Recently ENCOUNTER had the privilege of sitting down with Trudy Grant of the National Action Network to discuss Voting, the big picture. Take a look as she tackles the hard hitting issues that affect our community.
Encounter: Trudy, to begin, tell us your title and what it is that you do with your organization.
Trudy: My actual title is Manager of Religious Affairs and External Relations. I work with The National Action Network under the leadership of Rev. Al Sharpton. Our department basically handles the relationship with the faith community, the divine nine, which is the black order of fraternities and sororities, and also civic organizations. We are responsible for letting them know our current initiatives and what we’re working on. We also work to keep them informed, involved and active in all recent endeavors as it relates to inequality and injustice. Not to mention tirelessly trying to get everyone to see the big picture concerning voter registration and participation and most recently are the issues of police brutality.
E: How often are you guys doing voting drives and what kind of turnout are you seeing?
T: Our biggest focus is voter turnout. We have found there are a number of people registered, but getting them to the polls is the issue. Take for example South Carolina; we had 467,000 people registered that did not vote in the election. Georgia had nearly 500,000. We are talking solely African Americans. It’s more than getting them to register, our focus is voter mobilization. We are constantly working with the faith organization and civic organizations to address how to get the people to the polls.
E: With the election coming up, give us a basic very elementary reason as to why we need to vote.
T: Let me make it live, if we look at the last gubernatorial race here in South Carolina; Nikki Haley won by 59k votes. If only fifteen percent of those 467k African Americans that were registered had shown up we would not be fighting to get the Medicare bill passed. We wouldn’t be fighting against schools being privatized. We would not be fighting for all of these things that Gov. Hailey has turned a blind eye to.
E: So let’s stay there for a moment. Since you’ve mentioned some of the issues, what are some of the most pressing items you see that make it imperative for us to get some people in place who are concerned about what affects our community? What are the points that are really going to be detrimental to us if we don’t get our leadership in place to be our voice?
T: The biggest thing is going to be Medicaid; commonly referred to as Obama Care, which is simply a distraction. The thought process being if we can call it Obama Care, many will say “well I don’t like Obama and therefore I don’t support this.” In the meantime, they are not realizing this is simply their healthcare. What is unfortunate is that it’s the very thing that is keeping your mother and grandmother alive. One of the main things we are missing out on is the preventive care this reform would provide. Many of the health issues we struggle with in our community can completely be avoided if we were simply getting our preventive check-ups. So if there is one draw to get people to vote it should be to keep us alive.
E: In terms of voter turnout, is there a certain demographic that is not showing up at the poles?
T: I would say the 18-40 generation, which is interesting because those are potentially the most affected. These are the parents who should be concerned with the issues that will undoubtedly affect their children. These are also the people who should be looking at, and planning for retirement. However, these are the individuals who seem to be the least concerned. While we are turning out for the presidential elections, it’s the middle elections we are missing. We are not turning out, and therefore have no voice when it comes to the people who are literally running our cities and states. This is such a serious concern because what is happening is the people we are voting for are being stifled by the elected officials we are NOT voting for. By turning out in record breaking numbers to get our candidate in the white house, we have subsequently made his job that much harder by not turning out for what we consider to be minor elections, all the while not taking into consideration that these are the individuals who will make up the law passing bodies.
E: Do you think we will see the same turnout in 2016 when there isn’t an African American candidate?
T: Unfortunately I don’t. I may be wrong, but I don’t think so. We tend to be emotional voters. We look for what is easily identified as a representation of ourselves. That means that we often times don’t pay as much attention as we should to the issues or a candidate’s stance when it comes to certain things. In terms of minorities we may see a large female turnout now that Hilary has thrown her hat in the ring, but I certainly don’t think we will see what we saw in 2008 or in 2012.
E: In the final scenario, when it’s all said and down what do you say to someone who says, “I’m not voting, my voice doesn’t count” , what do you say to them ?
T: My response is simple, if you don’t vote, you actually have voted. By not casting your vote you are saying whatever the majority says, that is what I agree with. Voting is three things, it is personal, it is powerful, and it is precious. The more conscious we become, the more serious we’ll become in terms of its value.
E: How is it, in your opinion, that we have fostered an entire generation that is seemingly unconcerned with the big picture?
T: I think they just haven’t felt the pain. They haven’t really been exposed to the circumstances of the fight firsthand. There is a difference in the commitment of someone who has experienced the struggle for themselves versus someone who has not. That is what makes organization like The Nation Action Network under the leadership of Rev. Al Sharpton so vitally important.
E: What do you say to those who question or oppose the leadership styles of some of those individuals spearheading today’s fight?
T: You know I’m really glad you asked that question. There was a really nasty piece that appeared on social media around the time of the events in Ferguson. Basically they were asking why it was necessary for Al Sharpton or Jessie Jackson to be there. It went on to make comments of disapproval concerning the means of promoting and publicizing the happenings there. I, in turn, asked who else has access to MSNBC? Who can reach the nation on a national platform with a single phone call? When you are able to reach as many people as they can then we can have a dialogue. Until then, we don’t have anything to talk about. Because at the end of the day, whatever your feelings or opinions are on certain individuals, what is undeniable is the shift that take place when they arrive on the scene. They are impactful in a way that very few have the power to be.
E: Trudy, in closing, what would you like to leave our readers with?
T: Vote, your vote is your voice, and not using it speaks louder than you can imagine.
This Article is submitted by Encounter, the Magazine
