If Democrats Want to Win in
2020, We Need a Black Woman on the Ticket
To land in the run-off of
Chicago's recent mayoral election, two African-American women jumped ahead of a
field of 14 candidates that included a member of the powerful Daley family.
This initial outcome, and then the triumph of a gay woman pushing ahead to
burst through the ribbon at the finish, should serve as a playbook for 2020.
And while 20 black women
were elected to Congress in the midterms, I consider Chicago to be a tougher road
because of our record of housing discrimination, segregation, and racial
injustice. So if Lori Lightfoot can win
the top spot in this challenging city, her achievement could illuminate the
presidential election path.
Fortunately, Kamala Harris
has already thrown her hat in the ring, and I'll bet that Stacey Abrams will be
pitching hers in, too. And if Oprah, or any other qualified African-American woman who
has toppled white male patriarchy and decades of unacknowledged racial history
to become a powerhouse, I welcome her.
I have a few reasons why I
believe a black woman must be on the 2020 ticket to beat the bully that is our
current president:
- In a
November 9, 2017, Washington Post column, Eugene Scott noted, "According to exit polls, more than 90 percent of black women voted for
Clinton. It continues the trend that few demographic groups are as faithful to
the Democratic Party as African American women.... With the support of black
women being a key piece of the Democratic Party's Election
Day successes, the question now is: Will the Democratic Party show its
support for them?" What better way
to return the favor of this allegiance than for the Democratic Party to assure
a black woman is on the ticket?
-Sales for Michelle Obama’s “Becoming” make it the highest
in memoir purchases. On its first day, it sold 725,000 and within 15 days, 2
million in North America. And stops on her book tour were sold out by the end
of announcement day. I don't know the number, but I'm certain that a hefty
percentage of those sales and ticket buyers were white women. I'm not
suggesting that Mrs. Obama join the Democratic contest; her family has been
through enough. But, I do believe the success of her memoir demonstrates openness
to African-American women.
-Watch the third episode of “Finding Justice” on the BET network and you'll be
enraged by voter suppression in Atlanta, GA and moved by the efforts of those fighting
it. Roadblocks were on every path, but
the good people of Georgia never tossed in the towel. Instead, disgusted by the
tricks and crimes perpetrated by the followers of the incumbent governor, the
activists and voters refused to be discouraged. It's that stamina and passion
that we need to rouse the populace who put Barack Obama in office for two
terms.
-Because the last
presidential race was corrupted by Russian interference, and other
criminal tactics, the vote demands
protection. To triumph in 2020, we need the experience of the African-American
community in Georgia; their tenacity to get voter rolls corrected, transport
people to the polls, demand repairs of equipment, and beat other challenges, plus
the investment of all other voters who fight for social justice and against the
sickness of Trump and the Republicans,.
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