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It has been a bizarre last two weeks. Immediately after Biden endorsed Kamala Harris to be the new Democratic presidential candidate, I pulled together a dynamic and inclusive group of senior Democrats in crypto to discuss hosting an event in support of her candidacy. A friend mentioned that Jonathan Padilla was also planning a similar event, so I invited him to join our planning call. During the call that I convened, Jonathan offered to create a group chat. He also invited others to join from Consensus Democrats.

Within a week, the chat was co-opted and a discussion about forming the @Crypto4Harris account on X emerged, followed by plans to host a virtual town hall.

As more new people joined the chat, it became clear a take-over had occurred. And sadly, the group became less inclusive. This was unsettling. Soon, new folks began taking charge of things which had been previously discussed. I tried to push back.

It all came to a head this week when the discussion about the goals for the town hall came into question:

• Whether to use the town hall to criticize how Democrats have approached crypto or to express outright support for Harris-Walz?
• Would preferred Founders opt not to speak for fear of industry retribution if there was express support of the Democratic ticket?

WTF! It began to sound like a crypto-bros forum to attract industry leaders that have already declared their support for the Republican candidate.

I protested that the town hall needed to be inclusive and should express support for Harris-Walz. The discussion became heated. I pointed out that the largest base of crypto is Black, Latino, Indigenous - just like the Democratic party.

I decided to DM the head of Consensus for Democrats who Jonathan added to the group chat to get clarification on what’s going on. He responded that his organization was not hosting the town hall. I DMed another person who I thought was behind the town hall and she said that she did not know who was organizing the event.

Of course, I became suspicious. Who was behind this event? So, I sent an email in the group chat asking for transparency and insisting on disclosure regarding the organizers. Jonathan responded that he was involved with a few others. When I pushed further, I was granted access to a side group with the organizing team, which the head of Consensus for Democrats was in fact a part of. And when I scrolled through the previous messages in that thread, I saw a disparaging comment he made about me. When I called him on it, he deleted it.

Mind blown by the shady behavior from so-called Democrats - and how I was being treated as a Black woman who was only asking for transparency and inclusion - I sent this message to the larger group:

“It’s clear that there are competing agendas at play here. I have serious concerns about the ambiguity regarding inclusion and supporting the Harris-Walz ticket as part of next week’s Crypto4Harris Town Hall. I wish that team well.”

I have decided to stay in the group and hold my head up high because I co-created the group and will not give them the satisfaction of running me out.

Crypto is not a perfect space, but this experience was surreal.

Black, Latino, indigenous Web3 and DeFi leaders are a key Democratic segment of the crypto industry. We have been staunch advocates for inclusion. But it seems these New Democrats think they can eclipse us in an industry that we have been building for over a decade.

Sadly, these sort of things happens more often than they should. But, we will not go quietly into the night. We will not vanish without a fight. We are crypto!

Crypto’s Big Tent: 
Data shows the largest adopters of Web3 and DeFi are communities of color, young people, hard working Americans. We are at the future frontier and we need a policy and regulatory framework that fosters innovation here in America so these important constituencies can build and thrive. 

Economic Freedom:
We can strike a positive balance between robust guardrails for market participants and creating new pathways for economic equity for Americans that have been locked out of the traditional financial system. Preparing America’s workforce to compete in the innovation economy must include training Americans to leverage emerging technologies, like blockchain, so they can compete for the jobs of the future. 

Entrepreneurship & Small Business is Engine of Crypto:
Across the crypto market are entrepreneurs, founders, innovators, builders that are fueling this emerging sector. Digital cash infrastructure, including stablecoins, will help alleviate the high cost of doing business for micro enterprises and SMEs. Incentives to enable traditional small businesses to modernize and innovate are vital. 

Technological Innovations To Solve Problems: 
At the intersection of AI and blockchain is the potential to tackle pressing social issues, optimize efficiency. Among them is digital identity management.

Digital Education:
Financial literacy and wealth creation go hand in hand. Investments to expand digital understanding will empower our multi-generational society. Technology has evolved to be more accessible to nontechnical individuals. Education is the gateway and blockchain must be included in the curriculum.

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butterscotch is a digital news studio broadcasting stories about Black, Latino, Indigenous DeFi retail investors, Web3 consumers, founders, executives, officials. The virtual newsroom - featuring eNews, Podcast, Live Events – seeks to deepen mainstream understanding of diverse segments of the emerging $2 trillion crypto industry.

Cleve Mesidor, CEO & Managing Editor

Ashlynn Mesidor, COO & Co-Founder