While white people are preoccupied between voting for an avowed orange colored fascist and an anti-Black war monger, the Afrikan Black Coalition finds it imperative that Black voters become knowledgeable and make informed decisions around the 17 propositions on the ballot this November. This is because propositions have the potential to provide tangible improvements or systematic disenfranchisement to Black people. Knowing their importance, we have researched and vetted each proposition on the ballot and have created a voter guide by identifying and prioritizing the propositions that are most consequential for Black people. After thorough research, we have decided to endorse propositions 55, 57, 58, and 62 and strongly oppose proposition 66.
We support Proposition 55 because public schools, where the majority of Black youth attend, will be receiving more funding by taxing the wealthiest Californians and the revenue will be allocated and distributed by local school boards. We are cognizant of the failures of the American public education system but additional funding will provide organizing opportunities for our youth about how the new funds will be spent at the local level.
We support Proposition 57 because it strips prosecutors’ power to charge our youth as adults. The majority of youth who have been tried as adults have been disproportionately Black and Latino. This reduces the power of racist DA’s who manipulate and threaten our children with trying them as adults. It also allows parole consideration for incarcerated folks by authorizing sentence credits for rehabilitation, good behavior and education. This proposition for more of our people to have a better chance of coming home from America’s cages.
We support Proposition 58 because it authorizes school districts to establish dual-language immersion programs. We believe this will benefit the scores of young students who deserve equitable and accessible education despite English being their second language.
We support Proposition 62 because it would abolish the death penalty. In California, Black people make up 7% of the population but make up nearly 50% of the people on death row. This staggering application of the death penalty on Black people is reason enough for us to want it abolished at once.
Lastly, we strongly oppose Proposition 66 because it is a reckless experiment with justice that would limit the appeals process to people on death row to a mere 5 years among other procedural changes thus, greatly increasing the risk of killing an innocent person. Given the racial disparity on death row, it is clear that if and when California executes an innocent person, that person will most likely be a Black man or woman.
In conclusion, the previously identified propositions are crucial to vote on because they are small steps toward improving our current material conditions. These propositions focus in the fields of education and mass incarceration and their failure to pass will concretely worsen our people’s material conditions.Thus, we urge all Black people and all people of conscience to VOTE YES on Propositions 55, 57, 58, and 62 and VOTE NO on 66.
