When the presidential candidates for the Democratic party were announced, I was pleasantly surprised at how diverse they were. Corey Booker, Kamala Harris, Julian Castro and Andrew Yang represented those of us who felt like we could never reach the White House. But things quickly changed.
Now, I turn on the Democratic debates and I just see white.
I do appreciate that some of the candidates are actually planning to do something positive with their time in office. They are sensible enough to recognize the climate crisis, they are addressing student debt and are planning to reform the current healthcare system.
However, it doesn’t matter how educated they are on these topics. I still question whether they are educated on the actual needs of minorities in America. Are minorities actually a priority or are we just a talking point?
I find it difficult to believe that billionaire Tom Seyer has anything in common with me, a black and Mexican female college student. Candidates, such as Booker and Castro, dropped out because they did not have the financial resources to support their campaigns. Often the candidates with the means are white, and, in particular, white men. They have controlled this country for so long that I am ready for new voices to be heard.
White men have historically and continue to represent everything and everyone who has ever been against me. White men have been horrifically racist against black people, some do not want Mexican people in this country and they have silenced women. I am a combination of all these identities. Looking at American textbooks, I am not supposed to succeed under a white man.
So, I hesitate to support someone who has never been unwanted by their country. It’s unlikely that any of the candidates still in the running have experienced discrimination because of the color of their skin. Their hair is always “professional,” even when it is in its natural state. But, the American people are so incredibly different from one another.
Fortunately, there are still women in the running — Elizabeth Warren, Amy Klobuchar and Tulsi Gabbard — which is promising because of how we have been painfully silenced in the past. And Pete Buttigieg could potentially be the first openly gay man in office, which is powerful for the LGBTQ community. Their presence in the race is evidence of significant cultural shifts, but the threat of another white man being elected into office still looms over me.
All of the candidates are on a rampage to defeat incumbent Donald Trump, and their agendas focus on dismantling his actions during the past four years. I respect this, but the needs of minorities shouldn’t be lost in the battle.
The candidates have acknowledged the need for reform of the immigration system, the disparities between the wages of white, Latino and black workers, and the rights (or lack thereof) women have to control their bodies. The Democratic candidates are ultimately each other’s allies, but they lack emotional connections to minorities.
Their lack of shared experiences is what worries me most about their potential time in office. When it comes down to proposing bills and getting legislation passed, will they still have the passion that they have on stage? Will they fight for equality, or will they let things slide because other national interests are supposedly more important?
I can’t speak on the candidates’ motives behind their platforms, but politics is all about doing whatever you can to get people to like you. I trust that the Democratic candidates have good intentions, but I still question their sincerity of devotion to all citizens.
If your main goal is to just get into the White House and not actually help minorities, then I would rather you not use us as a stepping stone to get there.
