“The most certain test by which we judge whether a country is free is the amount of security enjoyed by minorities.”
–Lord Acton (John EE. Dalberg), English historian
When, for whatever reason, one makes an argument in favor of or against an establishment or member thereof, it is not uncommon to expect such person to demonstrate a certain level of decorum. Civil objections must be cloaked in professionalism. There is no harm in “agreeing to disagree.” And there is no doubt in my mind that some of my fellow TAP readers are going to disagree with the content of this letter.
On October 26, U.S. District Judge Steve Jones, in a 516-page order, sliced through the heart of the gerrymandering efforts of Georgia’s GOP majority and cut to the core of their concern about the nearly half-million decennial population increase of people of color. Kudos to the ACLU of Georgia, of which I am an active member, for fighting the good fight on behalf of minorities, as racial discrimination has repeatedly shown it will rear its ugly head when African Americans seek to exercise their constitutional rights.
As a result of his findings, Judge Jones ordered the maps redrawn by December 8 and that they are to reflect the state’s increased racially-diverse population. The maps are to include seven (five House and two Senate) majority-black districts in the metro Atlanta and Macon areas as well as a redrawing of Georgia’s 6th Congressional District – currently held by Rich McCormick (R-Suwanee), a gerrymandering beneficiary.
As a citizen journalist with political interests, I’ve had the pleasure of speaking with several state legislators, including Democratic Representatives Solomon Adesanya (HD-43, Marietta) and Sam Park (HD-107, Lawrenceville) and Democratic state Senator Kim Jackson (SD-41, Stone Mountain). All have expressed optimism for the future. As does Cobb County District 2 Commissioner Jerica Richardson (D), who is vying to “flip the sixth” (Georgia’s 6th Congressional District) in 2024, and Antonio Daza (D), a 2024 candidate for Georgia’s 11th Congressional District. Each of those good men and women are geared up for 2024.
There is also a very important and consequential race taking place here in the 12th Congressional District.
Our democracy has been imperiled and is at risk of being jettisoned in favor of authoritarianism. Election deniers have no place in Congress. I’m a minority, an African American. I’ve endured racism and discrimination. Having had those experiences, I find it irrevocably difficult to support any political figure who voted to overturn the 2020 election in an attempt to keep in power a man who coddled far-right extremist (white nationalist) groups. And it should be common sense to any minority – be he or she a racial minority, religious minority, LGBTQ and so forth, to vote blue in 2024.
The 2024 election will be the most important election in the history of the United States of America. On November 5, 2024, a choice will be made either to keep and to maintain our democratic liberties or have them usurped by authoritarianism. This is serious business. In the event the former president returns to the office of POTUS, minorities are going to be the first people stripped of their constitutional rights and privileges. If we – all minorities and members of the majority who favor democracy – don’t think that a Luther v. Borden (1847) part 2 could take place next November, with the former president channeling his inner Thomas W. Door, we are in for a rude awakening.
I’ve been in the most distressed areas of Georgia’s 12th Congressional District and can say with all veracious sincerity that most of the residents in that areas have not a clue who represents them in the U.S. House of Representatives. The racial makeup of those residents also overwhelmingly represents the population that increased significantly between 2010-2020. Many of them have expressed a heightened sense of wanting to participate in the political process – they are registering in larger numbers with the intent to exercise their voting power. My words to them are simple – you better, because the future of our and our coming generations’ livelihood rests upon the shoulders of what we do now.
And for that reason there is a candidate on the ballot that will represent the interests of ALL Georgia’s 12th Congressional District constituents. He’s going into the trenches to meet and greet the hundreds of men and women, old and young, who never knew a 12th Congressional District existed. His name is Daniel Jackson. I spoke via Zoom with candidate Jackson on the weekend he officially launched his 2024 campaign. Not only is he easy to reach, but he’s a congenial man. He understands each person and views the prizm from all angles. Our conversation was nothing short of an understanding that he is fully aware of the need to represent the 12th Congressional District in its entirety; that every constituent has a voice and that that voice needs to be heard.
Make America Great Again (MAGA), a slogan that has become part and parcel of the former president’s campaign, is also a phrase that’s been emphasized by David Duke, a former Ku Klux Klan grand wizard. If we take the former president’s close ties with these alt-right nationalist groups that espouse racist views, the election deniers who seek to put him back in office even after he’s made comments about subverting the United States Constitution we can reasonably conclude that our nation is headed into a stark regression. The dots are visible, and voters are apt to soon connect the dots. There’s an extremist agenda gaining traction right before our eyes and it must be stopped.
Every eligible minority-voter must undoubtedly vote in the 2024 election as if his or her life depends on it. Because it does.
Lawrence Anthony Brannen
Member (ACLU of Georgia and NAACP)
Founder/President (Ex-Offenders For Reform & Advancement Inc)
