Seize The Moment! Vote! Your Grandchildren’s Grandchildren’s Lives May Be Improved By Your Actions

by Burnett W. “Kwadwo” Gallman, Jr., M.D. Noted Expert on African Culture
Burnett W. “Kwadwo” Gallman, Jr., M.D. Noted  Expert on African Culture Burnett W. “Kwadwo” Gallman, Jr., M.D. Noted Expert on African Culture

In a previous article, the topic of voting was discussed. The idea that AUSA (Afrikans from the United States of America) were enslaved to the Democratic party was mentioned and, I think, pooh-poohed. The idea that most AUSA vote for Democrats was also refuted because most AUSA don’t vote at all, even when they’re registered to vote.

The disenchantment with the Democratic party was discussed. I also am very frustrated and disenchanted with the Democratic party. In my opinion, the tactics and strategies of the party are the embodiment of the definition of crazy (the party, not the people) in that are the same every election cycle hoping for different results (they actually hope to win elections). Someone suggested to me that they actually hope to win over some Republicans so they “soft-pedal” the issues and only support their core issues in a luke-warm manner. I agree that from the top down, they seem to take their core constituencies (Black and Brown people) for granted. That is infuriatingly frustrating to me!

That being said, the wing of the Republican party (the white nationalist party) that is clearly racist, violent and delusional is even worse. It seems that they are holding the racist but rational and nominally non-violent (traditional) Republicans hostage. This is where it becomes very important to vote for the “lesser of the evils”. So, it seems to be choice between Democrats, (who, though probably racist, at least are not as potentially violent as Republicans and who do support some of the core beliefs of AUSA) and the Republicans who have demonstrated their violence and inability (and/or unwillingness) to speak out against the violence is clear.

Many of us have been exposed to what happened in Tulsa in 1921. However, it is important to note that Tulsa (frequently called “Black Wall Street) was only the best known of literally dozens of race massacres in the southern United States from the late 1800’s to the present. Four of these massacres occurred in South Carolina (The Hamburg Massacre in 1876, The Ellenton Massacre in 1876 and two massacres in Charleston in 1919 and 2015). We can criticize the white perpetrators of these mass murders but we can equally criticize those white people who didn’t agree with the murders but did nothing to stop them. Many peoples’ hero, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. once said that “The ultimate tragedy is not the oppression and cruelty by bad people but the silence over that by the good people”. For us to think that it could never happen again is pure folly.

It has been mentioned that many people feel that their votes don’t count. This is actually not true. Consider these numbers from the SC Progressive Network Education Fund (scpronet.com):

1. 100 thousand AUSA in South Carolina are not registered to vote.

2. 500 thousand of SC million plus AUSA registered voters don’t vote.

3. Only about 15% (give or take) of the 203,000 young AUSA registered voters in South Carolina actually voted in the last election.

Just Sunday morning, one of the pundits on one of the political shows said that only about 20% of registered young AUSA voters vote in midterm elections, but if 50% would vote, the outcomes would be different.

Based on those numbers, it would seem that our votes could count, if we would only vote.

Almost 80% of white voters actually vote and most of them vote for conservative (racist?) Republicans although some do vote for “liberal” or “progressive” candidates. Less than 60% of AUSA vote. It is interesting that in seven of the eight last presidential elections, Democratic presidential candidates won the majority of the popular vote but lost in the Electoral College (which is based on “gerrymandering” numbers that started as a compromise to appease slaveholders in the south). Now, anyone interested in elections needs to understand what the Electoral College is and how it got started. Also, they should understand how “gerrymandering” allows a minority to continue to control Congress and make laws.

If one doesn’t vote, do they have the right to complain about what Congress does (or does not) do? Do they have the right to complain about what the Supreme Court does? I think not!

Seize the moment. Vote! Your grandchildren’s grandchildren’s lives may be improved by your actions.

Food for thought.