An Open Letter to Black Elected Officials — and Those Seeking Office
By Bobby R. Henry, Sr.
Texas Metro News
https://texasmetronews.com
To the Black elected officials serving our communities, and to those who are seeking public office:
Let me be clear.
As another election season approaches, our communities once again find themselves facing the familiar challenges of misinformation, voter confusion, and continued attempts in some places to weaken the power of the Black vote. At times like these, the most important weapon in a democracy is not money or political influence.
It is information.
And for generations, the institutions that have delivered that information to our communities have been Black-owned media.
Long before mainstream newsrooms opened their doors to our stories, the Black Press stood as the voice of the people. Our newspapers educated newly freed men and women. They exposed injustice when others refused. They mobilized communities during the Civil Rights Movement and carried the message of voter registration across the South and across this nation.
The historic motto of the Black Press has always been:
“Pleading Our Own Cause.”
That cause today remains the same, to be an informed, engaged, and empowered electorate.
That is why I am calling on Black elected officials and those aspiring to be from across this nation to remind and encourage Supervisors of Elections, PACs and those who make decisions to advertise voter education information in Black-owned media outlets.
When election offices announce:
- voter registration deadlines
- early voting opportunities
- polling locations
- vote-by-mail information
- changes in election laws
That information must reach our communities through trusted platforms that our people read, listen to, and believe.
If the goal is truly to increase voter participation, the solution is simple:
Invest in the media that actually reaches the people.
But this letter is also a reminder and perhaps a challenge to those who are currently campaigning or preparing to seek election.
If you want our votes, you must respect our voices.
That means using the institutions that serve our communities every single week of the year.
Advertise in Black-owned newspapers.
Engage Black journalists in meaningful interviews.
Participate in forums hosted by Black media outlets.
Invest in the platforms that keep our communities informed.
Too often, candidates walk through our neighborhoods shaking hands and asking for support, yet overlook the very institutions that speak to those neighborhoods every day.
Black-owned media should never be an afterthought.
It should be recognized as a central pillar of democratic engagement in our communities.
Supporting Black-owned media is not simply a financial decision.
It is a recognition that the institutions which helped secure the right to vote must remain strong enough to protect and promote that right today.
The Black Press has stood on the front lines of truth, accountability, and community empowerment for nearly two centuries.
Now we ask those who hold offices or seek them to stand with us.
Because democracy works best when the people are informed.
And the people are informed when their trusted voices are respected and supported.
Let me close with a simple truth:
If you are asking for the votes of Black communities, then you should also be speaking through the voices that have served those communities for generations.
Support Black-owned media. Advertise in Black-owned media. Engage Black-owned media.
Because when the Black Press is strong, our communities are strong and our democracy is stronger.
Bobby Henry, Sr. is the publisher of the Westside Gazette and chair of the National Newspaper Publishers Association-NNPA
