SENATOR BRIAN WILLIAMS TEACHES CIVITAS INTERNS WHY POLITICS MATTER

This blog piece was written by one of our students, Santi. The opinions expressed herein do not reflect those of Civitas other than respect for the value of open dialogue.

Our understanding of politics in contemporary society revolves around intense political debates and discourses. We see elected officials talking on the media attacking their political opponents and propping their own policy positions, demonstrating the consistent emphasis on the discussion over action in politics. Political figures have long thwarted attacks on their inaction by claiming that simply having a conversation already represented a win. Having conversations is enough. 

However, in our meeting with Missouri State Senator Brian Williams this common understanding of politics we all share based on discussion and discourse became quickly disproven. Walking in dressed in a well-tailored navy suit, the suave and friendly Brian Williams quickly changed the energy in the room. Sitting beside his chief of staff, Senator Williams told us why he got involved in politics, which immediately transported us to the streets of Ferguson, Missouri, where one distinct moment changed his life forever. As soon as Senator Williams heard the news that a black kid by the name of Michael Brown had been shot at the hands of police violence, he thought to himself that it could’ve very well been him in that position. He thought back to driving at night as a college student with three other black friends, no alcohol or drugs in their midst, then being brutally pushed down to the floor and handcuffed by policemen simply because of the color of his skin. Senator Williams knew that the government needed perspectives like his represented, otherwise, power structures will persist in the inherent racism they have carried since the conception of our country. It took ten minutes of hearing Senator Williams voicing his perspective for me to amass an immense deal of respect for him. His decision to run for state senate demonstrated our first exposure to his life philosophy: while some are talking, others must do the work and take action. His valiant actions made him the first African American male to garner a seat in the Missouri Senate in decades. Not only that but in a state senate where the average age is around 55, his youth would provide a different perspective on societal affairs.

Senator Williams proceeded to narrate his accomplishments as a Missouri State Senator. Instantly, my jaw dropped after hearing about the bill he introduced and ultimately passed by the state legislator. As someone who mainly follows politics on the national stage, I’ve been extremely saddened by how difficult enacting criminal justice reform has been on the national stage, even in the aftermath of the Black Lives Matter movement after the deaths of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and George Floyd. Policy initiatives to ban chokeholds and limit police power evaporated in an atmosphere of consistent opposition and vitriol. Not in Missouri, however. While calls for racial justice became politicized nationwide, Senator Williams started working on a substantive criminal justice policy for the state of Missouri. His bill would ban chokeholds, ban no-knock arrests, create a force-of-use database, and change police expungement law. We were all astounded at the fact that Senator Williams could get such a bill passed in a place where the state legislature is so prominently dominated by Republicans. Our hands instantly shot up, inquiring curiously about how he accomplished such a herculean feat. Senator Williams chuckled, revealing just how many meetings he had with Republican state senators and state representatives to inform them about the bill. To his surprise, many of them were willing to discuss compromises and support his bill. In many instances, this stemmed from the fact that Senator Williams actually sat down with police chiefs and represented their perspective in his final proposal as well. Thus, Senator Williams demonstrated that through decisive action and bringing different parties to the table to listen to their perspectives meaningful change can be attained. Senator Williams further informed us that one day he received a letter from Kevin Strickland, an African American man who was wrongfully imprisoned for 43 years. In the letter, Kevin thanked Senator Williams and his team, for the passage of their criminal justice reform bill contributed to Kevin’s eventual release from prison. At that moment in the conversation, I couldn’t help but hold back tears. After all the time I have spent feeling utterly helpless and incredibly enraged at the inability of the federal government to address racial injustice, I was astounded that one man and his team enacted such vital change. He also reminded me at that moment why politics matter. His efforts saved a man from a lifetime in prison, as well as hopefully countless POC individuals from police violence and injustice. There is always an imperative for a greater degree of change; systemic racism persists all over the country after all. Yet, Senator Williams took a decisive step towards progress, demonstrating that political deliberation can actually result in material change. 

After his touching account of the letter sent by Kevin Strickland, Senator Williams continued to vocalize his policy accomplishments from his time in office. Even as only one of 10 Democrats in a State Senate made up of 34 total members, Senator Williams has also passed bills that allocated $193 million to address food deserts and purchase UMSLs South Campus for a center that would promote economic development in black communities, as well as $15 million to make the manufacturing of the ingredients for medicines a local endeavor to foster economic growth in the St. Louis region. 

As young people passionate about politics, we oftentimes see the imperative for radical and immediate societal change as the only acceptable path. While I still maintain a commitment to addressing the systemic issues of our country, I walked away from our meeting with Senator Williams with a newfound understanding of political affairs. At the end of the day, there will always be the politicians who use their position to elevate their voice, which while oftentimes important, can quickly serve primarily the desire to build a popular brand and receive the coveted invitations to talk shows and news outlets. Yet, there will also be politicians like Senator Williams who aren’t looking for fame but rather continuously act to obtain the change necessary to ameliorate people’s lives. Sometimes, it is important to get to work and enact whatever change is permissible rather than simply voice discourses about all the changes that could potentially take place. As Senator Williams told us, the people who need help do not care if the person helping them is a Democrat or a Republican. They just care if the person in office is actually working to materially improve their lives. I am incredibly impressed by Senator Williams’ life philosophy, his character, and his accomplishments. Now it is time for us to continue his example and carry his change-making torch forward, further diversifying the perspectives represented in our political landscape, prioritizing productive dialogue, and pursuing decisive actions for social betterment.