Caucus Training Empowers Blacks

Sonya McCrea couldn’t explain to her five children on Saturday morning the meaning and purpose of the Iowa caucuses.

McCrea, who has never participated in the caucuses, changed that by Saturday afternoon. She was one of 60 people who attended a three-hour caucus training session organized by the Des Moines chapter of Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement.

“This is powerful,” said McCrea, of the training. “I need to get involved.”

The nonprofit grass-roots organization, which works on community issues, held the training session to help boost the numbers of black voters who will participate in the caucuses on Jan. 3 and to encourage them to become involved in community issues.

Black leaders recently have said it’s critical that more blacks become engaged in the political process to help address the troubling issues in black communities, including disproportionate incarceration and school suspension rates, among others. 

Two trainers described the history of the caucuses and explained how it works.

During a mock caucus, trainer Ben Zachrich, of the Center for Community Change, had 28 participants divide themselves into groups based on their support for issues, not candidates. The issues were incarceration, universal health care and livable wages. He explained that a simple calculation is used to determine the number of people that each group must have for it to remain “viable.” The mock caucus groups were required to have at least four participants. He said participants in groups with fewer than four people can select another one to join, or join a group of those who are undecided.

Each group elected a spokesperson who then tried to lure members of the undecided group and members of smaller groups to join his or her group. The volume in the room rose dramatically as participants debated issues and tried to persuade others to join them.

One man, who was spokesman of the group on incarceration, savored his role.

“I am not just talking to those of you who are undecided in this room tonight,” the man said, looking around. “Somewhere in the constitution it said we had a right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. We are endowed with certain unalienable rights. Is not living free from crime and sickness one of those unalienable rights? I ask you America.”

The crowd laughed and cheered his passionate speech.

“This is a lot closer to the reality on caucus day than I thought we’d get,” said Zachrich.

Participants and community activists agreed the training was empowering.

“We should flood the caucuses,” Connie Schnoebelen, a retired Des Moines teacher, told the crowd. “This is the year. We must win.”

Each participant was given a packet with precinct maps, contact information for presidential candidates, voter registration forms, a 2008 Iowa Iowa Democratic Party Caucus Guide and temporary chair caucus agenda from the Republican Party of Iowa.

Trainers also encouraged the group to remain involved after the caucuses and advised them to circulate petitions, write letters to their local newspapers and talk with elected officials about their concerns and needs. 

The training precedes the Heartland Presidential Forum on Dec. 1. The group is a co-sponsor of the forum, which will be held at 1:30 p.m., Dec. 1 at HyVee Hall, 730 3rd St., in Des Moines.

While racial demographics on the number of caucus-goers aren’t available, McCrea plans to do her part to help boost the number of blacks who participate on Jan. 3.

“I have a lot of issues that need to be on the forefront, and in order to get those issues out, I need to get involved,” she said.