Let’s not forget there’s an election this year
Dear ZORA Family,
I’ll never forget the first time I cast my vote in a presidential election—the waxy smell of the freshly-polished school gymnasium floor where our district held its polling; the kindly gray-haired ladies who carefully pored over the signature book to make sure I was registered and confirm that my script and ID were valid.
But perhaps the most memorable aspect of the experience was stepping into the voting booth. Something about that propped up box concealed with a curtain and housing an amalgam of levers and buttons seemed at once exciting and wildly intimidating to me.
🗳 Read: Women of Color Can Make or Break the 2020 Election
My parents had always — incessantly?—drilled into me the significance of the moment, so I almost expected someone to run up to me as I emerged and congratulate me on this rite of passage — or at least offer me a tiny American flag to wave.
Fast forward to 2020 and once again, I’ll be stepping into that voting booth — as will you, I hope, I think, I implore you. In fewer than 200 days we will be making a decision on who will lead us for the next four years. And no matter how far off it seems, or how low on the priority list it might feel in the shadow of the coronavirus, this is one civic duty that we cannot afford to shirk.
👩🏿 Read: Biden Needs a Black Woman as His VP
That’s why we at ZORA have assembled a cadre of political writers such as Melissa Harris Perry, Danielle Moodie Mills, Anjali Enjeti and Donna M. Owens to help us keep our eye on this very important prize. There is no time in our recent history when one election has mattered so much.
The choice of a VP running mate for presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden has particular resonance for me, mainly because of the wide field of qualified Black women who deserve their shot at the spot. We talked about the shortlist recently, and wait with bated breath to find out the ultimate pick.
🙌🏾 Stacey Abrams Is Ready to Be VP. She Might Be Just What 2020 Needs.
There’s also so much at stake that impacts on women of color that we can ill-afford to let ourselves become distracted. But honestly, I know I don’t really have to tell you all this. Let’s just do what needs to be done, like we always do, and hope for the best.
When you have a moment, drop me a line and let me know what you hope the candidates address as we creep closer to the Democratic and Republican conventions.
Stay in touch,
Vanessa K. De Luca, Editor-in-Chief
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