With Kshama Sawant, Shaun King, Joshua Collins, Julia Salazar and Valeria Beta, International Socialist Alternative, Italy.

Berniecrat

Kshama Sawant is a Berniecrat, a term used for those democrats (generally) running for office who have expressed support of former presidential candidate Bernie Sanders.

DSA endorsement

Seattle Democratic Socialists of America May 16 2019·

Seattle DSA has endorsed Kshama Sawant for Seattle City Council District 3.

Councilmember Sawant has been a tireless advocate for workers and tenants during a period where the Council has been under intense pressure to fold to corporate interests. She has never wavered in her support for the issues that matter most: from fighting for the $15 minimum wage, to taxing big business and rent control.

Councilmember Sawant is the best choice for Seattle's working class.

Socialist staffer

Bryan Watson is a Democratic Socialists of America activist in Seattle District 3. In 2015 he was the Finance Director for Kshama Sawant’s independent socialist re-election campaign to City Council.

Socialist Alternative

Kshama Sawant is a leading member of Socialist Alternative.

Shock election

Seattle voters shocked the political establishment , Nov. 5, 2013, when they elected an avowed socialist, Kshama Sawant, to the nine-member Seattle City Council.

All council members in this city are elected non-partisan and at-large. So Sawant's 51 percent victory over 16-year incumbent councilman, Richard Conlin, was seen as an indication of a shift to the left among voters citywide.

Sawant wracked up 60 percent margins in the Central District, Seattle's historically Black community, the International District with heavy concentrations of Asian American voters, and in Wallingford, adjacent to the University District. She scored 55 percent or higher in the University District home of the University of Washington. She also won above 55 percent in Fremont and Ballard, the center of Scandinavian American voters, and in Beacon Hill, a solidly working class district south of downtown.

Sawant made the fight for a $15 per hour minimum wage the centerpiece of her campaign. The issue is so popular that voters in SeaTac, home of the Seattle-Tacoma airport, put an increase in the minimum wage to $15 an hour on the ballot. It was approved by a razor thin margin. Enemies of the increase are now challenging it in court and a recount is expected. Already, Washington State has the highest minimum wage in the nation with increases pegged to the rising cost of living. Currently $9.19 an hour, it is set to rise to $9.32 in January.

Sawant also campaigned for rent control in the city. She called for a "millionaires tax" to curb income inequality and ease the fiscal crisis in Washington State where there is no income tax, only a regressive 8.5 percent sales tax. She denounced police brutality and police use of lethal force in Seattle. And she campaigned for immigration reform.

A few weeks ago, a reporter asked incumbent Seattle mayor, Mike McGinn, his view of the SeaTac minimum wage initiative. McGinn said he fully supports it. Not to be outdone, McGinn's challenger, State Senator, Ed Murray, said he supports a $15 minimum wage not just at SeaTac but for all Seattle workers. Murray won the election. He is now "Mayor-elect" of the Emerald City. He is a Democrat.

Supporting Chicago socialist council run

Jorge Mujica, Kshama Sawant and local activist Carlos Arango following an April 4 public meeting in Chicago

Inspired by the victory of socialist Seattle City Council member Kshama Sawant, the Chicago Socialist Campaign launched in the winter of 2014, with the goal of running a candidate for City Council in 2015. On May Day, the campaign announced who that candidate would be: Jorge Mujica, a long-time immigrant rights and labor organizer, who plans to seek election as the alderman for Chicago’s 25th ward.

Kshama Sawant traveled to Chicago to support Mujica.

SA POC Caucus

Cielito Pascual June 12, 2016 ·

Thought-provoking analysis of class differences in the Black Lives Matter movement at the People of Color Caucus, National Convention of Socialist Alternative. — with Kshama Sawant, Manuel Carrillo, Jess Spear, Quartez Harris, L. Eljeer Hawkins, Letta Dee, Toiyah Shester, Ramy Khalil and Karin Alana Smith in Denver, Colorado.

Daniel Petrovic bring it to us summer school, pls

Daniel Kroop Upper right hand corner for life Duaa Sandy Micah.

Left Forum 2016

Saturday Night Event, May 21, 2016: Black Liberation & the Sanders Groundswell: Prospects for Left Unity with Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor, Kshama Sawant, August Nimtz, and Debbie Bookchin.

Left Forum 2015

Occupy Democracy: The Public Square and/or The Ballots!

• Jesse Alexander Myerson Chair,
• Kshama Sawant Vote Sawant
• Charles Lenchner Ready For Warren & Organizing 2.0
• Winnie Wong Ready For Warren & Occupy Wall Street NYC

Also a Panel/Workshop with Glen Ford, Alicia Garza, Paul Jay, Thenjiwe Tameika McHarris, Makayla Price, and Kshama Sawant,

80th anniversary of Social Security

80th anniversary of Social Security celebration in Seattle on Saturday, Aug. 8 2015 at Westlake Plaza, Seattle.

• Sen. Bernie Sanders, US Senate
• Rep. Adam Smith, US House of Representatives
• Sen. Pramila Jayapal, Washington Legislature
• Hon. Kshama Sawant, Seattle City Council member
• Lynne Dodson - Secretary Treasurer, Washington State Labor Council AFL-CIO
• Heather Villanueva - Senior Community Strength Organizer, SEIU 775, Board member, Ingersoll Gender Center
• Rebecca Saldana - Executive Director, Puget Sound Sage
• Gerald Hankerson - President of Alaska, Oregon, Washington State Area Conference NAACP
• Marcelas Owens - Youth leader, Washington CAN!
• Hugh Foy, MD. Physicians for a National Health Plan Western Washington, Professor of Surgery, UW School of Medicine, Director of the Surgical Specialties Clinic, Harborview
• Jackie Boschak - President of Washington Alliance for Retired Americans

Organised by Robby Stern of Puget Sound Advocates for Retirement Action, and Chuck Haunreiter, Washington Community Action Network.

The Nation event

The People's Revolutionary meet and greet

Seatttle People's Party - Black Zia Cantina Burien Washington August 18 2018.

This event is for political networking and having a good time celebrating progressive wins around the country with fellow progressives/leftists/comrades and discussing how we can do better in the future. We have a few speakers and performers. The performers are entertaining us on a saturday evening so we ask for a suggested donation of $27 of which 100% will go to the performers.

Speakers: Kshama Sawant, Sarah Smith, Georgia Davenport, Robert Satiacum, Nikkita Oliver, Krystal Marx.

Organized by comrades Amber Wood, Georgia Davenport Glen Casebeer, Supreet Kaur, Tania Singh,

References

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