By John E. Warren
It appears that we continue to live in Charles Dickens “A Tale of Two Cities”. He wrote these words: “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of light, it was the season of darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair.”
Where you fit in between “the best of times” and “the worst of times” really depends on who you are today in America. For African Americans, too many of us are still experiencing the worst of times, and things will not get better unless we decide to make them so. While America is excited about abortions and gun violence, we have been victims of the latter, with civil rights violations and voter suppression being more important than abortions to most of us. The speed with which the President moved with an Executive Order to assist the abortion issue and his mentioning of overturning the Filibuster Rule were both absent on the Voting Rights and Civil Rights issues.
Nevertheless, it is now our turn to correct all this. Just as our votes made Joe Biden president and sent two U.S. senators to the Senate from the State of Georgia, it is now our turn to rally in every state that the Trump people are trying to “Steal” in the coming elections. We must vote out their supporters.
This means that no matter what the social issues that emerge, we must stay focused on who is seeking to get elected and whether they will commit to overturning the Filibuster Rule in the Senate.
While some say we need two more U.S. Senators so that we can break the chokehold of Senator Manchin and Senator Sinema, who vote with the Republicans on all issues, we must examine all the Senate races and throw our support into every state race where we find a candidate who will commit to our agenda. Remember, only one third of the Senate is up for election each election cycle. Just as in Georgia, we can make a difference.
Trump and the Conservative Right are counting on a low voter turnout in November, just four months away. From the voter turnout in most primaries so far, they have been right.
Let’s remember that we, as Black people, are responsible for the Voting Rights Act, and the Civil Rights Act. We elected Obama twice and Biden once.
We are not apathetic. We are just tired. But we can not stop to rest. As Robert Frost wrote, “The woods are dark and deep, but I have miles to go before I sleep.”
Voter Registration and Voter Turnout in all 50 States must become our Number One Priority, at all costs. More important than abortions, homelessness, high gas prices and bad Supreme Court Decisions. Let registration begin and let’s track the numbers week by week. As Rev. Ben Chavis, President of the National Newspaper Publishers Association has said, “We want 10 million new registered voters by November 2022. Let’s make this the “best of times” in spite of what appears to be the “Worst of Times.
