Post by Chrono on Black Vote on Apr 22, 2005 16:23:00 GMT -5
Activists declare Black voting power in UK Elections, with a push from Rev Jesse Jackson
London 19 April 2005 — True, they are not militant voter registration campaigners like Bob Moses and James Forman of SNCC (the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee). This is Britain, after all, not the radical sixties in segregated southern America.
But, with a push from the Rev Jesse Jackson, Black Britons have launched a "battle bus" touring local communities where the Black vote could affect the outcomes in the national and local elections May 5th.
Campaigning aims
The leading campaigners come from a variety of equal rights and faith organisations: the 1990 Trust, National Assembly against Racism, Black Londoners Forum, and the Muslim and Hindu associations of Britain.
They aim to counter the reckless, bigoted electoral attacks on undesirable aliens, asylum seekers, and "bloody foreigners" — terms that are becoming code words for "keep Britain white". These code words are reminiscent of former Prime Minister Mrs Thatcher's talk of England being "swamped", or Enoch Powell's visions of racial apocalypse.
The strategy behind the tour, say organisers Operation Black Vote, Simon Wooley of Operation Black Vote and Karen Chouhan of the 1990 Trust, is to get out the vote in 70 crucial election districts.
The districts are crucial for a number of reasons. They have significantly large numbers of Black voters; the candidates' voting records demonstrate a lack of equality concerns; and electoral winners in the past have scraped through only by narrow margins.
Making a difference
The organisers recognise that voter apathy runs high in Black British communities; there are too many non-voters, abstainers and waverers. But, Black voters can make a difference in the contest between the three main political parties, Labour, Conservative and Liberal Democrats, in the targeted voting districts, say the organisers.
One example they claimed when interviewed by the Internet magazine www.chronicleworld.org is Brent East, London, where the elected candidate won by only 11,000 in a district of 30,000 Black voters. Another is Orpington, where a margin of only 269 votes gave the victory to the leading candidate in a district of 3,712 Black and ethnic minority voters.
Campaigners are travelling on a "battle bus" carrying a 40-page Black manifesto and pledge cards. Brixton, the first stop, is the symbolic heart of West Indian settlement in London.
Politics of power
Veteran US civil rights and global political activist Rev Jesse Jackson, recruited to signal the need for voter mobilisation, spoke on the "Politics of Power" at the launch of the manifesto.
Greeted with a rapturous standing ovation, Mr Jackson, founder of the PUSH/National Rainbow Coalition, delivered what he called his "hands across the ocean address," the BBC News online reported.
He reminded his audience that British Blacks do not exist in splendid isolation from the rest of the Black world. "Connecting our families in the Diaspora can unleash the power of a creative minority, sharing history and experiences," said the evangelist for empowerment, education and changing public policy.
Use your vote
Mr Jackson saluted Black Britons saying: "You are "political giants" who are able to sway the outcome of many parliamentary seats". And with a mantra repeated over and over — "use your vote; use your vote" — the reverend urged Black Britons to "Vote for your share of power, your share of management, your share of education".
Referring to the OBV's campaign to register 100,000 ethnic minority voters before the next election, Mr Jackson said the Black vote counts in close elections. He drew an example from America. "In 1992 and 1996 Bush and Dole got more white votes than Clinton. But Clinton got more black and brown votes than they got and he won," said Jackson.
Put democracy to work in Britain
Here in Britain, campaigners will use the Black manifesto to pledge, educate and persuade people to vote. "We'll urge local communities in battleground areas to tackle their political leaders," says Karen Chouhan of the 1990 Trust.
"Challenging political candidates to deliver equality in employment, education and political representation is the great merit of our campaign. This is democracy at work," says Simon Wooley, director of Operation Black Vote."
The way forward to empowerment
As in 1960s America, Black British political campaigners are discovering some home truths about "race politics" in western societies. Given a valuable boost by Rev Jesse Jackson, Black activists are learning how to thrive and survive in the hostile political environment of 21st century Britain.
If however the Operation Black Vote coalition is to broaden their appeal they must create their own home-grown, effective empowerment organisation, and must awaken to new challenges.
First, they must reach out to significant social groups. There are, for example, the disinherited people, in jails and prison, the unorganised low wage workers, the unemployed and the homeless, all of whom nonetheless are eligible to vote. Another group is Black unionised and public sector workers.
And there is the vital, though untapped, reservoir of moral and economic power in the Black-led, Black majority evangelical and Pentecostal churches, the fastest growing denominations in British Christendom.
Second, the coalition should experiment with using the Internet, search engines, bloggers and mobile phone technology — the No1 network for 15-40-year-olds — for continuous, interactive coverage of major issues.
A new generation of cyberorganisers should be nourished. Their role would be to encourage Black communities to use the web to exchange ideas and engage public policy makers and media editors in extended discussions about voting and political action.
Third, as the coalition gains experience, they should work closely with allies among all peoples to raise tough questions. Of course, about voting rights and wrongs. But also about achieving social justice and erasing the historical inequities that limit Black and working class advancement.
