A Message From The Publisher
By Bobby R. Henry, Sr.
Now, it appears that more Black politicians worry first about themselves and their election and reelection before they ever consider the people and the community. They know where to find us during election season and how to show up to food giveaways and on stages with their campaign shirts on, but they won’t take our calls or can’t seem to locate us to inform and engage us around issues relevant to our communities until it’s too late.
My absolute favorite politician is “The Inciter.” This is one who has mastered the art of using issues of race and oppression and the need to rebuild neighborhoods in the Black community to incite the people with intense emotion about “them” taking our property. When they get the fortunate chance, they stand up in the pulpit or at community events and talk about racial injustice, but they meet secretly defying the Sunshine laws. They talk about the lack of healthcare and drug addiction when they allowed the sacred grounds where the only hospital that treated Blacks openly without prejudice succumb to gentrification. Yes, they speak in such powerful ways that strong arm sleeping Black folk submit to supporting their manipulative political agendas. And when they lose, they go off into hiding not supporting but taking away all the good that they have to offer, leaving the community void of a voice.
Trust me when I say to you: they will do nothing in word or deed after elected to address the disparities used on the election pulpit. It is why I am against politicians running unopposed and staying in seats without grooming others to follow once their time has come to an end. We must wake up and hold those looking to be re-elected on their record of service to the people and not allow them to incite us with racial rhetoric to which they have not in the past and will not in the future do anything to address it. We can no longer allow our politicians to disenfranchise us just because they are Black.
Last month’s August election eliminated some politicians who made some bold promises on the campaign trail. Five were knocked out of the District 5 School Board Race. Robert McKinzie eliminated Bobby Dubose. What happens to those who lose races? They do one of two things and rarely do a third. Often, they become quieter than a church mouse as we see with five candidates from Broward School Board Seat 5 who have yet to endorse one of the two runoff candidates. As a half-hearted showing, they took a picture with Ruth Carter Lynch as a show of support, but none endorsed which is just very quaint. Endorse, why don’t you?
The other thing that they do is start with the “I didn’t lose. I just didn’t get enough votes because the other guy cheated or did some shady stuff”. They all want you to believe Donald Trump is whining when he says the election was stolen, but some of our local politicians engage in similar disenfranchisement rhetoric when they cannot simply accept that they lost, and the other guy won. We don’t recognize the parallel to how Trump is being a sore loser because we are sleepwalking, reminiscent of the ‘walking dead’.
We must stop sleepwalking, allowing the very people who look like us to manipulate us for their own personal gain. What happened to the biggest, baddest and boldest organization when it comes to galvanizing Black leaders around issues in our communities? The NAACP has gone uncomfortably quiet. It seems the Fort Lauderdale Chapter is dead on issues that really matter. Membership is at an all-time low. The presence of the organization is not felt or seen throughout the city. Except for the PROMISE program in Broward Schools that is dying a slow and painful death after the Marjory Stoneman Douglass mass shooting, the president, Marsha Ellison, can’t do it by herself without proper guidance and it appears she seems to be asleep at the wheel. Again, it is why I say I am vehemently against people sitting in any seat for more than their effective time allows. Ellison has done all she can with her power statement, and when needed her Angela Davis look, but she alone is not entitled to the position, and no one individual is the Fort Lauderdale Chapter of the NAACP. NAACP was silent when Black administrators who were overqualified were demoted from positions. NAACP was silent when a teacher used the N word in a classroom more than 10 times. NAACP was made aware, and it fell silent. You didn’t know? Wake up. Now you know. Stop sleep walking with these politicians who are not representing your interests and the interests of the community.
We must also stop sleeping on national issues. Sometimes these issues seem so far beyond us that we are not paying attention. Most Black people have strong opposition to abortion as a personal choice or choice for their children but may still are pro-choice for others in general. The overturning of Roe v. Wade is monumental for Black people because not being able to access abortion is compounded by poverty and other inequities in Black communities. Those who want to abolish or staunchly limit access to abortion are also opposed to the social services that assist those in poverty when there is an unplanned pregnancy. Wake up, people. Governors in states like Florida, Arizona and Texas are going to abolish abortion while simultaneously limiting social services that are desperately needed for unplanned pregnancies among many in our communities.
There is a revolution happening as we speak and some of us are none the wiser. We are like the walking dead, moving about our daily routine and we are either not aware or do not care about what is happening around us. Wake up!
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