By Senator Borris Miles
Last week, my colleague and good friend, Senator Royce West announced his candidacy for US Senate in the Democratic Primary. Senator West and I have fought together for more than 20 years on criminal justice reforms, giving kids a high-quality education and making higher education more affordable and accessible.
This year, Senator West and I stood for four and a half hours fighting a bill that would make it harder to remove or relocate a Confederate monument. As the only two African American senators, this bill was personal for us and our communities. I could not have asked for a more calm hand and a strong voice to be by my side to fight against this terrible piece of legislation. I am proud to offer him my full support in his bid for the US Senate.
Every day, new voices are joining to run for office. But, as we continue to encourage new leaders to run for political office, we the people, must also do our due diligence and ensure that the people we elect represent our values. We must hold our elected officials accountable so that we can continue to move forward and advance an agenda that benefits our people and communities.
Change is possible and we proved that last year when Democrats picked up 14 seats in the Legislature. But we all have to do our part. 550,000 registered African-Americans in Texas did not vote in 2018. We must make sure that our community makes its voice heard.
Photo credit: theapopkavoice.com
