Before June, I had never heard of Angela Stanton King. On my morning commute, I caught the middle of her Breakfast Club interview. I found myself intrigued by her words and nodding my head as I drove. I live in Memphis, Tennessee and at that moment I was thankful for radio syndication. I was thinking “Who is this woman? She is brilliant.” As soon as the interview was posted on YouTube, I watched and listened to it in its entirety. I shared it with my contacts and on social media. Then I watched and listened to it a second time —-and a third time, if I’m being honest. I was and still am excited and moved. I began to wish I was a Georgia resident so I could vote for her and work on her campaign.
I am not a Trump supporter. I will not vote for him and could not see myself being anywhere near a “Make America Great Again” rally. Nevertheless, I respect her right to align with and vote for who she chooses. As African-Americans we’re often reminded how our ancestors “died for our right to vote.” We neglect to add that people have the right to make their own selections in the booth. Our ancestors fought for us to have the right to vote, not to be uneducated or misguided on whom to vote for, but to choose and vote — for whomever it is that we want to. Black people are not a monolith. She is advocating for Black Lives Matter and not just in the sensationalized “police brutality” movement. She has moved beyond racism to entrepreneurship, pro-life, religious freedoms and policy reforms. She is approaching Black Lives Matter from a holistic perspective. I am neither a republican nor a democrat but I agree with 90% of the stances she took – especially regarding the LGBTQ community and abortion.
Angela Stanton King has an uphill battle as she seeks to unseat three decade Congressman John Lewis. Congressman John Lewis is not just a Civil Rights hero, he is an American legend. There is no need to denigrate him as a person or his years of service. However, I believe Angela Stanton King has the resolve, conviction and political agenda to usher the black community into the next era. I hope she can unite with others like John Hope Bryant, Dr. Umar Johnson (flaws and all) and Dr. Boyce Watkins to create a new school of thought for black issues. The time is out for business or should I say politics as usual. We need to move towards an “issue-centered” agenda. Furthermore, we must learn to respect each other, even when we do not agree.
The last time I was this inspired by a politician was when Barack Obama announced his candidacy for President of the United States. ASK’s story is inspiring and she is an overcomer. I follow her on social media. I have ordered her books and I am donating to her campaign. My plea to those in Georgia is simple: If you are able to vote, listen to her and hear her out. Don’t just shut her down because she supports President Trump and identifies as a republican. If you analyze the candidates and their political background and agendas with an open mind, you just might decide to vote for her too. This is coming from someone 300 miles away who wishes she could. EM
** Update , I wrote this article before Congressman Lewis’ passing. I want to acknowledge our country is better because he lived and walked towards #goodtrouble. Angela is also getting into good trouble. Let’s let her pick up the mantle and take it from here.
