I don’t care what they tell you.
I don’t care what they think.
They don’t know us. They don’t influence us.
The only thing they do is make money off of us, and it's time for that to stop.
It's really sad that “white consultants” are making claims to the black vote in Florida, and are convincing some viable candidates that they control our vote, and there is no need to hire a black consultant to work political campaigns.
While it is easy to pull up statistics to identify super voters in the black community, it is difficult for white folks to know our struggles and concerns and to feel the pulse of our community.
For white consultants to advise white candidates, or black candidates for that matter, to run through our churches one month before elections, throw a fish fry or donate a frozen turkey to a group of seniors who don’t even cook anymore -- which is so 1960s -- and that’s knowing our community? It's absolutely pathetic, and these people are not only getting away with it, they are making a huge chunk of change from it.
At least update your tired game plan, people.
Instead of hiring people who are entrenched in our communities, these outsiders manipulate a handful of pastors and black elected officials, brag to their candidate about who they “know,” and convince them that they are the “political consultant” who can bring in the black vote -- therefore ignoring African-American and other minority consultants who really do know their communities.
Stop letting these fools get away with these shenanigans, black people!!
There are “white” consultants out there who have had the privilege of working on some very influential black campaigns, such as the Obama campaign for Florida.
I have been hearing names like Ashley Walker, who was the point person for the OFA campaign in Florida, claiming the credit for the win in Florida, and Judy Stern.
For the record, black people were motivated to vote for the first black president from an historical viewpoint. They did not give a rat’s crack about an Ashley Walker, Ashley Washington, or Ashley whatever. It was Barack Obama himself who had people waiting hours on end to cast their votes. They would have done that no matter who had been hired to work on the OFA team. The driving force was to see the first black family make history and walk into the White House for eight years -- not because of a white consultant who claims to have a lock on the black vote.
Why these people feel the need to have this “control” over us is beyond me.
While, I am aware that blacks represent a small percentage of the popular vote, we all witnessed blacks young and old, on walkers and in wheelchairs, waiting in lines to vote for Barack Obama for president, in 2008 and again in 2012.
You will NOT see that same type of enthusiasm now that Barack Obama is off the ballot, and no white political consultant is going to be able to get that to happen no matter how much money he/she takes from you.
Our people know how to motivate us. Our people know what we need. So why aren’t black political consultants used at the very least, to get out the vote in black communities? God knows, they won’t be used anywhere else.
Let’s be honest, what black consultant would be hired to do an entire election for a white candidate? It has never happened. We usually get that small piece of the campaign and run with it ... going door-to-door to inform our voters about the people we feel will best serve the community.
Aren’t you tired of being paid $10 an hour to stand on corners and hand out palm cards, while white political consultants are making the big bucks off of you? I know I am tired of watching that.
I started the Democratic African American Women Caucus for a reason. I know how important our vote is.
They know how important our vote is.
I happen to know some damn good national African-American political consultants. I know some damn good Haitian and Jamaican ones as well.
People like Stephanie Bromfield, Tezlyn Figaro, Lucius Gantt, etc. I have others. Anyone can inbox me for a complete list!
The black vote is the pivotal vote in any election. It must be courted and respected. Black people are more likely to vote if they can hear the message from someone from our community that we know and trust. If not, we do not come out in record numbers.
2016 is going to require that we come out in record numbers. Candidates are going to need that to happen. Black political consultants are going to need to be hired.
I’m going to be paying very close attention to who hires whom. I am going to make a point of calling out who hires whom. If I see that, once again, no money is being spent with black political consultants in black communities, you will be called out and black voters will be informed that not only do you not want to spend money in black communities, you don’t want to spend money with black people.You only want black votes.
We aren’t playing with you anymore.
There have been some viable candidates who have lost elections because their consultants have not formed teams made up of different ethnicities in order to get out the entire vote. Ask Charlie Crist, Alex Sink, Val Demings, and more.
It is important to pool our resources and our knowledge so that we can get the right people in to govern.
Black people have to start standing together and forcing -- yes I said forcing -- others to respect our vote and our hustle.
I have made no secret of the fact that the way I see it, if you don’t respect it, you don’t get it.
The vote, that is.
Leslie Wimes, a resident of Palm Beach County, is president and founder of Women on the Move and the Democratic African American Women Caucus, www.daawc.com. This opinion piece was reproduced in Sunshine State News with Wimes' permission.