___________________________________________
See also "Black Britain in Crisis" report on the Operation Black Vote manifesto on www.chronicleworld.org
London 19 April 2005 — True, they are not militant voter registration campaigners like Bob Moses and James Forman of SNCC (the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee). This is Britain, after all, not the radical sixties in segregated southern America.
But, with a push from the Rev Jesse Jackson, Black Britons have launched a "battle bus" touring local communities where the Black vote could affect the outcomes in the national and local elections May 5th.
Campaigning aims
The leading campaigners come from a variety of equal rights and faith organisations: the 1990 Trust, National Assembly against Racism, Black Londoners Forum, and the Muslim and Hindu associations of Britain.
They aim to counter the reckless, bigoted electoral attacks on undesirable aliens, asylum seekers, and "bloody foreigners" — terms that are becoming code words for "keep Britain white". These code words are reminiscent of former Prime Minister Mrs Thatcher's talk of England being "swamped", or Enoch Powell's visions of racial apocalypse.
The strategy behind the tour, say organisers Operation Black Vote, Simon Wooley of Operation Black Vote and Karen Chouhan of the 1990 Trust, is to get out the vote in 70 crucial election districts.
The districts are crucial for a number of reasons. They have significantly large numbers of Black voters; the candidates' voting records demonstrate a lack of equality concerns; and electoral winners in the past have scraped through only by narrow margins.
Making a difference
The organisers recognise that voter apathy runs high in Black British communities; there are too many non-voters, abstainers and waverers. But, Black voters can make a difference in the contest between the three main political parties, Labour, Conservative and Liberal Democrats, in the targeted voting districts, say the organisers.
One example they claimed when interviewed by the Internet magazine www.chronicleworld.org is Brent East, London, where the elected candidate won by only 11,000 in a district of 30,000 Black voters. Another is Orpington, where a margin of only 269 votes gave the victory to the leading candidate in a district of 3,712 Black and ethnic minority voters.
Campaigners are travelling on a "battle bus" carrying a 40-page Black manifesto and pledge cards. Brixton, the first stop, is the symbolic heart of West Indian settlement in London.
Politics of power
Veteran US civil rights and global political activist Rev Jesse Jackson, recruited to signal the need for voter mobilisation, spoke on the "Politics of Power" at the launch of the manifesto.
Greeted with a rapturous standing ovation, Mr Jackson, founder of the PUSH/National Rainbow Coalition, delivered what he called his "hands across the ocean address," the BBC News online reported.
He reminded his audience that British Blacks do not exist in splendid isolation from the rest of the Black world. "Connecting our families in the Diaspora can unleash the power of a creative minority, sharing history and experiences," said the evangelist for empowerment, education and changing public policy.
Use your vote
Mr Jackson saluted Black Britons saying: "You are "political giants" who are able to sway the outcome of many parliamentary seats". And with a mantra repeated over and over — "use your vote; use your vote" — the reverend urged Black Britons to "Vote for your share of power, your share of management, your share of education".
Referring to the OBV's campaign to register 100,000 ethnic minority voters before the next election, Mr Jackson said the Black vote counts in close elections. He drew an example from America. "In 1992 and 1996 Bush and Dole got more white votes than Clinton. But Clinton got more black and brown votes than they got and he won," said Jackson.
Put democracy to work in Britain
Here in Britain, campaigners will use the Black manifesto to pledge, educate and persuade people to vote. "We'll urge local communities in battleground areas to tackle their political leaders," says Karen Chouhan of the 1990 Trust.
"Challenging political candidates to deliver equality in employment, education and political representation is the great merit of our campaign. This is democracy at work," says Simon Wooley, director of Operation Black Vote."
The way forward to empowerment
As in 1960s America, Black British political campaigners are discovering some home truths about "race politics" in western societies. Given a valuable boost by Rev Jesse Jackson, Black activists are learning how to thrive and survive in the hostile political environment of 21st century Britain.
If however the Operation Black Vote coalition is to broaden their appeal they must create their own home-grown, effective empowerment organisation, and must awaken to new challenges.
First, they must reach out to significant social groups. There are, for example, the disinherited people, in jails and prison, the unorganised low wage workers, the unemployed and the homeless, all of whom nonetheless are eligible to vote. Another group is Black unionised and public sector workers.
And there is the vital, though untapped, reservoir of moral and economic power in the Black-led, Black majority evangelical and Pentecostal churches, the fastest growing denominations in British Christendom.
Second, the coalition should experiment with using the Internet, search engines, bloggers and mobile phone technology — the No1 network for 15-40-year-olds — for continuous, interactive coverage of major issues.
A new generation of cyberorganisers should be nourished. Their role would be to encourage Black communities to use the web to exchange ideas and engage public policy makers and media editors in extended discussions about voting and political action.
Third, as the coalition gains experience, they should work closely with allies among all peoples to raise tough questions. Of course, about voting rights and wrongs. But also about achieving social justice and erasing the historical inequities that limit Black and working class advancement.
___________________________________________
See also "Black Britain in Crisis" report on the Operation Black Vote manifesto on www.chronicleworld.org