UNION CITY, Calif. (KRON) -- Vote in November. For leaders of the George Floyd and Black Lives Matter movements, voting this November was their main call to action to supporters who participated in marches and rallies over the summer.
Did those marches and rallies around the Bay Area actually translate into voting at the polls on Election Day? Activists interviewed by KRON4 this week say "yes."
One recent college graduate, Louis Michael, took that call to action seriously by running for Vallejo City Council. His image was painted in downtown Oakland as part of a BLM mural. It shows Michael holding his fist up on the first night of Oakland protests, donning his graduation gown. That first night of protests was an inspiration to run for office, Michael told KRON4
On Tuesday night Michael lost is bid for Vallejo City Council, but he still won nearly 3,000 votes. He said he will continue running for political office in the future, and he's confident that the BLM movement motivated many Americans to vote this year who otherwise would not have.
"It made a huge difference in voter turnout across the nation. Even locally here in Vallejo. We had our own instances of police brutality shortly after George Floyd. I think that got people that typically would not be involved to get out and vote," Michael said.
Another activist is Prince Damons. He's a Bay Area cowboy who organized a trail ride in Union City to raise awareness for George Floyd. Damons has a unique perspective because he was born in Mississippi and his father was a police officer. He said he knows what it's like to be wondering if his father was going to return home after a shift on patrol. Damons has also experienced racism in American society.
Racial injustice was at the forefront of his mind when he voted this election.
Damons said he hopes, no matter which candidate emerges as the next President of the United States, Americans will unite together behind the winning candidate.
"I'm hoping for a better America. That's what I'm hoping for. Where we can all come together," Damons said.
from KRON4 https://ift.tt/352PReV
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