The 2020 election will be one of the most consequential elections in our lifetime. In this election voters from across this nation will determine who will be the next president of the United States of America. In Monroe County we will also choose our United States Representative, New York State Senators, New York State Assembly Members, a County Court Judge, a Surrogate Court Judge, our County Clerk, and a City Court Judge. In this next election we will choose the persons who determine the allocation of resources that flow into our communities.
Since 1964 African Americans have been reliable democratic voters. For example, 88% of African Americans voted for Hillary Clinton in the 2016 presidential election. 95% of African American voted for Barack Obama in the 2008 election and 88% of African Americans voted for John Kerry in 2004. This blind partisanship has also trickled down to local politics. In 2019 we petitioned, canvased, and supported a candidate for county executive, Adam Bello, who had no relationship with the black church or black people.
While African Americans are this nation’s most reliable democratic voters, our blind partisanship has also caused us to elect some men and woman who do not represent black interests or black concerns. Our blind partisanship has, at times, caused us to elect persons who declare “Black Lives Matter” in public but work behind the scenes to silence black politicians. For example, in July 2020, it was revealed that United States Representative Joseph Morrelle attempted to use his position and power to have one of our black county legislators, Sabrina LaMar, fired from her job. He used underhanded tactics and abused his power to silence Ms. LaMar after she called out Joe Morrelle, Jr’s racist actions in the Monroe County Legislature. The list could continue on and on of white politicians, such as Rachel Barnhart, who work behind the scenes to sow dissension and undermine black interests.
It’s unfortunate that we have elected candidates who work against us. It’s unfortunate that we do not have a candidate for United States Representative who represents our interests. It’s unfortunate that our blind partisanship in the last election caused us to elect someone who proclaims “Black Lives Matter” in public but works aggressively behind the scenes as the puppet master to silence black voices. It is unfortunate that we have elected someone who fails to commit to an equitable distribution of dollars to address social needs in black communities and who fails to lead in the rewriting or rescinding of oppressive laws that demonstrate the articulated belief that Black Lives Matters.
The Faith Leader’s Roundtable encourages black Rochester to vote in the November General Election. Research each candidate or speak to a member of the Faith Leader’s Roundtable about candidate positions. Confirm poll locations in advance and adhere to all election deadlines. Our foreparents marched, shed blood, endured poll taxes, withstood fire hoses, and even died so that we could vote. But we also encourage black Rochester to be wise about who we elect. It is better to write in a candidate than vote for “a wolf in sheep’s clothing.”
