Quentin James is an American political organizer and strategist.
James was born in Greenville, South Carolina. He dropped out of college in 2007 to join Barack Obama's presidential campaign within which he participated in early organizing efforts. After Obama's victory, he returned to education and earned a earned Bachelor of Arts in Africana studies from Howard University.[1][2] In 2013, he co-founded Vestige Strategies, a political consulting firm,[3][4] with his wife Stefanie Brown James,[5] a former Obama campaign aide.[6]
In 2016, the couple founded The Collective PAC, a political action committee supporting African American candidates and increasing Black voter participation. According to James, who became the PAC's president, he "wanted to help turn the energy feeding Black Lives Matter protests into something more durable: greater political representation."[6] In the lead-up to the withdrawal of Joe Biden from the 2024 United States presidential election, James argued that not voicing support for Biden amidst calls for his withdrawal means disregarding the will of Black voters, who had significantly supported his nomination, and said if Biden steps down, Kamala Harris is the only viable alternative for the Democratic Party.[7] Following this, after Harris announced her campaign on July 21, he was one of the chief political organizers in a coordinated effort to raise millions of dollars for her campaign during its first week.[8]
James served on the National Board of Directors for the NAACP from 2009 to 2013.[3][9] He has also held leadership roles with the Sierra Club's Sierra Student Coalition[4] and worked for Ready for Hillary.[10]
References
edit- ^ "#NBCBLK28: Quentin James wants to build Black political power". NBC News. February 20, 2017. Retrieved August 27, 2024.
- ^ "Contributor: Quentin James". www.huffpost.com (Author profile). Retrieved August 31, 2024.
- ^ a b "Our Founders". The Collective PAC. Retrieved August 27, 2024.
- ^ a b Sharma, Monika (February 28, 2017). "8 Up-And-Coming Black Leaders In The Climate Movement". HuffPost. Retrieved August 31, 2024.
- ^ Paschal, Jaylin (October 20, 2016). "Overview — Changing the Climate College Tour Stops By Howard - The Hilltop". The Hilltop (student newspaper). Retrieved August 31, 2024.
- ^ a b Schouten, Fredreka (October 27, 2018). "'Voting while black': Activists are racing to create midterm 'black wave'". CNN. Retrieved August 27, 2024.
- ^ Jimison, Robert (July 19, 2024). "Black Democrats, Resisting Calls for Biden to Exit, Insist Harris is Only Alternative". The New York Times. Retrieved August 27, 2024.
- ^ Killion, Nikole; Cavazos, Nidia; Navarro, Aaron (July 29, 2024). "Grassroots organizers raise millions online for Harris in first week - CBS News". CBS News. Retrieved August 27, 2024.
- ^
- "NAACP Board of Directors". Archived from the original on July 28, 2010.
- "NAACP Board of Directors". Archived from the original on September 7, 2013.
- ^ Davis, Marcia (March 6, 2018). "Black politics 2.0: The post-Obama generation is so done with the Democratic Party's old ways". Washington Post. Retrieved September 7, 2024.
Further reading
edit- "Meet the Power Couple That's Building Black Political Power Ahead of the 2022 Midterms". LA Sentinel. Retrieved August 27, 2024.