OPINION: Although the contest for Wisconsin’s Supreme Court is nearing its final stretch, It seems that the needs of the Black voting bloc have virtually been ignored by the two candidates, Judge Protasiewicz and Dan Kelly.
Like Protasiewicz, I am also a firm believer that women’s health issues, including abortion, are extremely important; however, we might have a difference of opinion when it comes to what issues should be prioritized as being most important to the different ethnic groups in our state.
Black voters living in Milwaukee, Racine and Kenosha should consider the fact that Wisconsin has two of its main cities listed as the worst places in our nation for Black residency. One must keep in mind that Wisconsin’s Black population, especially those living in the Southeastern corner of the state, suffer the devastating effects of economic exclusion, overwhelming police brutality, a high Black unemployment rate, statewide corrupt criminal justice systems, and more. I would submit to Judge Protasiewicz that these points seem to be a bit more relevant and urgent to the survival of Black people in Wisconsin than the issue of abortion.
I am simply saying that the devastating consequences of racial inequality affecting the life chances of the state’s Black population should be of the utmost concern to all Wisconsinites, especially those who occupy seats on the State Supreme Court.
According to their TV commercials, neither Protasiewicz nor Kelly, like most white politicians in Wisconsin, has shown a great amount of interest in attacking these injustices suffered by the state’s Black population.
Realistically speaking, I do not expect Kelly to direct his campaign at Blacks because he is a Republican, which in today’s American society means he has the propensity of being a white supremacist and a racist.
It would seem, however, that Judge Protasiewicz, because of her alleged liberal perspective, would be fully aware of the importance of these issues of race in our state, and at the very least, let Blacks know how she plans to address them if she is the winner.
The Wisconsin Democratic Party has a long-standing practice of ignoring or not tackling the needs of its Black constituency, and sooner or later their efforts of bamboozlement and dishonesty will backfire. I would only hope that Protasiewicz would become aware of the importance of the Black vote in Southeastern Wisconsin and address the concerns of the state’s disenfranchised Black population.
As Black Wisconsinites, it is paramount that we, while advocating for the right to abortion, make it clear to the Democratic Party that our needs are important and pertinent to our survival, and we will make those issues deciding factors when entering the voting booth.
C.T. 03/19/23 Chester Todd’s One Black Man’s Opinion OBMO
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