To the editors:
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Our group, the Chicago-based chapter of the National Coalition of 100 Black Women, hosted a public forum for African American women candidates the week before the election and, individually, several of our business and professional women members assisted the Braun campaign with local and national fund-raising–long before EMILY’s list joined the bandwagon. Further, there were several stellar, grass-roots organizing upsets as evidenced by the victories of Senator Margaret Smith, and Representatives Monique Davis and Lovana “Lou” Jones against candidates backed by the regular Democratic organization. They, too, pulled together campaigns heavily dependent on grass-roots organizing and fund-raising and managed to beat candidates backed by other, well-organized interests.
Evidence of the broad-based, multiracial organizing effort of black, white, Hispanic, and Asian women throughout the city was evident in the preprimary rally organized by Reverend Willie Barrow and Operation PUSH the weekend before the March 17th primary. There, about 300 women, including representatives from NOW and other feminist organizations, joined together to support Carol Moseley Braun and a multiracial coalition of women candidates running for various offices. Most of the candidates who attended that rally won.
