Sorry, this Kerry comment bothers me. Not because it's all that offensive (stupid, not really offensive) or even likely to cause any political damage. It just reinforces the sad fact that mainsteam Democratic officials still don't care enough to learn about hip hop or black culture and at best they think that the two are one and the same. It's still true (I fear) that Democrats expect Blacks to vote for Dems just because we (Dems) represent the lesser of two evils. I'm sick of coasting. I hate the idea that Democrats ignore and take our base for granted. What are we going to deliver if we win?
So what can we do. A friend from the campaign Jamal and I have talked about these issues. Jamal came up with this great idea. He is working to create a mentoring program that would enable African-American, Latino and Asian-American students to become involved early and work in politics for years. Students would work for their state rep, and go to leadership seminars. They would also be paired with mentors. Instead of lamenting the absence of African Americans in the campaign world--why don't we work to build tools and programs that empower young African Americans to get involved. Jamal's group is www.heepac.org. I don't think the program is up and running yet, but it will be. I will post more about the program as I know more.
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