11th November 2000
I had the opportunity to meet Coretta Scott King in Atlanta, GA where she was speaking at the National Gay & Lesbian Task Force’s Creating Change Conference. Let me just say, she thinks it makes a real difference if Gore is elected instead of Bush and… she doesn’t think the fight is over.
The election is not over. I am receiving messages from Florida that make it clear that the good people of that state are still battling to make the politicians honor the intention of the voters in West Palm Beach. Meanwhile, something ominous is happening. There is a drumbeat getting louder and louder in the media which drowns out all other sound but “Let’s wrap this thing up NOW.” The message is: Bush is our new president. Gore supporters are just crybabies and Gore is a sore loser.
Here’s one message I received describing the atmosphere in Miami. This is from Mari Castellanos a Latina and lesbian activist.
“It felt like Birmingham, last night, at a mammoth rally at New Birth Baptist Church, a primarily African American congregation in Miami – 14,000 members – led by young and fiery Bishop Victor Curry.”
The sanctuary was standing room only. So were the overflow rooms and the school hall where people connected via large TV screens. In all rooms people sang and prayed and listened. Story after story was told of people being turned away at the polls, of ballots being allegedly destroyed, of NAACP election literature being allegedly discarded at the main post office, of Spanish speaking poll workers being sent to Creole precincts and vice-versa and on and on. Union leaders, civil rights activists, Black elected officials, ministers, rabbis and an incredibly passionate and inspiring Marlene Bastiene – president of the Haitian women’s organization – spoke for two or three minutes each, reminding the assembly of the price their communities had paid for the right to vote and vowing not to be disenfranchised ever again. Then the Rev.Jesse Jackson preached it.
You folks need to know what’s happening in Florida… Lawsuits are being filed in federal court today. Marches are scheduled all over the State. The ballot scandal in Palm Beach is outrageous and I don’t think the Jewish condo commandos will accept their votes for Gore becoming votes for Buchanan because of a faulty ballot design. You also need to know that Gov. Jeb Bush sent out letters, bearing the seal of the Governor of Florida, to registered Republican voters encouraging them to request absentee ballots and “vote Republican”. Last night the Black leadership spoke of starting a drive to recall Jeb. Yet, none of this made the late evening news I watched.”
If you believe, as I do, that the vote should be taken over again in West Palm Beach, join me in e-mailing the Secretary of State of Florida, Ms. Katherine Harris, at secretary@mail.dos.state.fl.us.
You can also check out this site which has valuable information about how to get involved in fighting for a Gore victory.