On Monday morning, November 5th, Arthur Cunningham was working on his resume in the computer lab next to the TakeAction Minnesota Northside “Get out the Vote” Action Center. Arthur is 21 years old, African American, and lives in North Minneapolis. Until Tuesday, he had never voted before. He had no idea what the Voter Restriction Amendment was about or how it would have impacted him if it had passed.
After a ten minute conversation about the amendment (and some quick help with his resume), Arthur was ready to hit the phones and volunteer his time to defeat the amendment. On Election Day, not only did he continue to work the phones and wave signs in the street, he also got a ride from our action center to the polls and filled out his first ballot.
Arthur helped Minnesota make history. He voted to re-elect the first African American President, and said NO to both marriage discrimination and voter suppression. When I asked him why he had never voted before, he said he felt like voting didn’t make a difference. After voting this year, I am pretty sure Arthur changed his mind.
Here’s the best part: Arthur wasn’t alone. Leaders from the Justice 4 All program spent months on the phones and knocking on doors talking to voters about the Voter Restriction Amendment and its impact on our community. We talked to business owners, churchgoers, folks at the barbershop and beauty salon to make sure our people made it to the polls. They filled out their ballots and on Election Day, Minnesota made history.
We became the first state in the nation to reject both the Anti-Marriage Amendment and the Voter Restriction Amendment. We stood together and said NO to limiting the freedom to marry and NO to excluding people from participating in the best voting system in the country.
So, what do you do after you make history? Justice 4 All wants to make sure that Arthur has a fair shot at getting hired when he starts showing his new resume to employers. We stood up and said NO to marriage discrimination and NO to voter suppression. Now it’s time to stand up and say YES to building a workforce that is open to everyone who is able. The unemployment rate for African Americans in this state is 27% and Arthur is living that reality every day.
For the next few months J4A will keep building its base in communities of color, developing leaders and helping them tell their story to those who perpetuate discriminatory hiring practices that result in the racial jobs gap. By demanding that Fair Hiring Practices be adopted across the state we can create another historic moment, but this time we will be celebrating a reduction in the unemployment rate for communities of color. Now, that’s something worth saying YES to!
J4A’s Fair Hiring Campaign is fighting to make sure that our state does better. Please join us as we work to have Fair Hiring Practices adopted by employers across the state. Together, we will help Arthur and everyone out there struggling with barriers to employment get a fair shot. Email me at Justin@TakeActionMinnesota if you want to join us.
Thank you.
Justin Terrell
P.S. Let me know if you want to see the young brotha’s resume.
Justin Terrell is TakeAction Minnesota’s Justice 4 All Program Manager.
