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Congressman
Elijah E. Cummings |
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Congressman
Elijah E. Cummings |
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(11/11/00 Baltimore AFRO-American Newspaper)
by Congressman Elijah E. Cummings
After a long and emotion-filled Election Day night, I awakened this morning more proud to be an African American than ever before. Yesterday, in record numbers, we stood up for justice and for the opportunity of all Americans to share in the nation's success.
As I traveled yesterday from polling place to polling place, I was greeted by hundreds of people who understood how much was at stake. I stopped and spoke with neighbors of every race, ethnic background, age and religion. All of us were working together to make our mark on history.
On Election Day, young people were working at the polling places with their parents, learning the principles and mechanics of democracy first-hand. Lt. Governor Kathleen Kennedy Townsend later told us the inspiring story of one elderly woman in house slippers who used her walker to travel the ten long blocks to her polling place. She was not alone in her determination.
"This is what America is all about," I later told our post-election gathering at a downtown hotel.
This morning, on the day after Election Day, it is still too early to assess the full impact of what we accomplished by our efforts leading up to November 7. At this writing, the outcome of the Presidential race is unclear. We Democrats gained seats in the Senate and House, but not enough to wrestle control from the Republicans.
Even now, however, several political facts of life are clear.
First, thanks to the members of the NAACP and all of the other Americans of conscience who never wavered in our drive to register and inform our voters, people of color are now a national political force that cannot be ignored. Our tangible expression of political power at the ballot box and our vision of a better America that would fully invest in her people prevented reactionary forces and big money from gaining an overwhelming victory.
Second, having stood up for justice on November 7, we must now persevere and build upon our insight that there are two visions for America's future - one that will include all Americans in the nation's prosperity and another that will not. We are key players in a growing progressive alliance that is pursuing that better vision.
November 7 was not the end of our journey toward that "One America" in our Pledge of Allegiance, but our accomplishments did mark a renewed beginning.
The philosophical and political lines that divide America may have been blurred temporarily by the hundreds of millions of dollars poured into this election, but we have held the line against what otherwise would have been a fundamental, reactionary transition in American politics.
Now, we must persevere.
Progressive Americans now know just how much is at stake. It is a lesson we will not soon forget.
Equally important, Americans of color have received tangible proof that we are not alone in our commitment to an America that invests in all of her people and treats all people fairly.
For now, our progressive alliance may remain a minority in the Congress of the United States, but we are an increasingly powerful minority. The popular vote for Al Gore demonstrated that a majority of Americans will support us on the central issues of our time.
Our key objectives during the next two years will be to translate the shared perspective we witnessed on Election Day into practical, working coalitions in the Congress and across the country.
By continuing the daily work of strengthening our progressive coalition, we can achieve our vision of an America that is fair to all. We can elect a government that works for working families by following a policy that gives first priority to investing in the American people.
In this work, as on Election Day, we must never forget the wisdom of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., who once observed that "the most revolutionary act our people can engage in is to assert the full measure of their citizenship."
Thank you, all of you, for all that you are doing to create that peaceful, progressive revolution in the way Americans are treated. If we persevere, we will yet overcome.
-The Honorable Elijah E. Cummings represents the 7th Congressional District of Maryland in the United States House of Representatives.
