Keshia Allen is running for President in this coming election. You’ll recall her initial candidacy statement:
Today we live in a country that doesn’t understand our needs. We live in a system that we have no faith in, a system we can’t trust. Most politicians have never been us, so how can they help us? They don’t know what its like to work two jobs just to pay rent for a place we don’t have time to live in. They don’t understand the struggle of paying for school, textbooks or a metro card to get there. They can’t comprehend the fear we feel when law enforcement stops us.
This country was founded on principles that include life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness as rights not privileges. So why aren’t we happy? Why aren’t we living? Why aren’t we free? It’s because our Politicians are so far removed from our current circumstances they have forgotten us, the people in the middle. We’ve had our voices silenced far too long. When you speak no one listens, when you complain magically more regulations appear. Policy makers go out of their way to make sure you stay in our place. What’s your place? Quietly oppressed. Our government claims their doing the best they can and that care about us. But still, we can’t afford education or quality health insurance. We can’t pay our bills on our current salaries. We live in fear of the people who are paid to protect and serve us. What exactly is the government doing? Not nearly enough. The Declaration of Independence states” That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or abolish it and institute new Government…” It’s time!
My name is Keshia Allen. I am a member of the Deliverance Party and I’m going to deliver you. I’m a dedicated full time student with a 3.8 GPA and a full time job. I’m a member of the NSCS (National Society of Collegiate Scholars). I’m a devoted wife and family woman. I strive daily to be the change I want to see. I know your struggle, because I struggle too. I’m no stranger to hard work. I’ve been the underdog. I’ve been counted out and here I am more successful and driven today than I’ve ever been and more than anyone thought I would be. I see you, everyday rushing off to get to a job that barely pays your bills. I hear you complaining that your rent just went up. I know you can’t afford tuition. I understand the frustration you feel, because I feel it too.
When you elect me for President I will make housing affordable. I will increase wages. The only reason a person works more than one job will be because they want to. When I am president you won’t be afraid of law enforcement or the unjust justice system currently in existence. I will see to it that our law enforcement is properly and thoroughly trained. Officers of the law will know and understand the communities they work in. Education will be free to all who wish to pursue knowledge. With me in office you’ll see what government is supposed to be. I am Keshia Allen. I am your next president.
Keshia is interested in resolving the issues of the broken home. Citing incarceration as a significant cause of broken homes in the US, Keshia submitted the following investigative piece:
“Society defines the nuclear family as a married couple and their dependent children. When most people think of home, they think of family; which usually consists of a mom, dad and one or two children. In the African American community, the arrangement of family is quite different and generally consists of a single parent home where the mother is the head of the household and raising multiple children. Research suggests that this reality of family structure in the African American Community is a direct result of flawed systems which were built on racist beliefs that perpetuate negative environments that destroy families and promote broken homes. Hagler argues in “How Black Families Are Destroyed, In Two Simple Charts” that unfair treatment based on race as early as childhood has a created a cycle that nearly guarantees minorities will go to prison. Wolfers, Leonhardt and Quealy claim in the article “1.5 Million Missing Black Men” that a staggering amount of black men are absent from daily life because they are either deceased or in jail. With that being said, statistics have proven that African American women already consequently outnumber African American men. Hymowitz asserts in the article “The Black Family: 40 Years of Lies” that failure to acknowledge and properly address the poverty and despair which African Americans face is responsible for destroying family structure and setting the trend of broken homes. Unfortunately, this downward spiral and setup for generational failure will continue to grow and spread unless otherwise corrected.
In the United States African American men as well as those suffering with poverty make up the majority of the prison population. It is believed by many that racism and unreasonably severe penalties are responsible for the large number of minority Americans stuck in the system. In the article “How Black Families Are Destroyed, In Two Simple Charts” Hagler argues that racist stereotypes cause African Americans to be subjected to harsher punishments more than other races. Hagler blames the media for its circulation of these stereotypes and claims the effects can be seen as early as childhood in elementary school. Hagler states “Once introduced to the “system” they [African Americans] become statistics that feed into a cycle of crime and despair.” Essentially, African American children grow to become products of the environment which they have been exposed. Because of negative stereotypes and racism at some point in their lives African Americans will likely end up in prison. Hagler includes the research of Phillip N. Cohen, a well known sociologist at the University of Maryland to support his argument. This credible research illustrates how racism is directly related to the treatment of African Americans and the effect it has on the composition of family in the African American community. While Hagler’s source is credible, his argument lacks specific detail.
