Ever feel like you're the unwitting star of a bad sitcom, where everyone else has the script and you're stuck ad-libbing your way through punchlines you don't get? It's like being trapped in a laugh track loop, only the joke's on you—and trust me, I know, because I'm living it every day.
Currently, I'm running for the South Carolina Senate. I jokingly tell people I'm a magenta girl running on a blue platform in a red state. Now, I know what you’re thinking… "Ewwww, politics!" And you’re right. There are at least 1,000 other things I could be doing right now. I havetwo granddaughters, one is a 3-year-old with the most infectious laugh that makes you feel like you're floating in a sea of joy. I have two businesses that desperately need my attention to detail—or maybe I should say I need theirs, particularly my business development and marketing energy. Because, as crude as it may sound, during every election cyle, democracy is for sale, and all this political malarky takes big money! In fact, high-profile races, such as the 2020 South Carolina Senate race, saw combined spending from the candidates exceed $130 million.
Lastly, I co-founded a networking group for minority small business owners who aren’t getting the resources or focus the local Chamber offers to other business owners who don’t look like me. They need me and my co-founder (Happy Birthday, Queen! Check her out here) to work on a sustainable programming format that keeps them engaged and informed. But instead of doing these high-priority activities, I am canvassing, phone banking, and strategizing about how to reach my win number of 26,952 votes.
I spend countless hours pounding the pavement with my fellow candidate HR-45 and brainstorming partner trying to convince voters who don’t think their votes matter why their votes absolutely DO matter. Thankfully, I am confident I will see no less than 30,000 votes cast for me in the November election. How do I know? I have a word from God... I’ll come back to that later.
So why am I running for office, particularly in this environment? Because there are at least 1,000 other things I could be doing right now, but those things are on the chopping block if no one fights to make sure the henchman doesn’t reach his target. So either I can do this now in hopes that I can do those things later. Or I can just give up doing those things now and/or later.
WOMEN’S RIGHTS RESTORATION: Protection and restoration of women’s rights for the future of my 3-year-old granddaughter and her 10-year-old sister are high priority for me. It’s not just the abortion ban that concerns me; it's that someone else’s free will is at stake.
Can you believe they’re trying to take away free will? C'mon!! Even Jesus grants us that.
All I can imagine is my grandgirls being marched to the slave auction block like chattel slaves. Not on my watch! Nana Yoyo ain't havin' that sh*t! (campaign tshirts available for $30 incl shipping + donation, while supplies last)
SMALL BUSINESS SUPPORT: Also high on my list are providing and expanding economic development, especially opportunities for small businesses. I will fight until small businesses receive equitable resources to create a playing field where mom-and-pop shops have equitable tax advantages, access to capital and safeguards that larger businesses enjoy.
Think I'm lyin about the disparity? Check the 2022 Small Business Profile for South Carolina!
- Women made up 48.8 percent of workers and owned 44.2 percent of businesses.
- Veterans made up 6.7 percent of workers and owned 10.0 percent of businesses.
Almost 40% of payroll dollars & almost 45% of all jobs in South Carolina are generated by firms with fewer than 500 employees. As many as 90% of these companies may be FAMILY-OWNED. - Brad Bechtold, Family Enterprise Institute of South Carolina
KEY TAKEAWAY:
I can't make this stuff up! The very populations elected officials love to tout they’re helping the most (children, veterans, families, laborers) are the ones suffering the most when it comes to giving the big tax cuts to big businesses! WTF?!
Don't get me wrong. We want them here, too. But NOT at our expense.
SPENDING TRANSPARENCY: We must have fiscal transparency so we can easily follow the dollars supposed to help those small businesses - to the people - accomplish their goals.
Oh, and by the way, Republicans redrew this district to kick out one of their own because she sided with her fellow female Senators (across the aisle) to reject the abortion ban in South Carolina. Gerrymandering chopped up the district like a beat that's been sampled, sliced, and remixed a hundred times. In fact, Sens. Penry Gustafson, Sandy Senn, and Katrina Shealy were all removed from office during sparsely turned out primaries in June. Yes, in a punitive act of retribution, they stonewalled them. No, they kicked them to the curb like a domestic abuser would do! Same pattern I used to see in my DMV days when people were shuffled from line to line, beaten down by bureaucracy, and left feeling powerless. Hated It (to quote Men on Films, In Living Color)!
So what does all this mean? It means if I don’t fight, South Carolinians will get worse representation than they already had! I say we need a brighter vision for District 27.
All this drama, and I haven’t even gotten to the good part…
Playlist Mood: Empowerment
Lovely Day, Bill Withers
Fight Song, Rachel Platten
Good as Hell, Lizzo
Keep Ya Head Up, Tupac
BONUS: Southside, DJ Screw Sittin Sidewayz, Paul Wall
Comments