Many people are under the impression that because many of us are involved in the democratic process in advocating for people to vote, we are in cahoots with the system. That is the furthest thing from the truth.
Those of us who are interested in true change are involved because we care about the future of this country for our children, our grandchildren and even our great grandchildren. The advocacy I do today is not for me because I know that I’m not going to see the results of it. Especially since so many of the registered voters in this country don’t vote. I’m afraid that if we continue to go along this path, we’re going to continue to keep getting what we’ve been getting.
My favorite saying is from Barack Obama who said that “elections have consequences.” I know he’s probably not the first person who said that and I know I won’t be the last to say it, but I know it’s true. We are living with the consequence of the elections of the 80s and the 90s.
In the late 80s, Ronald Reagan, a Republican, decided that corporations should not be forced to pay their fair share of taxes and that unions served no good purpose. For whatever reason during that time, the voters allowed for big tax breaks to corporations. They said that when they did this, corporations would be able to pass down their savings from not paying taxes to their workers and it would “trickle down” to the working class. As we know, that’s not what happened and is not what is happening.
What they do is give their shareholders more dividends in stocks and they pay their workers a living wage. Because there are no unions to fight for them, they get away with it. Workers, like the employees of the Walton family who own Walmart, work full time jobs and are eligible to receive food stamps. What that means is that their wages are far less than what they need to live on. But the Walton family is benefiting from the tax breaks and buying yachts and paying their stockholders more dividends. A lot of wealthy corporation owners are doing this and because of that inflation happens. What inflation means is that these corporations are making record profits, and the working class are suffering from the high prices. This is all the effect of the elections in the 1980s and the 1990s.
When we elected Bill Clinton, a Democrat, he decided to continue the drug war that was targeted in our black communities. Ronald Reagan started it with the crack epidemic, but Clinton continued it and today we have all-time high numbers of incarcerated black and brown people, more than any civilized or uncivilized nation in the world. I don’t know what that says about this country, but I know what it says to me: I need to vote in every election whether I like the candidates or not.
When we don’t vote, they count us out and that’s what they want. And by “they,” I mean people in power—Democrat or Republican, so I vote because I know one day there will be twenty of us who think like us and are fighting for us. They may or may not look like us, but they are running for these offices, and I want to be able to say that I voted for them.
The “Squad” in Congress in Washington, D.C., which includes AOC and Ayanna Presley and others, needs support there. They cannot be alone and that’s the reason we must continue to send people to Washington who think like us, walk like us and will vote for us.
We need to do the same thing in local elections. As a matter of fact, in my opinion, local elections are far more important than the federal ones because this is where the policies and the legislation enacted by those in power affect us the most. In the City Council, there are 13 members and if I am alone in my thoughts and actions, I will be voted down every single time. That is why every time I get an opportunity to encourage you to participate in the electoral process by voting, running for office and joining me so that we can have some more votes that will positively impact our lives, I do.
No, we don’t believe the system is working for us. I know the system is working exactly as it is intended to work. It is intended to benefit a certain sector of the population and oppress another. At the end of slavery, those sectors were defined by color but today those sectors are defined by class and income.
So, whether you believe that one politician is better than another, please get out and vote so that they know that you’re here. Let them know you want to be heard and that you will be heard. Voting is a privilege and that privilege can be taken away in the blink of an eye. The Voting Rights Act is in peril as a result of the conservative make-up of the Supreme Court which relentlessly has diluted its provisions.
I want to encourage us to continue to seek out people who will truly vote in our best interest. Sometimes those people will not look like us. And sometimes the people who look like us will vote against our best interests. Do your research and watch what they do, not necessarily what they say. If you don’t know who to vote for, ask me. I will tell you how I am voting and who I think will help to dismantle this messed up system that is not working for us. ■

Please VOTE!