I’m reading a book that is an eye-opener and one that I feel should be required reading to understand why voting should be as natural as walking! The apathy that usually permeates depressed and disenfranchised communities often bypass the need to stand up for issues that may directly affect challenges and change. Oftentimes we’ve seen other minorities and foreigners come to the shores of the United States expecting a new lease on life. Efforts are made to bolster and better living conditions with hard work, networking, sharing resources, and establishing a communiqué that keeps the analogy of ‘helping your own’ survive the times has been crucial to success. Have African-Americans living here since the beginning of the 16th century taken all of this in stride over the years? Are they in position to reap benefits because of strong economic gain and social affluence? Is there strength in their numbers to suggest a cohesive and united front? If you answer yes to any of these questions you’re not seeing the pictures that have been hanging for all to fathom.
Moreover, you like me may feel the angst and consternation of misplaced priorities and dreams unfulfilled because of laziness and a lack of initiative to be both respected and privileged. The answer ‘No’ certainly is in line with what has to be done and what has been agonizingly true in a people that have had varying degrees of success, but nothing tangible to say that the scales are balanced.
Leverage for political office and favorable standing for societal influence in any culture will be fraught with undesirable results if nothing is done where there’s strength in numbers. Numerical influence is better represented in who votes, what is at stake, why one should vote in the first place, and when it is necessary to do so. For as long as measurable results have been calculated to gauge and judge progress people of color have been at the bottom of the totem pole – unrepresented and inaudible in being recognized as viable and valuable commodities to challenge change. Author Edward Delon offers a unique and comprehensive guide in dispensing information on the ways and means of the voting phenomena.
In his new book, UNDERSTANDING WHY YOU SHOULD VOTE comes appropriately in these times. The political landscape has changed with Blacks projected to be overtaken by the Latin/Hispanic cultural bloc. With this shift in paradigm, new mindsets must be applied to the policy and procedure for constituency to have greater meaning.
Another election cycle is underway. We have an African-American running for office offering hope and change. On the other side of the political coin are candidates that will vie for votes with only one thing in mind – to be elected under pretenses and grandiose notions of helping the downtrodden. The author offers sound instruction on why it’s necessary to be understanding of the political process, and in the interim offers the basics of citizenship, how politics affect the society in which you live, Immigration issues, the Electoral College, and the importance of informing themselves about issues on the periphery and the candidates themselves. Other pertinent subjects that feed into the need to vote are given ample room to be explored. I found the book to most informative, especially with it reading like a text full of charts, statistics, and resources.
In closing, I would like to offer sound opinions on why I think one should buy this book. I opine that we must be motivated and moved to make a difference in who is elected for beneficial results. I want people to be a part of the political process, stop sitting on the sidelines and get involved; understand how and why social science has a lot to do with why you should be voting; and, I definitely want all concerned to embrace the complex if not competing ideas of civic life, politics, and how government can be a boon instead of a ball of confusion! Edward Delon has given you the wherewithal to make a difference. Why not invest in the book and be enlightened!
