The Gantt Report
By Lucius Gantt
It’s hard out here for an editorial columnist. Sometimes I feel like Terrance Howard felt in “Hustle and Flow” trying to make the money to pay the rent.
If you don’t know, newspapers are dropping like flies. Major and minor newspapers and magazines are going out of business because ad agencies are telling clients to buy less newspaper and more digital, or social media, advertising.
I’ve never really made money writing Gantt Report columns but TGR has given me a solid fan base and worldwide name recognition.
So, its not unusual for men and women to call me all the time for contact information for major, minor and Black newspapers.
Most of the time, I refuse. I don’t rush to share media info because if you don’t have a relationship with the local press in your community, I doubt if you’re interested in helping Black media or serving Black communities.
Anyway, all internet search engines will provide a list of media outlets when you conduct a search.
No one, but Lucius, will ever write “relevant” opinion columns for 40-year spans.
I can do that because I’m different. I have a style that can be read, understood and enjoyed by everyone.
I can be a “scholar” like many writers profess to be, I can be a satirist, like some writers say they are or I can write philosophically, since I earned credits at Georgia State University to major in Journalism and Philosophy,
But all I am is a messenger, a messenger on a mission from God to tell the people the truth!
October is the time in election years when campaigns crank up and candidates are working overtime to get your votes and columnists are ranting and raving about politics while endorsing the candidates that they feel are best.
I will never endorse any candidate unless I’ve known and admired the candidate as a person for a substantial length of time.
I also don’t like to write specifically about elections in October because I wrote about the important aspects of elections, last week, last month or last year!
TGR is the straw that stirs the opinion column drink!
I do want to tell you some important questions that you can ask candidates when they come to your school or come to your church.
Try these.
How accessible will you be if elected? Can any voter or citizen meet with you to discuss government issues?
How many Black people have decision making positions in your campaign?
How many Black businesses or Black vendors were contracted by your campaign to provide professional political products or services?
If elected, will you vote for or against funding for Black reparations?
What will you do to improve Black access to capital via loans, set asides, MBE preferences and other government programs?
I could go on and on, but you get the drift.
Don’t be afraid to ask candidates the hard questions. Politicians work for you.
The devilish press keeps talking to you about “power”. Don’t be bamboozled; it is not about power. Politics is about MONEY, how to spend your tax dollars on projects for you or tax breaks for your wealthy neighbors and no-bid contracts for political cronies.
Please go to the polls or vote in other ways but go vote. I don’t care who you vote for, but it is no secret that some politicians have done everything they could to suppress your votes and get you to stay at home.
Every election is important. VOTE!
