A Race for Lancaster County's Minorities

In August of 2003 I organized what I called a "blitz rally" in front of the Federal Building in downtown Lincoln. Something like twenty people showed up. The racial make-up of the small group: one African-American, the rest were European-Americans. The occasion? We were all protesting the National Alliance and their racist propaganda activities they were doing at that time.

In case you had not heard who they are and what the National Alliance had done, really briefly this is the background: From the Omaha and Lincoln metros to all the way to Scotts Bluffs, Nebraska, the National Alliance had distributed some booklets that advocated the removal of "non-white immigrants" from the U.S. Plus many other racist rants, but you get the point.

That one African-American I spoke of at the rally was ME. Which was wanting, to put it too diplomatically. Out of a city of 235,000 (about 250,000 in Lancaster County), Lincoln has something around 4,000 to 5,000 African-Americans (about 3.5% of the population). And that does not count the other minority categories. Yet, I was the only African-American at an anti-racist rally, that I had organized. With those thousands of minorities (all categories) there should have been more support from them.

Okay, I'll grant you that most are too busy working to be heavily active, but this was a Saturday when we held the rally. Plus, there was an article about the rally in BOTH Omaha's and Lincoln's paper the day before the rally. I'm married with two very young daughters, a full-time job, and I just started going back to UNL (part-time) for my second bachelor degree...I'm busy, as well, yet I typically make time to volunteer for various organizations each month.

So, do I sound sour? Not soured, just disappointed. Not only should Lincoln's minority population respond in strong numbers to such reactionary activities in our metro area, but many more should also be active in the Lancaster Democratic Party!

This is where the Lancaster Democratic Party comes into this story...outreach. I've been trying on a personal level to get more minorities into the Lancaster Demz. But, to use a rural metaphor, you can take a horse to the watering hole to drink, but you can't force it to drink!

But I'll keep trying. I invite the Lancaster County Democrats to PLEASE help me enroll more minorities into our party. I know I'm not the only minority active in the Lancaster Demz, but, most often, I am the only one who is at the meetings or the rallies...and even then, I cannot always go to them.

So, Lancaster Demz--Black and White, man and woman, whatever your sexual persuasion, and whatever your religion--that's OUR homework for 2004: let's all try to get ONE minority to register as a Democrat AND to get that same person to attend a few meetings.

SOLIDARITY!