If you’re still riding the fence or have decided not to vote, please reconsider. There must be a reason that there is a consistent effort to STOP us from voting. If there was no power in voting, voter suppression in 2014 would have withered away. Instead, we see that tactics are as strong as ever. Millions of voters were recently purged and those voters may have a rude awakening when they arrive to vote and not much of anything has been said about it in mainstream media. It’s outrageous and it has happened in 27 states, 22 of which have Republican governors (elected officials). Don’t give them the EASY WIN by not participating or fighting back.
Keep in mind that knowing WHO you are voting for is key. Don’t vote blindly. Vote for those who believe in what you believe in. If you are in the booth and see candidates that you don’t know anything about, leave that race blank. Do your best to learn about who’s running, especially the judges who can play a huge role in mass incarceration and unfair sentencing.
In a time where we have the FIRST BLACK PRESIDENT, we are scratching our heads at how blatant racism is in what was just recently dubbed as a “post racial society.” Consider how voting could have changed the situation in Ferguson, Missouri that took the life of and is blocking justice for Michael Brown. In a town where more than 2/3 of the citizens are African-American, almost all elected officials are white. The people who play the strongest roles in the events that have transpired in Ferguson over the past few months are either elected or managed or appointed by elected officials.
The masses tend to turn out every 4 years for presidential elections, but not so much for the mid-terms. What is not realized by communities of color is that we are affected more directly by local offices than who sits in the White House.
Many African-Americans feel that voting won’t matter, our communities will continue to struggle, opportunities will not improve, the jobless rate for us will continue to rise, etc. All of that is true if ALL that we do is vote. Part of the burden is on us to do more to make sure that our interests are protected.
- VOTE!
- Hold elected officials accountable, not only for their promises, but also for addressing the needs of your community.
- Redirect your spending to keep money circulating among Black Owned Businesses to strengthen the influence we have over elected officials. You can best believe that the groups who are being heard on Capitol Hill are using their economic power. When we wake up and realize that we will continue to be disrespected and under-represented until we pool our resources and support each other, the issues that have plagued us since slavery will begin to become a thing of the past. We have the power, we are just not using it.
If none of the reasons stated above are enough to compel you to vote, do it out of respect for all that fought and literally DIED to give you the right to vote in this country. Do NOT let their sacrifices be in vain. WAKE UP AND START WITH STEP 1!