Hello @unclelukereal1. Apparently I’m late to this. Given what I do, it’s important to me that I not allow the cynicism and lack of information suggested by your question & that I suspect many in our communities share, to go unchallenged. Your question is an opportunity. THREAD
https://twitter.com/unclelukereal1/status/1528554376003977217
There are elections for thousands of offices happening this year at the local, state & federal lvl. When we fail to vote in these elections, we cede power. My mantra to voters in our communities is #LeaveNoPowerOnTheTable Your seem to be in Florida, so I’ll use it as an example.
In Florida, scores of school boards are electing members. As you may be aware schools boards are currently engaged in fights focused on keeping students from learning Black history. So-called “anti-CRT” bans. news4jax.com/news/local/202…
School boards also decide on textbooks, curriculum and whether children are required to wear masks during COVID outbreaks, decisions about the health & safety of our children. ocala.com/story/news/edu…
Circuit court and county court judges will be elected in Pinellas,Orange, Miami, Hillsborough and other counties.These are your basic trial court judges.They decide civil cases, criminal cases for felonies, as well as juvenile cases. We should care about who sits on these courts.
Circuit judges are also ruling on redistricting maps. Redistricting determines the balance of political power and the opportunity for meaningful representation for Black communities for the next decade. miamiherald.com/news/politics-…
Judges on Florida’s state Supreme Court - your highest court - are also up for election. These judges are the last word on interpreting Florida law. Their decisions will affect, for example, abortion rights. politico.com/news/2022/05/2…
There are County Commission races in several counties Florida this year. County Commissioners are basically the legislators for your County. They determine infrastructure needs and allocations and levy taxes. Black ppl shld care about the composition of any body that can tax us.
Florida has a race for the U.S. Senate on the ballot this year. The Senate is where judicial nominees are confirmed, where bills that could benefit us economically are decided. They have oversight of federal agencies. There is a 50-50 & often 48-52 split in the Senate right now.
Senators vote to confirm federal judges like the judges who ruled on your 1990 case which you ultimately won in the 11th Circuit.There is a vacant 11th Circuit seat now & 3 vacant seats on the federal district court.Your Senators will vote on who will be confirmed to those seats.
But the Senate is also where bills that potentially address poverty, housing and climate are decided. A Democratic critical bill that imagined an infusion of capitol for low income Black families died b/c of 2 votes in the Senate from. cbpp.org/research/feder…
Again, the child tax credit which we had for 1 yr was estimated to have lifted millions - millions of children out of poverty. It ended when one Senator from W.Va made clear he would not support extending it. The Senate matters. vox.com/the-highlight/…
Your current Senators voted against the Black woman jurist (&Miami native) Ketanji Brown Jackson for the Supreme Court, the child tax credit, against the freedom to vote act, against the infrastructure bill. They voted against the bill to keep the federal govt going.
They voted against even having a debate on the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act and they voted against the bill to protect the right of Black women to decide whether to seek an abortion.
Your Governor is up for reelection this year. I think it would be of interest to Black voters that in the past 2 years he has:
1. Signed a voter suppression bill into law
2. Promoted & signed a bill targeting protesters & immunizing drivers who run down protesters.
1. Signed a voter suppression bill into law
2. Promoted & signed a bill targeting protesters & immunizing drivers who run down protesters.
3. Signed a bill outlawing teaching the truth about racism. apnews.com/article/educat…
Created a “police election force.” cbsnews.com/news/desantis-…
Signed an abortion restriction bill. inquirer.com/news/nation-wo…
Your Gov, your Senators and many of the candidates for the local offices I’ve mentioned & many more have opponents in both the primary & general elections.I don’t where you stand on these candidates or issues, but Black voters should ensure that their vote influences the outcome.
Our votes matter. Not just in Florida. But in every state we must get engaged and vote. We’re all frustrated. But we still have to keep pushing. Voting is not the only tool. But it’s an important one. Btw, Black people constitute 16% of the population of Florida. Flex!
Vote in every election. School board. D.A., local judge, Agriculture Commission, Governor, Senate. Make them feel it. Keep fighting.
Helpful links: boltsmag.org/whats-on-the-b…
Finally, for those saying “what about the 2nd question”, this thread took some time. Your welcome. But if you posted a cute meme last year abt how you would spend your #Stimmy, start there. Continue w a Black woman on the SCOTUS, your child tax credit for a year +
infrastructure $ to our cities. Here’s how the Mayor of #Baltimore is using part of that $ to fulfill his promises to spend in our communities mayor.baltimorecity.gov/news/press-rel…
And to fulfill his promise to invest in violence prevention. It’s not perfect. We have many unsolved problems. But keep pushing folks. baltimoresun.com/politics/bs-md…
That is all on this for today. I hope you will promote the answers @unclelukereal1, and #VOTE.
#LeaveNoPowerOnTheTable
#LeaveNoPowerOnTheTable
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