During a ride-share trip in SE, D.C. with a young black male—his late 20s or early 30s,
I asked, “Are you going to vote this year?”
He hesitated, then jumped right in, “Nope!”
I stared at him for a few seconds, then he explained, “Both of them have so many cons!”
So, I said, “Sounds like you are undecided, but I hope you will not let that keep you from voting? Maybe you just need a little help with your decision-making process.
“Maybe I can help you figure this out,” I offered.
“So, since you see both candidates as having cons, don’t think about voting for Kamala or voting for Donald. Why don’t you do this, just think about voting Democrat across the board—Democrat for Senate, Democrat for House of Representatives, Democrat for Vice President and Democrat for President?
Why don't you give that system a chance. After all, Donald already had his chance, didn’t he? Don’t you find it concerning that he is trying so desperately hard to get back into the White House for a third time?"
“Yeah, I guess so,” he answered, “but, Kamala, she did the brothers wrong when. . . “
And there it is! Reason #1 of the three main reasons a large percentage of black males in the U.S. will not vote for Kamala! ‘Kamala did the brothers wrong.’
“What do you mean by ‘did the brothers wrong’?” I asked, already aware of this overused excuse that many black men are claiming.
Not willing to elaborate any more on that topic, he went on to say, “To be honest, I think it is a waste of my time, cauz my vote ain’t gonmatter no ways.”
And there it is! Reason #2
Personally, I try not to lecture people whenever they express their personal opinion about anything, but this time, I could not resist. . .
“You do know that we would still be living in slavery today if everyone living in that time thought the way you think right now, don’t you? Sat back and did nothing? Really, do you think you could handle your mother living and slaving on a plantation, having to put up with any ‘hateful’ white man raping her whenever he wants, in any way he so pleases?"
I noticed a fervent change in his mood and expression, one that many people get when someone talks in a negative way about their mama. Even made him sit up from his leaning position.
Keenly aware of the adjustment in his mood, I quickly asked, “Do you celebrate Juneteenth?”
“Yeah, I sure do!” he answered proudly.
Well, do you know that millions of white men, women, and children died in those days fighting with black men and women? That day is as much a celebration in honor of devoted white people and people from many races as much as it is for freed blacks. People who sacrificed so that you can vote, so you can be free, so you can have some form of justice. You do understand, that being free in the U.S. is not enough! It means nothing if you do not have voting rights. Rights that no one should take for granted.
And, know this, those black men and women back then, they knew their vote didn’t count in those days, but they kept on coming to the polls, and they kept getting beat down, and they kept dying for the cause, just so that someday you would have the right to choose. And that day is here! Right now! For such a time as this! Don’t throw it away! Now is the time to give back in a small way.
Who you vote for is private, but whether you vote is a public record. You do not want that information getting into the wrong hands. It could mean the difference between you sitting around enjoying a great ball game with a cold beer or being shipped off to some place like Haiti.
Do you know that after the Rodney King video surfaced, many blacks expressed their anger through looting and violence, while thousands, I mean hundreds-of-thousands, began educating themselves and becoming lawyers, judges, senators, governors, law enforcers, and more, so that one day they would make an impact in this world that would improve the standards of living for many! This is what the Democrats are al about—tying to make life better for everybody
An education that they would never have received were it not for those who came before them, voting for their rights to a basic education. As a matter of fact, you should take the time to lookup 'Blacks in this country who grew up in the Rodney King era and the powerful positions they hold today Many of them were just starting high school, but look at them today. Voting is not just about candidates, but it is also about fighting for or against issues and referendums on the ballot that can hinder your life or help your life.
My personal opinion, first, I believe Kamala will secure and protect this country a lot better than Donald. I trust her as Commander-in-Chief of our Armed Forces more than Donald. His plan to remove the military forces from under the power of congress is scary! Our Armed Forces under his total power should be the main reason everyone should be fighting to keep him out. Second, I do believe ANYONE who wants to get out of poverty will be able to get out of poverty under Kamala’s administration.
Your generation, the George Floyd Era, should be racing to the polls!!! Voting as early as possible, so that the age-old excuse 'the lines are too long' doesn't stop you. Go early, get in and get out! Time to stop using that foolish reason 'your vote won't count'. That's just a stupid and dumb thing to say, especially in these current times.
Then he began to move around uncomfortably, as if he was scrambling to make sense of what he was saying, searching for whether he should say what he really wanted to say.
And then he said it:
“Well, look at what happened to Hillary!” he exclaimed, “most people thought she would win, but she didn’t, cauz dis country ain’t never gonna let a woman be President and run this country!
And there it is! Reason #3
The main reason of the three reasons most black men will not vote for Kamala—she is a woman, not only is she a woman, but to some black men—a woman of color! So often, Blacks are racist against their own.
“And there it is,” I said to him sternly, “the real reason is that she is a woman—a woman of color—something many black men cannot handle. What if your mother was running for President? Would you let the brothers disrespect her color the way they do Kamala?
(It is a fact, many black men between ages 28-68 and older, say the same thing when it comes to women like Kamala, “I will never vote for a woman for office, especially a black woman!” It is a mystery how some of our nation's young black men still believe in the old-fashioned male chauvinist way of thinking—back when black men believed that they had the right to beat a woman senseless, even their wives, for any reason, and go unpunished for it, Treating women as inferior, dismissing them as individuals, especially a woman who had an opinion. A time when men believed a woman should obey him, should work for a living and bring her money home to him, clean their home, take care of him first, then the kids! This type of black male still lives among us today. These are the black men who will not vote for Kamala!).
Unfortunately, we reached the young man’s destination before we finished our conversation. So, when he got out, he looked back at me and smiled, then said, “Yes mam,” and walked away. I wasn’t sure if ‘yes mam’ meant he would vote or not, but as the driver pulled away from the curb, the driver said to me, “I wasn’t going to vote either, but, as of now, today, I will be voting for her and every Democrat across the board, because, you are right, Kamala, she could be my mother.