It kills me to come to a gathering place for democrats

[Uponthegears]

201. Voters like you?

I'm wondering just who you place in that category.

I am black. I grew up in a neighborhood that NO white politician visited during the last election, nor ever visited before. I am in my mid-60s now, a graduate of NYU Law, and for over 30 years have represented primarily young black males and the surviving families of young black males sacrificed on the altar of making white folks "feel safe." I have been involved in liberation both here and other places in the world since I moved to the Bay area at age 18 and in politics since voting for McGovern in 1972.

What makes you think you get to talk for me?

Do people like me not qualify as "black folks?" I mean, I can accept that if that's YOUR definition. I am an economic socialist, I admit. I believe that fight for equality starts, not ends, with $60 trillion of reparations. I believe we have a right to use force to defend ourselves when threatened. I believe that the Michael Browns of this country deserve our loyalty every bit as much as their parents. Do I need to go on? In short, I may not be, and I may not fight for, the type of "black folks" you want white people to think about when you throw out that term. That's fine. I live in white-dominated world, too. I understand why you might not want to stand with someone it sees as "radical".

What I don't understand is how you exclude people like Rev. Middlebrooks. Does that name mean anything to you? He was sitting in the Lorraine Motel when Dr. King was murdered. He's worked for our community for over a half a century. If you want to know more, you need only read. His life isn't "tainted" by "radicalism."

He campaigned for Senator Sanders during the primary, just like I did, and he campaigned in the South, just like I did.

Did our voices not "count" when we, directly (for Rev. Middlebrooks) or indirectly (me) were "listened to" by Sanders? Does it not count when our concerns were addressed? (Example, do you remember when Hillary supporters accused Sanders of being racist for talking about young people in poor neighborhoods hanging around on street corners with no education and no jobs? Now those young people may not be representative of our community, or for that matter, even our poor communities, but they are still there and they f'n count).

I have zero issue with those who say Hillary won the black vote during the primaries because she has spent years, decades in fact, talking to politically-involved people of color, going into their communities and their churches and being vocal about their concerns. She deserves a tremendous amount of praise for doing that when very few national politicians have.

HOWEVER, saying that Hillary did things that very few white politician have, which she did, is not the same as the utter tripe spread by people like you about Sanders not caring about or listening to people of color.

That's pure garbage.