Like Hagler, Wolfers, Quealy and Leonhardt also discuss how the system, racism and stricter penalties as a result of zero tolerance laws impact the African American community, specifically men of color. In “1.5 Million Missing Black Men”, Wolfers, Quealy and Leonhardt argue that premature death and incarceration are largely responsible for the shortage of men stating “Of the 1.5 million missing black men from 25-54 – which demographers call the prime-age-years – higher imprisonment rates account for 600,000. Almost 1 in 12 black men in the age group are behind bars, compared with 1 in 60 nonblack men, 1in 200 black women and 1 in 500 nonblack women.” Black men are more likely to go to jail than anyone of any other nonblack ethnicity. Using statistics and demographics as a convincing source to substantiate their argument Wolfers, Quealy and Leonhardt prove that the disproportionate ratio of black men to women leaves black women with no choice but to fend for themselves as the head of the household. With such a high population of men currently in prison or deceased a greater deficit is placed on family and home structure because of the lack of men to be fathers and husbands. The Articles “How Black Families Are Destroyed, In Two Simple Charts” and “1.5 Million Black Men Missing” both agree that the American justice system plays an active role in the destruction of families because it enforces a cycle that leaves homes broken and unstable.
In addition to a lack of men to be fathers and husbands and the growing number of single mothers, there is another issue that’s cause for equal if not more concern. Studies have proven that the African American community is greatly, in fact disproportionately affected by poverty. Hymowitz argues in “The Black Family: 40 Years of Lies” the problems surrounding the facts leading to the destruction of families in the African American community have been blatantly neglected. Hymowitz explains “Less forgivable was the refusal to grapple seriously—either at the time or in the months, years, even decades to come—with the basic cultural insight contained in the [Moynihan] report: that ghetto families were at risk of raising generations of children unable to seize the opportunity that the civil rights movement had opened up for them. Instead critics changed the subject…” The Moynihan report explored and investigated the condition of African American families. Its findings were that single parent families, fatherlessness, crime and unemployment rates were increasing while schools were failing in the African American community. All of which were contributing to the deterioration of family structure. Ignoring Moynihan’s report allowed and ensured the continuation of these issues. Hymowitz factors multiple points of view and uses specific examples to present a well thought and unbiased argument. She makes references to several experts as credible sources including the Department of Labor, historians and sociologists. The variety of sources cited add perspective and keep the article interesting.
All three articles agree, something is seriously wrong with the design of the system. The structure of the black family seems to be under attack and little to nothing is being done to correct it. If this can happen to African Americans, how can anyone be sure it will not happen to other races? As President, I will amend the justice and school systems. I will right the wrongs, so that everyone is served efficiently and effectively. It shouldn’t be a luxury to grow up with both parents at home, it should be a normalcy. All children deserve to be a part of a family that is complete. Minority Americans need the same chance at life that is given to the privileged majority. Schools shouldn’t treat students differently based on location or race. Prisons shouldn’t be so eager to accept men of color. This election, vote for deliverance, vote for Keshia.”
Keshia clearly believes she is the best for the job citing her want to get things done, “Ismael Rodriguez talks about wanting to “Get shit done”. Let me tell you, I’ve been getting it done for as long as I can remember. My parents are hard workers from Trinidad, they taught me to work hard. They taught me to never let anything or anyone stop me from reaching my dream. They taught me to earn everything and let no one give me anything, this way no one can say I owe them anything. They taught me to be responsible. At 12 years old I began babysitting to keep money in my pocket, so I didn’t have to depend on my parents for an allowance. By 17, I was on my own, with no support from my parents. At 23, I followed my dreams and launched my own business. I don’t believe in talking about getting things done, I believe in the results.
My opponent is concerned about the physical health of the nation. He wants to add more parks and increase funding for physical education in schools. While I agree with him, I think there are other important matters we should address at the moment. Like, why so many of us are struggling to pay tuition to finish with degrees and still not be able to pay the bills. And, why so many of us don’t have health insurance. I’m concerned about the growing number of single parent homes. I’m worried about the the fact that depending on where you live and where you fall on the skin color spectrum determines the quality of education you’ll receive. I’m troubled by the racism that plagues our justice system. I’m bothered by the fact that a terrorist can be taken into custody alive but a minority American man is more likely to be shot dead for what may or may not be a traffic violation. Something is dangerously wrong. When you elect me as your President, I won’t make you promises I can’t keep like some candidates would. I will tell you that I will devote my last breath to making this nation a better place for us to live in, for our children to grow up in. I promise you deliverance will come. I’m Keshia Allen for the Deliverance Party. This election vote for deliverance, vote for Keshia Allen.”
Who are you voting for?
