Purple has never been a loud color in American life, but it has always been a meaningful one.
In the military, “purple” is shorthand for jointness. When officers from the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Space Force and Coast Guard serve together on a joint staff, they are said to hold a “purple” assignment: their individual service colors blended into a single shade that belongs to everyone. A purple billet asks a soldier, a sailor and an airman to set aside branch rivalries and focus on one shared mission. The Purple Heart, the oldest American military decoration still awarded, carries a similar spirit. It honors sacrifice, not rank, party or pedigree.
In politics, purple is what you get when red and blue mix. We usually use it to describe swing states and swing districts, places where elections are close and neither party can take voters for granted. But purple can be more than a label on an electoral map. It can be a mindset: the belief that the people across the aisle are partners in governing, not enemies to be defeated.
As Americans head to the polls this week, that mindset feels overdue.
A Place to Call Home
Nowhere is purple thinking needed more than in the search for a place to call home. Across the country, young families, veterans, teachers, nurses and retirees share the same dream: a front door with their own key in it. For too many, that dream has slipped out of reach. Rents have climbed, starter homes have grown scarce, and the cost of living has risen steadily since the start of the decade. Housing doesn’t care whether you vote red or blue. A rent check or mortgage payment hits every household the same way.
There is good news here, and it is purple. This past June, Congress sent a sweeping housing overhaul to the President’s desk with overwhelming support from both parties: 85 to 5 in the Senate and 358 to 32 in the House. The measure aims to cut regulatory hurdles to construction, let federal community development dollars build new affordable homes, and reward communities that actually build. Lawmakers who rarely agree on anything found they agreed on this: America hasn’t built enough housing, and fixing that helps everyone.
What Beneficial Compromise Looks Like
Nobody got everything they wanted. Each side gave a little so that millions of Americans could gain a lot. It isn’t glamorous, and it rarely trends online, but it is how durable progress gets made.
The lesson of purple, whether on a joint staff or in a statehouse, is that blending doesn’t mean losing yourself. A Marine on a joint staff is still a Marine. A conservative who compromises is still a conservative, and a progressive is still a progressive. They have simply decided that the mission matters more than the jersey.
So whatever color you wear to the ballot box, look for a little purple in the leaders you support, and in yourself. Ask candidates not only what they will fight against, but what they will build, and with whom.
The American dream of a home was never meant to belong to one party. It belongs to all of us, and the only way we will reach it is together.
Sergio Barajas is the executive director of the National Hispanic Construction Alliance, where he leads the organization’s work to expand capacity building, access to capital, and business opportunities for Hispanic contractors and construction professionals. Over a 30-year career spanning housing development, construction, and financing, he has held roles with the National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals, Freddie Mac, the National Community Stabilization Trust, and the Los Angeles Housing Department. Based in San Diego, California, Sergio writes about workforce development, advocacy, and the role of the Hispanic construction workforce in building a stronger and more equitable industry.
Keep up with Sergio Barajas HERE!
