While the House bill is a step in the right direction, the question remains whether the targeted funding will exist in the Senate version. More importantly, will there even be a Senate version? If these questions are to be answered in the affirmative, then Black, Latino and other marginalized communities are going to have to step up our involvement.
A coalition of organizations, including the NAACP National Voter Fund, the National Council of La Raza, PowerPAC.org and others, has come together to sponsor an ad campaign aimed at mobilizing communities of color. The ads are focused on states with large populations of people of color AND which have Senators on the fence regarding the Senate bill. Senators Lincoln (Arkansas) and Landrieu (Louisiana), the last two holdouts on bringing the bill to the Senate floor for debate, are covered by the campaign.
At the end of the day, the ads may need to be expanded to other states, so that a wider audience of people of color can be mobilized. Although they may not be able to influence the targeted Senators with potential votes, their potential campaign contributions flowing towards a more progressive challenger may be motivation enough. Either way, the time has come for us to act like our lives are on the line... Because in reality, they are.
Cliff Albright is a writer and political consultant. He has been a community activist for twenty years, focusing on race, politics and economic development, and he's hosted a radio talk show. Cliff has an MBA and a master's degree in Africana Studies from Cornell. He has taught Black Studies at several colleges and universities, including currently at Georgia State University.
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