Time To Put In Work

With both the Democratic and Republican National Conventions coming to a close, the official Presidential Campaign season has begun. For the next two months, we will be bombarded with all types of coverage of the candidates. From the scandals to the presidential hopefuls hitting the key campaign states, we will be getting it all from now until November. With this in mind I really want to make sure that everyone knows who they are voting for and why they are voting for that person.

In order to prepare for this election season, I highly recommend that if you are eligible to vote that you take the time and do the research on the candidates. I find that all to often most Black people will just go with the flow and vote for who ever is on the Democratic ticket just because "that's the party of Black people." However, contrary to popular belief, this was not always the case. Before the Great Depression, Black people were mostly Republicans because a long time ago a guy named Lincoln freed our ancestors; and guess what he was Republican. But when the Great Depression hit and Democrats rose to power under Franklin D. Roosevelt, most Blacks switched over to the Democratic side. Basically, history has shown that Blacks tend to migrate to whichever party has the best interest of African Americans at the time.

Now that we have a little history on the trend in the Black community involving politics, I would like to see an end to this blind follow the leader routine with African Americans. For a long time I considered myself to be a Black Republican, and when I would tell people this they would often look at me like I was crazy and demand to know how I could side with people who "didn't care for Black people." Well the reasoning behind my former stance as a Republican was that I had a very conservative view of society and I felt that the Republican party offered solutions that, were harsh at times, but needed especially in the Black community. I have always felt the Welfare system was designed to keep Blacks down and that Abortion was wrong. However as I got older and learned more about myself and my people I realized that there are many different ways of life and that I have varying opinions on a wide range of topics. This is not to say that I still do not have conservative views, but I also have liberal views as well; which makes me proud to call myself a Centrist instead of a Democrat or a Republican. But as more and more people are getting ready to vote, I feel that you should really look at what the candidates stand for and what you truly agree and disagree with. Do not let the media or your friends or family influence your choice. And when the time comes to vote, do so with pride and the knowledge that who you vote for is an informed choice that reflects your political stance.

As a first time voter myself, I really cherish the fact that I can vote and see it as an honor and a privilege that pays homage to those who came before me. So do yourself a favor and register to vote and then make the choice to research all the candidates and make the right choice for YOU!!

The Intellect