Black Millennials Need To Go Out And Vote: Black Candidates You Need To Know
By: Omar Cook
We’re living in a current moment of a huge political shift. One that took us from 8 years with a black democratic president, to a new regime that brings an entirely new wave of division and hate driven politics. With that being said, it’s imperative that black millennials go out and vote. This is bigger than the cliche saying of “every vote counts", but our generation needs to be leaders in making sure that the black voice is heard through politics.
Black millennials are an extremely important factor in all areas of American culture so there is no reason that our own voices should not be loud in the political landscape. With that being said, there are a number of black democratic candidates that are running for office in this current election and it’s up to us to put them in position.
Andrew Gillum
Office Running For: Governor, Florida
Gillum, a Florida A&M graduate, is the current mayor of Tallahassee and has advocated for bringing the state’s minimum wage to $15 an hour and expanding health care coverage.
Ben Jealous
Office Running For: Governor, Maryland
Ben Jealous is the former President and CEO of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and has advocated for reducing the state’s prison population, and working to reimburse teachers who are using their own money to pay for school supplies for their classrooms and and also wants to get rid of the the sales tax.
Stacy Adams
Office Running For: Governor, Georgia
Adams was elected into the state’s house of representatives in 2006 and has been fighting against the republican agenda since day 1. She already made history in May as the first Black female major-party nominee for governor in the U.S. She has the chance to make history again as not only Georgia’s first female governor, but as the America’s first black female governor. This is a big deal.
Letitia “Tish” James
Office Running For: Attorney General, New York
Working as New York City’s public advocate, Letitia James has worked to fight on behalf of working class New Yorkers for things such as securing heat for tenants in public housing units. If Letita wins, she would be New York first Black attorney general.
Ayanna Pressley
Office Running For: U.S. Representative for the 7th Congressional District, Massachusetts
Ayanna Pressley is expected to become the first Black woman to represent Massachusetts since she will have no Republican opponent running against here in the November election. She will also likely be a fierce critic to President Trump once in office office. In her primary victory speech, she had some very direct criticisms of Trump calling him “A racist, misogynistic, truly empathy-bankrupt man” and vowed that “change is coming.”
Antonio Delgado
Office Running For: U.S. Representative for the 19th Congressional District, New York
Antonio Delgado is highly educated as a Rhodes scholar who earned his master’s degree in philosophy and political science from the University of Oxford in England and is also a graduate of Harvard Law School Delgado. Delgado is working to create thousands of jobs to his district, and reform the country’s tax code, but ultimately he wants everyone to have access to universal health care! A Delgado win, along with a couple other close races, could help Democrats gain control of the U.S. House of Representatives in November.
Juliana Stratton
Office Running For: Lieutenant Governor, Illinois
Juliana Stratton currently serves as a member of Illinois’ House of Representatives, representing its 5th district. Stratton is a DePaul University law school graduate and has her sights set on reform for the criminal justice system. She also supports raising the minimum wage and is an advocate for women’s rights.
Stephany Rose Spaulding
Office Running For: U.S. Representative for the 5th Congressional District, Colorado
Stephany Rose Spaulding is looking to become the first African-American woman to represent Colorado in Congress. She works as a community activist, educator and an ordained minister and is working to improve people’s access to a good education and is also fighting for environmental protections.
Jahana Hayes
Office Running For: U.S. Representative for the 5th Congressional District, Connecticut
Jahana Hayes will try to make history by becoming the first African-American woman to represent Connecticut in Congress. Hayes works as a history teacher and told The Hartford Courant that “living in the margins” makes her uniquely qualified to run for political office. “I know what it’s like to go to bed to gunshots outside, I know what it’s like to wake up in the morning to a dead body in the hallway,’’ she said at the Washington forum in July, according to the Courant. “No job gives you that kind of experience. Life gives you that kind of experience.” Hayes was the 2016 National Teacher of the Year and wants to prioritize providing a high-quality education for public school students, providing immigrants the help they need to get citizenship and to reduce gun violence.
Lauren Underwood
Office Running For: U.S. Representative for the 14th Congressional District, Illinois
Initially, Lauren Underwood didn’t have the intention of running for office, but when her congressman, Rep. Randy Hultgren, broke his promise and voted for a GOP health care bill that would exclude pre-existing conditions, She embarked on a journey to unseat him. Underwood is advocating for health care reform and decriminalizing marijuana.
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