Well, folks, it’s almost time for us to vote again in Chicago. Before I get started I’d like to say that I’ve never been baffled between choices. The perceived underdog, Lori Lightfoot, shocked a lot of people, including me. My top three to finish were Toni Preckwinkle, Bill Daley, and Lori Lightfoot. Move Lori Lightfoot to the front and that actually where the first election ended. This mayoral election had too many candidates. Pure Chicago foolishness. 14 people split the vote. It’s the power of our democracy and the cause of our separation but that’s for another blog.
Let’s get down to business for the average citizen. We work, go to school, take care of our families and download on Netflix or Hulu to escape from the world. Some vote as a civic duty and depend on spiritual leaders, talk show host, or Google to guide our voting decisions. How do I know? Well, I listen to WVON 1690 a whole lot. I dare not step into a voting booth without knowing the thoughts of Black Chicago through the lenses of Perri Small, Cliff Kelley, Maze Jackson, or Salim Muwakkil. I do want to know What’s in it for the Black People. Though we have the ability to vote and think for ourselves, we often depend on those season veterans with lobby experiences like Mr. Jackson, official capacity as Mr. Kelley, journalistic astuteness as Mr. Muwakkil, and the tenaciousness of Ms. Small. WVON is a lifeline for my knowledge. Callers like Tommy always give me something to think about. The average Black citizen in Chicago can’t solely trust debates; after all, we’ve seen the establishment talk for the last 30 years.
Two African-American women want to be Mayor of Chicago. Which one can you trust to lead? Do you vote against the establishment in a vote for our current Cook County Board President Ms. Preckwinkle, or do we vote for a former prosecutor Lori Lightfoot? Do we vote the one backed by strong labor unions or the one supported by strong police unions? One Chicago journalist and newspaper owner said we should vote for Lori Lightfoot so we can have two African-American power brokers in the Mayoral office and in the Cook County Board position. I’m not sure if that will fly with most voters in Chicago, but it is a thought. However, I’ve heard more from one candidate on what was done for undocumented immigrants than I have for Black people and I’m not sure I want our 38 closed schools to turn into mini-police training academies that will become temporary detainment and torture units for our young black and brown men who find themselves on the wrong side of the law.
Ultimately, it’s still on us Chicago to hold all politicians to the fire and vote them out if they don’t do the will of the people. Did I mention I hate red light cameras? Ok, sorry, I need to get with Mark Wallace on that. Anyway, here are some likes courtesy of WTTW. I may have an online show coming soon, but until then, please tune in to The Voice of the Nation WVON 1690. At the end of the day GET OUT AND ROCK THE VOTE on April 2, 2019!
Lori Lightfoot link
Toni Preckwinkle link
Courtesy of WTTW
Check out Tony’s riveting Anti-anthem for Domestic Violence Awareness
