What Do Black Votes and First-Class Mail Have in Common?
New Orleans is still a majority-Black city. And yet, every election cycle, we watch the same hustle: deals cut behind closed doors, endorsements handed out like party favors, and the promise that “the Black vote” is already wrapped up and ready to be delivered to whichever candidate struck the right bargain.
So, what do black votes and first-class mail have in common?
Apparently, they are both being delivered.
That is, unless Black voters in New Orleans finally draw the line and say: We are not for delivery. We are not for sale. We are not bargaining chips.
Somebody has to say it, so here we go. Let’s be clear — when you see a headline about a big-name endorsement, it rarely has anything to do with the everyday lives of Black folks in this city. It’s about power. It’s about access. It’s about who gets invited to the table, and who gets to eat. And if history has taught us anything, when the deal is struck, the benefits don’t trickle down to the community as a whole. In other words, if you are not seated at the table, you are on the menu!
It’s time to stop letting other people “speak” our votes into existence. That’s not leadership. That’s not empowerment. That’s being delivered.
Our votes are not packages. They are not bulk mail. They are not favors to be traded. They are the only true leverage we have in a system that otherwise has little interest in our survival. When we allow them to be brokered away by a handful of gatekeepers, we shrink our own power.
So don’t be distracted by who’s standing behind a podium giving their blessing. Don’t be fooled by the photo-op or the press release. Instead, ask yourself: What’s in this for us? Not for them. Not for their seat at the table. But for us, the people who make up the heart and backbone of New Orleans.
Because here’s the truth: the city cannot thrive if Black New Orleanians are struggling. And it cannot move forward if we keep letting our votes be served up on a platter to candidates who have no intention of serving us in return.
This time, let’s deliver our votes ourselves — carefully, deliberately, and with the full weight of our collective power.