The title of this piece is my mantra that I created years ago because I feel it is important that I am one of the standard-bearers for change. In a very challenging time in the United States, we are faced with two options: either accept the trajectory of what President Trump’s administration is doing and give this man a chance, or stand up and do something about it. In President Obama’s final speech, he challenged all Americans to run for office if you are not satisfied with the status of your community. Well here I am as a candidate for the New York City Council in the 41st District.
So many people who know me are saying, “Well it’s about time. We’ve been waiting for you.” Others are asking, “Why now?” Well, as I have said when I made my announcement:
“Great moments are born from great opportunities, and today this opportunity has been something that I have prepared for all of my life. This great moment came from opportunities of Frederick Douglass, who had the courage to speak out against the enslavement of Africans as well as to abolish it in the United States. This great moment came from opportunities of Harriet Tubman, who had the courage to consistently return to the South to rescue and bring slaves to freedom. This great moment came from opportunities of Richard Allen, who had the courage to walk out of St. George’s Episcopal Church to form the African Methodist Episcopal Church. This moment came from the opportunities of the countless hidden figures who had the courage to sacrifice their freedom, their lives, to push for unity in the midst of a segregated society. This moment came from the opportunities of Shirley Chisholm, who had the courage to go against all odds to run for a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives and had the audacity to look beyond herself and be the first African-American to run for the office of the president of the United States of America. This moment came from the opportunities of Barack Hussein Obama, who had the courage to take on the establishment and not wait his turn to become the 44th president of the United States of America.”
You see, I have discovered a virus that has been afflicting our communities politically and very few people are addressing this major epidemic. I call it the WYT syndrome, which stands for “Wait Your Turn.” As a kid growing up, I have paid attention to politics. I have seen people who come into our neighborhoods, shake hands, kiss babies and say that they attempt to work for the community. What hurts is that the moment one is elected, it’s like you can never get them to advocate for you.
I’ve had countless elected officials, when I ask them about my interests over the years, literally say to me that I have to wait my turn. I have to earn my stripes, work my way up before I can even consider running for office. The problem with this syndrome is you will be waiting for a very long time if you choose that route. I am running because I am the antidote for this infectious disease. I don’t have to, nor ever intend to, wait my turn as long as I have the people and the spark to ignite change.
Making this decision to run for the City Council is one of the greatest decisions I have ever made because I am leading and teaching my community by example. I am encouraging so many individuals to never wait for their opportunity. If you see it, seize it! I will not be one of those individuals who say, “I regret not taking the opportunity to do something.” There are countless people within the community, across the city, state and nation who believe in me and want me to be successful in all that I do. I run for them. I run in honor of my late father and mother, my late foster mother, my church, my CUNY family and friends.
This time is our time, and I will carry the mantle to ignite the change that our communities truly need. Communities are times of the “same ol’ schemes.” They want to see real action with real results from real people. My community will not have to look any further, because I am the spark that will ignite that change.