By Bobby R. Henry, Sr.
The winds of change are blowing in Florida, Georgia and the nation. People of Color and progressives must consciously engage with servant leaders who vie for public office. We must commit our hearts and heads through a consensus process that sets goals and objectives for our representation.
The operative word is “consensus”. Consensus must be a part of our social contract with those who want our votes. Before there is consensus there must be dialogue between leaders in our communities and those who wish to serve us.
That is the way we started out before and after the passage of the 1965 Voting Rights Act. But for a number of reasons we lost our footing, and sometimes those we elected were more indebted to those with more money than the toiling masses of our people who voted for them.
WE lost OUR footing. WE fell down. It is time for us to GET UP! It is time for US to get together with all those who want to represent us and who ask for our votes. WE must harmonize our wants, desires, and our money and transform our assets into public policy that they will represent and bring into being. WE must not continue to let the tail wag the dog, so to speak.
The Westside Gazette believes we have a golden future if we go back to the time when our communities were in consensus with those who wanted to govern.
Please don’t associate or allow your mind, thoughts and actions to be centered around the term “go back” to mean something derogatory, demeaning or displacement. Contrary to that ‘go back’ should create a warm, soothing, kindred spirit that unites us to wanna fight for our rights.
Let US get back to the business of providing healthcare, housing, education, jobs and income, recreation and JUSTICE for ALL.
We have witnessed firsthand how our separation has been put together based upon the have(those with money) and the have nots(those without money). Now, we need to understand the common denominator and the umbilical cord that binds us all together, bringsing us closer to equality and that is the Right to VOTE!
When we don’t use our power of the VOTE for enforcing equality , it becomes as useless as a bathing suit in a blizzard.
Our voting is a ‘super power’ and it is much more effective in the political arena than money when WE USE IT correctly.
Elections are won or lost based upon votes, be they lost, bought or stolen which determines the outcome.
The questions then are, “Who are you accountable for with your vote? How are you demanding for your right to vote and who are you willing to form a consensus with to make it all happen for all to vote freely?
