If the Democrats strategy is truly to mobilize Black voters by using the issues surrounding the shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri as a rallying issue, then they have already failed. Fear and anger can ignite movements, but they do not sustain or grow them. While such tactics might produce a reactionary vote, they will not yield long-term support. Paint an ugly picture of whats not right, and most people will get tired of looking at it. Most Black people have been living in pain too long. We will turn away from the pain faster than most. And if we feel used, forget about getting us to the polls consistently. Thats why so few of us go to the polls now, and Democrats and Republicans know this. The key to changing this; do more of whats needed but thats not being done enough: (1) tackle the structural inequalities in Ferguson head-on and directly address the reasons Ferguson has a 94% white police force and 67% Black population, and change it; (2) help people grow businesses, get jobs and attract employers to their communities; (3) invest resources and talent into efforts that improve the educational outcomes of Fergusons children. Its not rocket science, but few Democrats or Republicans produce these types of results in Black communities. Theyll talk about what needs to happen, but wont truly rally people to produce it. And it takes time to build trust and commitment to win votes, especially from a people who have too many reasons to be distrustful. Because Black people have grown tired of being disappointed and are tired of suffering, we stay home and too few of us vote. Inspiration (i.e., first Black President) and food on tables (civil rights/equal employment opportunity) produces votes.
Posted on: Fri, 05 Sep 2014 11:30:45 +0000
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