The electorate of Jackson clearly voted for change on Tuesday, May
7th. The Democratic Party Run-Off election, to be held on Tuesday, May
21st, is now
between Chokwe Lumumba and Jonathan Lee. Chokwe won 25%
of the vote on
Tuesday, in comparison to Lee’s 36%, amongst a field of
11 candidates in
total, including the present Mayor, Harvey Johnson,
who won 21% of the
vote.
Despite the initial point differential between Chokwe and Lee, no
one
should be confused that Chokwe is now in the lead. Jonathan Lee
is
just the latest neo-liberal, corporate constructed candidate to
be
foisted on the Jackson political scene to seize the public assets
of
Jackson and its citizens. The local forces of the 1% tried this
tactic
in 2009 with the candidacy of Marshand Crisler. Like Lee in
this
Primary election, Crisler rose more than double his
nearest
competitor, but was ultimately soundly defeated by outgoing
Mayor
Harvey Johnson. Crisler was defeated because the majority of
the
people of Jackson clearly understood that he represented the
interests
of a small ruling elite in the region that possessed no regard for
the
interests of the majority. This pattern will repeat itself on
May
21st. Lee will undoubtedly be defeated because he represents
these
same minority interests, and like his predecessor in 2009 has
more
than likely reached the limits of his social base amongst
the
electorate.
So, we stand confident in the likelihood of our
victory. But, we know
from our collective experience that victory is never
inevitable.
Victory has to be earned. Team Lumumba is prepared to earn it by
out
organizing our opponent in every field of contest. But, we can’t do
it
alone. We need your help.
The people of Jackson, like 99% of the
people everywhere, do not
possess the financial resources of the 1%. To beat
the representatives
of the 1% in electoral campaigns, the 99% has to pool its
financial
resources and utilize them strategically to ensure that our
message
promoting social and economic democracy to fulfill human rights
and
needs is heard by all and that we mobilize, inspire, and
facilitate
the means for the majority to turn out and vote on May 21st. In
order
to do this, we need your support in the following ways:
1.
Fundraising. We need to raise $100,000 to a) ensure that we
secure
sufficient air time in the media via Television and Radio
commercial
adds to get our message across and make the issues clear, b) to
expand
our mobilization and turnout efforts via robo calling and
mass
emailing mechanisms, and c) pay for enough billboards, signs,
posters,
and stickers to blanket the city of Jackson through the 21st of
May.
Donate via paypal at http://electlumumbamayor.com/ or via check to
The
Committee to Elect Chokwe Lumumba, mail to 440 N. Mill St,
Jackson, MS
39202.
2. Social Media. We need an overwhelming
Social Media presence. One
area where we were admittedly outdone during the
Primary campaign was
in the realm of the Social Media (Facebook, Twitter,
Instagram). We
have to match, if not beat the Lee team in this area through
May 21st.
We need all our supporters to a) repost the Facebook
posts
disseminated by the Elect Chokwe Lumumba campaigns Facebook,
Twitter,
and Instagram accounts and b) use the Twitter name and Hash
Tags
produced by Team Lumumba to create an irresistible buzz for
Chokwe
through May 21st.
3. Phone Banking. We need to reach all
of the registered voters in
several essential Wards in Jackson. We need to
help Team Lumumba meet
this goal and this is something we can do from
wherever we are given
today’s technology. If you would like to support the
Phone Banking
team by taking on a list or making regular calls between now
and
Tuesday, May 21st please contact Wanda Smith or Willie Bell at
601.981.9220.
4. Poll Workers and Poll
Watchers. Poll Workers and Poll Watchers are
essential to ensuring fair and
transparent elections. Unfortunately,
Jackson has a history of highly
contested and unfair elections. We
need to make sure that the runoff election
is fair and transparent
regardless of the outcome. We therefore need
volunteers to serve as
Poll Workers and Poll Watchers to come and join us in
monitoring the
elections on May 21st. We need more than 100 individuals to
come and
serve as Poll Workers. Anyone willing to serve as a volunteer in
this
capacity must be in Jackson by the morning of Sunday, May 19th
to
receive training and certification. To join our volunteer Poll
Worker
and Poll Watcher crew please contact Will Bell at 601.981.9220.
With your support we can bring
this victory home. Let’s make it happen!
Committee to Elect Chokwe
Lumumba Mayor
--
In Unity and
Struggle,
Kali
Visit:
http://www.mxgm.org
http://navigatingthestorm.blogspot.com
https://www.youtube.com/user/kaliakuno
http://www.facebook.com/kali.akuno
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