“I didn’t know that … you’ve put me on to something new,” was the response I got from a guy when I told him that he can be the next council member, mayor, delegate, senator, or governor in his state.
“Generally, if you’re a U.S. citizen and you’re eligible to vote, then you can apply to be a politico candidate,” was what I explained to him.
In my experience living in an underserved neighborhood, most of the residents don’t know that they – even as a convicted felon – may run for a public-electoral seat. For some odd reason, they (minorities) think that politicians are distinguished individuals from wealthy backgrounds. As unbelievable as it sounds, this is very true – most Black and Brown people who live in poor communities don’t know that he/she could become America’s next president.
Although some schools teach their students about American government, they don’t tell them – the at-risk boy and girl – that they can be a public elected leader in their city/county; furthermore, the students’ role models fail to share this information because they may not know, leaving our youth oblivious of their rights as citizens of the United States of America.
“The act of not knowing your rights today may lead to not having your rights in the future.”
Along with inspiring our children to be community leaders and lawmakers, we must enlighten them of their civil rights. With that being said, I strongly encourage you to spread the word: “As long as the people believe in you, then you’ll win their votes.”