Levitt: “The Democratic Party must be taught to earn our votes”

Members of the Florida Legislative Black Caucus endorse Hillary Clinton in 2016

On November 16, 2016, the Orlando Sentinel published an op-ed by Florida A&M University College of Law Professor Jeremy I. Levitt about the results of the recent presidential election.

Levitt is urging African Americans to demand more from the Democratic Party in exchange for their votes.

From the op-ed: “African-Americans should give Donald Trump a chance”:

I’m an ardent critic of Donald J. Trump, but I realize that he will be the 45th president of the United States. He won; get over it. If you don't like him, do something about it: Join the anti-Trump protests around the country, help establish a "third way," or move to Canada. I've lived in Canada, and if "Jacques Frost" doesn't pinch you, Canada's ridiculously high income and sales taxes — together with a cruel currency-exchange rate and nice-nasty culture — may have you running south for the wall-free border.

Take a deep breath. I encourage every African-American to register as an Independent or join the Republican Party for the next four years. What do we have to lose? Our dignity? The Democrats arguably stripped that away some time ago. What has the Democratic National Committee done to earn our blind undivided loyalty? For decades, Democrats have governed nearly every inner-city community in the country. What do we have to show for it but empty hope, joblessness, poverty, decaying schools, poor infrastructure, environmental degradation and high crime? You can't even buy a fresh tomato in the hood!

African-Americans must demand a measurable return for our loyalty. We are the most powerful minority-voting bloc. We need to become strategic opportunists. The Democratic Party must be taught to earn our votes, and the Republican Party required to deliver on President-elect Trump's "inner-city" and inclusiveness plan — among others. Trump should appoint an "Urban Renewal and Development" czar with a dedicated staff to lead an interdepartmental task force of senior officials from across federal agencies, including the departments of Health and Human Services, Education, Housing and Urban development, Labor, Energy, Justice, Homeland Security, Transportation and Commerce. The primary purpose of the task force should be to formulate and implement urban-renewal and development pilot programs in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Houston and Philadelphia. The program should aim to substantially increase vocational and technical educational opportunities, jobs training, jobs, affordable health care, small businesses, infrastructure development, Christian-based charter schools, and safety and security through community policing.

Read the full op-ed here.