One of the things Black folk are often accused of is not staying on top of their local government political processes. Non-involvement wreaks havoc on the way our governments and democratic processes work.
It’s not enough that people actually put their lives on the line and some were murdered to obtain for us the Right to Vote, but a hard sticking point is that we often end up with laws that totally violate the Constitution of the United States and every state Constitution on the books because of non-involvement. When someone -and anyone can do this- proposes a measure as a law to go in the books, anyone who isn’t there to protest it automatically supports it.
Indeed, if you do not vote, someone else will do it for you.
If we can’t say anything good about President Obama without someone calling it “obamapologetics,” we can say his decision to run for President woke up a sleeping giant that was pretty much missing in action on the political forefront.
America was so missing in its civics processes that many white nationalist organizations simply put on a suit and tie and showed up with corporate backing and cash in place of the gasoline cans and crosses, and they hammered home the point that this nation’s laws were made to protect white skin and the moneyed, at that; and also to persecute and prosecute anyone and everyone else, nearly sight unseen.
Populist outrage in the Age of Obama has spread across the nation, and the world, in such unprecedented measure that the “white right” is balling up in a knot and having brain explosions throughout different factions of local politics to maintain their “America means white rights” stronghold on this nation like never before in its history.
There is only one way to fix it and that is on the local level.
People often complain about the control of the “Electoral College” over the national elections, but we forget that we elect the Electoral College state by state by voting … or not. It’s not that hard to find out who the “College” is — Ask.
In the meantime, keep up with what’s happening at home. That determines, ultimately, who ends up in The White House.
1. Go to Meetings
Martin Luther King III recently put an MSNBC news host into visible emotional turmoil when he suggested that we, that Democrats anyway, “engage” with the Tea Party. He wasn’t totally wrong. Though he didn’t advocate for joining them and stated that he is a Democrat himself, the old saying “Keep your friends close and your enemies closer” is still warranted and merited, especially with this bitter over-bloated nationalist outrage about Obama winning the Presidential election. Twice.
But whatever political side of the fence that you choose to be on, the best way to know your local party leaders and candidates, and to meet like-minded activists, is to hang out at Town Hall or county meetings. These meetings should not be closed to any party member. They provide a chance to get to know others who are actively involved and to find out about the issues that are facing your community. Any local party should be able to tell you the times and locations of political meetings, as well as provide you with an agenda.
2. Volunteer
Local Party-affiliated headquarters provide what should be public information about campaigns, and educational materials if you are thinking of running for office yourself. Often, job openings remain open and vacant because no one wants the responsibility, or is not aware of it. You may have to stuff mailers and answer phones first, but take it as an opportunity to keep your ears close to the ground and learn everything you can, and network with anyone you can while there. You will need this information later. Even if you don’t want to run for office, volunteer anyway, especially if you get to work on a local candidate’s campaign and do some event planning and door-to-door meetups.
3. Start an Affiliate Organization
Here is where your organizational skills can become helpful and useful, and where you have a legitimate platform for getting friends, family, and neighbors involved in local civics.
4. Run for Office Yourself
Vacancies remain open on the local level, often because people don’t know about them or don’t want the job. Some of the offices pay, some have stipends, others are totally volunteer, but carry the title and power of the office even when there is no pay. The bottom line is that if you don’t like the way your community is being handled, the options are to run for council, judge, election manager, city manager, or the school board yourself. Call party headquarters to find out what offices are coming up for election and find out what you are required to do to put your hat in the ring.
5. Get Informed and Stay There
In the Internet Age, there isn’t such a thing as having to “dig” for information any more. Local papers and magazines carry information about civic and town meetings, and several websites are actually tracking your local politicians for you in order to keep the public informed about who is doing what, when, why, and where.
6. Contact the Campaign
Know who your candidates are and what they are doing, what they believe and why before you decide whom to support. Once you’ve decided whom to support, or decided to run yourself, help your Party or a third party to implement a planned campaign strategy that keeps the community informed and voting. The goal is always to get as many people to vote as possible so that everyone is represented, and, as they say, may the best candidate WIN.
*Note: Be careful of the word “bi-partisan.” Sometimes it’s just a word for legal purposes for an organization that is highly partisan.
7. Other “To-Do’s”:
Effective strategies for getting involved in local level politics include:
-Voter Registration
-Work on an Absentee Ballot Campaign
-Poll Watch
-Hold Events for Invited Candidates, taking note of “equal time” for opposing candidates who are running and request to be heard
-Write Editorials for local community and college newspapers
-Help to Recruit other volunteers
-Hang Posters, passing out flyers and yard signs, bumper stickers
-Go “Door to Door” or virtual “door to door” online
-Help with transportation to the Polls
Be Like Nike: Just Do It!
If you truly want to get involved with local party politics, the time to start is now, not the day before an election. Look up a local Party, tell them you want to help, and don’t keep them waiting.
Today.
References
Don’t Believe the Hype (Video)
This is excellent!