Dear Supporters,
I hope everything is going well for you on this MLK Day of National Service. It’s important to always remember that Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. made our country face some hard truths. As a result we are a better country for it, but the hard truths he made us face still need to be addressed today.
It’s also important to remember Dr. Martin Luther King’s service started at a young age and continued into his adult life until his death. In many ways this is the mark of a leader. This should teach us all to be wary of people who make it to their winter years and then decide to lead.
It begs the question, what took so long to get inspired? Is it all based on the feeling of entitlement which says “it’s my time” after all these years or is it calculated cowardice posing as strength? In either case, it’s not a hallmark of a leader.
In my life, I made it a point to render service no matter my zip code at a particular time . For example, during my Undergraduate years I worked with the Ontario Court of Justice as a Victim Assistant. In this capacity, along with a team I handed over 400 Domestic Violence cases which aided victims in their testimony against their victimizers.
This service enriched my life and gave me a gift that cannot be quantified. I encourage all to seek that gift that could only come from service.
When we seek to serve others, the divisions such as race take a backseat and we transcend our current condition. I had this reaffirmed during my petitioning period to qualify for the ballot for Dupage County Board #6.
I got a great response talking about issues one-on-one with voters that impact working families within the Dupage County Board #6 area. A few asked me “Why didn’t I go to the Dupage Democratic Party and ask if I could run?” I would reply "Because I am asking you, the people with the real control." It got many supporters off the fence and back to the real issues in our community.
The following is not designed to make a MLK comparison in anyway. It’s quite simple; no one will ever come to you and ask you to lead. It’s something we empower ourselves to do. It’s that spirit in the MLK tradition that launched the recent 99% Occupy Wall Street Movement.
It’s that reminder that tells us to be wary of leaders that were picked by a small council or cadre of interest; they often do not serve our interest. They never asked for as Thomas Jefferson put it the ‘consent of the governed’. Beware also of so-called progressives who are comfortable with taking advantage of divisions to take power. A big part of being a progressive is stating and celebrating the progress that we have made in our country and in Dupage County.
Right now, within a 5 mile radius I am represented by five capable African-Americans at three levels of Government in Dupage County. Broc Montgomery (Bartlett Fire Trustee), Pricilla Spencer ( Roselle Library Board), William Rhodes (Kenneyville District 20 School Board), ,Phil Adersen (Kenneyville District 20 School Board) and Michael Childress (Bloomingdale Park District).
This progress will not make the local papers. This progress is rarely cited in progressive circles because it’s this need to run around in fear for whatever reason. Fear is a terrible organizing principle. It crowds out judgment and leads to bad decisions.
The fact is, Dupage County is growing past the 1950’s right wing depiction some seek to advance for political gain and others often on the left who fancy themselves as political strategist need to advance to sound smart about something they have no idea about.
It’s time to demonstrate the courage of our convictions. The courage that made Philadelphia, Mississippi, a town with a terrible racial history, vote for and elect its first black mayor a couple of years ago. The same courage, that made a small town in Russia vote for and elect, a man of African heritage to Mayor. The courage of our convictions to say it's possible at the County level would be a powerful start.
From time-to-time, I was asked that question while out canvassing and I would cite those two examples. Given those two examples, I would look at the faces of my neighbors and they would see how that question was laughable given these examples. "If that’s possible in Russia then of course it’s possible in America" is what I heard from a reluctant supporter as we shared a laugh.
I would always end with “I am not after the neighbors vote that you are afraid will not vote for me. I am after your vote and people like you. I think we can out vote your neighbor.”
It’s a lesson I learned from studying the life of MLK. Believe that people of good will outnumber the negative forces and build with them. In the words that summed up a movement “We shall overcome”.
-- Terrell Barnes Candidate for Dupage County Board #6
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