Black Americans fought hard for voting rights. They shouldn't take a pass in November.
How dare writer David Cherry give some Black voters a pass to "stay home" this coming presidential election because some are angry and frustrated over their working-class condition (Fewer Black voters will turn out for Biden in November. Here’s why) .
I've studied our history to learn about all the people who were beaten and killed fighting for Black voting rights. That's why I've voted in every election, local and national, since becoming eligible in 1971. I feel obligated to do it as an honor to people like the late John Lewis, who can be seen in the iconic photo of marchers being beaten by troopers while attempting a peaceful march from Selma to Montgomery.
In addition to paying homage to those who fought for the voting rights many young Blacks take for granted, they should vote because the survival of our democracy is at stake. It was Black voter apathy that partly helped elect Donald Trump in 2016. We can't allow it to happen again.
Joseph H. Brown, Tampa, Florida
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Trump offers bleak future
I completely understand and agree with Mr. Cherry’s essay. This is an especially frustrating national election. Joe Biden should have declined to run again so we could have had a vigorous debate on the issues we care about.
The Democratic Party has been lacking in leadership and unable to put forth a narrative that explains clearly and simply what they envision for the country. Anyone but Donald Trump is not a vision. That said, Trump, the Republican Party and the Supreme Court have laid out their vision for the country, and it is a return to the past, before the Voting Rights Act, environmental protections, women’s rights and labor rights.
The only rights they care about are the rights of the wealthy, the right to own guns (and for citizens to use them in any way they want to), and the right of some religions to impose their beliefs on all citizens. This is not a party that cares about governing, only about winning and taking power, hoping never to give it up. If Black men and women stay home — indeed if all independents refuse to vote — then Trump will win and the future will be even more bleak than the present. Going backward would be tragic.
Peter Gart, Palatine
More conversation (and less noise), please, on July Fourth
I just endured another Fourth of July "celebration" weekend with the sounds of bombs and small-arms fire. Some veterans (I was in the Army infantry in the U.S. war against the people of Viet Nam — yes, it’s two words) who have been in war zones make it through the weekend by sleeping in the basement, or wearing earplugs or sedating themselves. It’s not a pleasant experience.
"Patriotism" and remembering our history need to be much more than noise. After the hot dogs and barbecues, here’s a group activity that will get you to the heart of this nation's "founding" — read the Declaration of Independence. Have a dialogue with others about the words in the Declaration. Then talk about: health care in this country; 13 million children in the U.S. go to bed hungry; many live paycheck to paycheck; our taxes are used to fund wars vs. helping We the People; our infrastructure; wealth inequality; lack of funding for education at all levels; bribery (aka "campaign contributions") of our politicians; special legal and tax privileges for those with wealth or connections; and the U.S. having more incarcerated people than any country in the world and leading the world in mass shootings.
Do we have "equality"? Do we have "unalienable rights" to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness?
This country has plenty of noise. What we need is dialogue, especially with "others," about our issues and what can be done to make the words of the Declaration a reality.
Arnold Stieber, Kenwood