“Voting is the only way to ensure that our values and priorities are represented in the halls of power.” — Michelle Obama
Hey good people! As you read through my latest post, I hope you’re all in the best of love, health and happiness. I can never expressed that enough. It’s been awhile since my last post. I’ve been experiencing some up and downs in life and just trying to make the best of any circumstances I’ve had to deal with this year. From time to time, life tends to throw you a curve ball and it’s basically up to you to not allow your emotions to get the best of you and to remain positive in any situation you are dealing with. I’m not ashamed to admit that I believe it’s fact that with God, all things are possible and there are no problems or struggles that are bigger than Him. Maybe that’s why humanity struggle with so many issues nowadays.
With all the concerns with climate change, police brutality, racism, the #MeToo social media movement, America’s foreign relations (Russia, Iran, North Korea in particular) and YES, Donald Trump’s corruption and mendacity, we can all use some faith, hope and prayer—along with being proactive in educating ourselves and our children about what’s happening in the world around us. But it has to start in our homes, our schools and our local communities.
Without straying too far from the main subject matter of this post, I want to express how important it is for us to get out there and vote on Election Day, November 6, 2018. The featured photo of my post was taken in 1963 in Washington, DC, when people of color were denied the right to vote. With everything that’s been going on this year, this photo could’ve very easily been captured today!
As you view the picture, Whites and Blacks marched alongside each other! Those courageous individuals knew that every person had the right to vote, regardless of what they looked like. Just two years later, the Voting Rights Act was passed into law so that no individual could be denied their right to vote.
Sadly, we are living in an America where it’s citizens are being denied the right to vote by varying, strategical tactics to intimidate and discourage them from showing up at the polls. We must step up, step out and vote people! You watch the news… you see the absurdness that’s going on. There’s never been a more crucial time to exercise the power that you possess.
Did you know that less than 60 percent of eligible African-American citizens voted in the 2016 presidential election? That shouldn’t be music to any of our ears. This undermines our power as a people, and for me personally, I am not willing to give my vote and my power away. That’s why I absolutely love the fact that Michelle Obama and a number of A-List celebrities such as Houston Rockets Chris Paul, Tom Hanks, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Janelle Monáe, Faith Hill, and Tim McGraw have joined together to launch the When We All Vote initiative. It is a nonpartisan 2018 voter registration initiative to address historically low voter registration and voter turnout in the last decade.
Will you make the right decision to vote? I certainly hope so. The mere thought of not voting should scare the hell out of you. Wait in line, drive across town, gather friends and family together, do whatever is necessary, but please make sure you are prepared on Tuesday, November 6th.
Take another look at the above photo and as well as the featured photo of my post. Keep in mind that many of those people in these photos are no longer here with us, but some of them literally gave their lives to ensure that future generations had the right to vote. Don’t take this right for granted! Now is the time to get involved! From 18 years old to 80 years old, show up and show out!
What does it mean for you to vote and how important it is to you? I’d love to read your thoughts and comments.
To my readers, I invite you to join me on Facebook and to follow me on Instagram and Twitter. You can also reach me via email at: rgilmore@orangemoonwerks.com. If you find any joy and value in what I do, would you consider providing support to help keep my blog going? Learn how by following the link here: Support the Blog
The Perennial Aesthete 
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