Ah, it’s Leap Year! One more day to celebrate Black History Month. One more day to reflect on the past and contemplate the future. Actually, we need one more year, but let’s not look a gift horse in the mouth.
Since its inception in 1926, when it was originated by the esteemed historian Dr. Carter G. Woodson and called Negro History Week, the holiday, of sorts, has evolved and garnered more national support. Even so, there is much more to demand and to protect.
Looming on the horizon, there is nothing more consequential than the upcoming presidential election—something African Americans, and all Americans, should take seriously. If President Biden is to win, he must retain his hold on the battleground states, but right now things in Michigan are not looking very promising, given his stance on the conflict in the Middle East.
Equally troubling is the imperiled Voting Rights Act that each year gets a bit more eviscerated, something that Rep. Hakeem Jeffries and Rep. Terri Sewell of Alabama view as pivotal in the fight for equality and justice. Whether in Alabama where they spoke at HBCU Miles College or in the state of Arizona where Native Americans are consistently denied the use of their identification cards, marginalized citizens face an uphill battle for their rights.
And we should not ignore the problems encountered when it comes to the spread of gerrymandering and redistricting that impacts voter turnout and a polarized Congress.
We know your agenda is packed with issues, but you have to keep your eyes on the prize.
It’s good to see the media attention given to the Michigan primary because it is a critical warning for the rest of the states, right down to Super Tuesday in March, although the presidential nominees for both parties are foregone conclusions.
But Leap Year is not a year to leap to conclusions; it is just another day on the calendar of where to jump next in a decisive and meaningful way.