Once again, America is at a major crossroads, one that could adversely affect the lives of millions of African Americans. With all the upset over innocent Black people being murdered by law enforcement officers, racial profiling, COVID-19 extinguishing the lives of Blacks at a rate three times that of White people, healthcare disparities, educational and economic inequality, and more — Blacks are once again being courted by our two political parties to vote for their candidate.
Some Blacks are saying that their choice will be based on “the lesser of two evils.” Others are saying they’re not going to vote as neither candidate cares one iota for Black lives. Still others believe that their vote doesn’t matter in a systemically racist society, so why bother voting.
Then there’s a final group that believes that this time around, the Black voting block has a chance to turn the tide so significantly that the US will finally create a major paradigm shift in its long-standing inequalities so deeply embedded in America’s psyche.
Yes, this November could be a turning point. If the incumbent president should win again, then we know we’re in for another daunting four years of Black lives being systematically corralled into ever-smaller corners of existence. The fight for survival will need to be upped several notches.
If a new president is elected, the question is: After November, then what … what comes next …what’s the plan? We can’t rest on our laurels. Blacks have had to prove themselves over and over and over. That will still be the case, even with a new president, for one simple reason: racism, resentment, and hatred will still be lurking in the hearts of men and women, people who are unable to see and comprehend beyond their narrow worldview.
When Barack Obama became president, people believed a new day had dawned. Yes and no. America had to get used to the idea of a Black family being in the White House and leading this country. A lot of people were elated and began to feel that there was hope for America.
Conversely, a lot of people were furious, and they began planning, creating obstacles, getting their ducks in a row. It took eight years before the tables turned. The hidden racist-supremacist dream — America’s shadow side — was now set free. And we now have a country roiling in turmoil.
That is not the American dream, that is not what any of us envisioned for our country, it’s not what has been laid out in our Constitution. Instead, we have institutionalized racism that’s insinuated itself into every aspect and level of American society, most notably in our criminal justice system. Black Americans are more likely to:
- have their cars searched,
- be arrested for drug use,
- be jailed while awaiting trial,
- be offered a plea deal that includes prison time,
- serve longer sentences than white Americans for the same offense,
- be disenfranchised because of a felony conviction, and
- have their probation revoked.[1]
What that means is the cards — and your civil rights — are stacked against you. It means that to NOT vote could mean you being accosted just for being Black. It could even mean going to prison or being killed.
As we’ve seen time and again, being an upstanding member of our community, being a known figure in business, education, sports, law, entertainment, and politics doesn’t mean squat if you’re Black (see Jamie Foxx, Chris Rock, Danny Glover, Oprah Winfrey, Attorney General Eric Holder, Isaiah Washington, Ron Simms, Florida State Attorney Aramis Ayala — the list is endless — all of whom have been racially profiled and harassed by cops).
The quest for equal civil rights has been with us since the inception of this country. Blacks have struggled, protested, and died for this cause. The quest continues, it must. But in order to get there, we have to vote. Every vote matters in order to attain all the things we’ve sought since America began: the same rights as any other person — unconditionally.
Being Black has been politicized and manipulated by those who want to return to “the good old days,” of supremacy and those who seek nothing but power, authority, wealth, control, and position. It’s up to us to continue to right wrongs, to change policies, to ensure reparations, to institute restorative justice, to establish and immortalize our unequivocal and inalienable civil rights. So vote — to save your life and all Black lives.
[1] “What It’s Like to Be Black in the Criminal Justice System,” Slate, August 9, 2015. https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2015/08/racial-disparities-in-the-criminal-justice-system-eight-charts-illustrating-how-its-stacked-against-blacks.html
