Connect with us

Atlanta, Georgia Local News

Tim Walz Has Always Been An Ally Of Black America | Atlanta Daily World

[ad_1]

 

By Michael A. Grant

 

(TriceEdneyWire.com) – Since being named as Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris’ running mate in early August, there have been persistent questions about how Black voters would react to Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz being on the ticket.

 

 

Yet actions speak louder than words – or camo ballcaps and plaid shirts – and Walz’s time in the Minnesota governor’s mansion proves that he has consistently been a champion of issues that are of paramount importance to the Black community.

 

With Republican lawmakers across the country attempting to put more and more restrictions on who can access the ballot box, largely to the detriment of Black voters, Walz earlier this year signed the Minnesota Voting Rights Act. The revives private enforcement after an 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruling last year limited who can sue under the Voting Rights Act of 1965. It also eliminates prison gerrymandering by using an incarcerated person’s previous address instead of the address of their place of imprisonment for census counting.

 

And while Republicans try to slam Walz for his handling of the protests following the murder of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police, he signed into law one of the nation’s most comprehensive police reform bills after helping it pass through a divided state legislature. The wide-ranging bill bans chokeholds, creates a team to provide mental health services for police officers and other emergency responders, mandates trainings, and imposes a duty on officers to report and intervene when their colleagues use excessive force, among other measures.

 

 

It is, however, not just the legislative victories that should endear Walz to Black voters but his genuine concern for the community and his humility to admit that he must prove himself worthy of winning their votes.

 

 

For decades, many politicians have pandered to Black voters while professing to have solutions to the issues affecting them. But few have taken the time to listen to the community about the actual problems and how to solve them. Tim Walz is one of the rare politicians who has put in the time to listen.

 

This year’s presidential election presents a choice between two starkly different versions of America and how to deal with the issues facing the Black community. Donald Trump and J.D. Vance at best are apathetic to the endemic issues affecting the lives of Black Americans; at worst, they are proposing policies that would make the country even more inequitable.

 

In Harris and Walz, on the other hand, the Black community has a ticket that will listen to them, understand them, and ultimately put in the hard work to address the systemic problems that have loomed over Black Americans for decades. Now it’s up to Black America to listen to and understand them to see why they are the best candidates to change the country for the better.

 

Michael A. Grant is former president of the National Bankers Association.

About Post Author


Atlanta Daily World

Atlanta Daily World stands as the first Black daily publication in America. Started in 1927 by Morehouse College graduate W.A. Scott. Currently owned by Real Times Media, ADW is one of the most influential Black newspapers in the nation.

[ad_2]

Atlanta Daily World

Source link

Related Topics: