This archive report was first published on 16 July 2019.
On July 13, 2019, at Netroots Nation in Philadelphia, a panel discussion featuring Reps. Pressley, Tlaib, Omar, and Haaland drew around 4,000 attendees. Aimee Allison, founder of She the People, moderated the event.
For millions of Americans, the women of color in Congress represent generations of struggle for representation, according to Allison. However, she noted that they have faced attacks from the right wing and Democratic Party leadership throughout the year.
When speaking with Allison later, she expressed concern that Nancy Pelosi's words have dampened the enthusiasm of women of color working to organize in swing states. 'The way that Nancy Pelosi's words have landed, it's caused anger, frustration, hurt, and I believe it is damaging to the coalition we have to build in order to win the White House,' she said.
The rift over the 'squad' is part of a larger debate over how to take on Trump. Some on the left believe that Democrats can win by inspiring new and infrequent voters with an uncompromising message, while others argue that Democrats need to appeal to a putative center, even at the cost of marginalizing the left.
