Thinking Out Loud

Joe Biden will soon make one of the most important decisions of his candidacy, and the former vice president and presumptive Democratic presidential nominee promised to pick a woman as his running mate.

The novel coronavirus has given Black Americans something we don’t need — another stereotype. Suspicions of black people because of false and ignorant beliefs are bad enough, but now we face a pandemic that has disproportionately impacted us.

After a swell of voter participation of young, poor, and minority voters in 2008, more than 25 states have put into place restrictive voting laws. These voter suppression efforts, ranging from voter ID to early voting restrictions, disenfranchise marginalized communities with an interest in shaping the electorate. Florida’s latest iteration of voter suppression — parking.

Who would have thought a move to grant convicted felons a second chance to regain their voting rights back would be the most sensible amendment question on Florida’s November ballot?

It’s time the NRA addressed Florida’s Stand Your Ground statute.

In a competition between immigration and incarceration, it isn’t really much of a contest. Incarceration in America significantly tips the scales.

With so many political advantages now favoring Democrats, there are still disturbing signs that the party might somehow blow it in 2018.

I never thought I would have to have the “talk.” I am the father of three African American girls, and the idea of advising them on how to duck, cover or play dead during a school shooting had never occurred to me.

Throughout the year I have written about the opportunity Democrats have to successfully execute midterm campaigns. In my last piece “Will Democrats win big next year or go the way of Will Rogers?”, I asked if Democrats would take advantage of America’s need for strong leadership or rely on acrimony towards Trump to engage voters (which many argue was the party’s demise in the 2016 election). Another question that Democrats need to ask themselves is will the party blow this opportunity by taking black voters for granted — again?

Will Democrats win big next year or go the way of Will Rogers?