Now that this election is almost over, at time of this writing, Biden/Harris are gaining in the polls, it is time that Blacks prepare to demand a serious return for their investment in the political coffers of the Democratic Party. Without a doubt it was our participation that enabled the ticket to survive thus far. I feel that this must be said, they are not that deserving of our respect.
I understand that the Democratic ticket is the nation’s only alternative to a future of fascism or totalitarianism; however, having said that, one must realize that Black people are not considered as being more than third class citizens in America. And furthermore, the fact is that both Biden and Harris have, in the past, displayed a fair amount of disdain for Black folks in their tenures served in their official elected capacities.
There are some Black people who say that although the system is corrupt and racist, we must work within to get what we need; however, I feel we must understand that to claim any part of Americanism is to affirm culpability in the suffering perpetuated on Blacks by systemic racism. I saw this when President Obama, although he tried, failed to live up to our expectations and anticipations which helped to put him and Biden in office for two terms. Today the Party has showcased a racially reversed diversion and once again we are placing all our political capital on the roulette table anticipating the pill to fall in our favor.
Recently, there has been calls of different sorts for a political Party for Blacks. This makes sense if one looks at the power of the Black vote. No one political entity understands this better than the Democratic Party. This action would call for a tremendous amount of unity from Black communities throughout the nation, it sounds unachievable but, it is realistically possible. Stop and think, we are already at the doorstep of creating such a plan. We must look at the powerful influence our votes had in this election.
As the nation waited in anticipation, Black voters delivered most of the deciding votes from the inner-city urban areas of Michigan, Georgia, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania. Can it be any more evident that without Black participation, the Democratic ticket was dead in the water? Just think, Blacks have all of this political power in our grasp, including the capability to make or break a party’s path to the “White House”! All we need to do is start holding on tight to this superpower of Black political capital, using it for our deliverance. Our biggest shortcoming lies in the tendency, to continuously give up our power without demanding a return on our investment!
To address some of these aforementioned issues on a local level, a few friends and I have formed a political organization called, The Racine-Kenosha Black Voters League. We are in the process of meeting to place folks in office and finalizing the League’s vision and mission statements. Once we have gotten this endeavor off the ground, realizing there is power in numbers, we would like to welcome participation from the Black community of both cities.
Chester Todd’s One Black man’s Opinion OBMO
