Lifestyle

Representation is Key

It’s been almost three weeks since George Floyd was murdered and it feels like the world has shifted. People have stopped to ask themselves:  

  • Who am I?
  • What do I stand for?
  • How can I make a difference?

Protests all over the world, statues being torn down, 9 to 5ers calling out discrimination at work and brands being put on the spot for their lack of representation. These same brands are companies that hardly have any black people in upper management. For some of them, approximately 6% of their staff is black. But for many others, they have none on their payroll. 

Everyone is posting different black businesses to follow and shop (which I have been doing), but I want to take this time to focus on two things: VOTING and the CENSUS

I came across various statistics that said about 100 million Americans did NOT vote during the last general election. You may think your one vote doesn’t count, but it does.  This is why it’s important to go to the polls. I know some people have to wait long hours to vote, but remember those who fought and lost their lives to give us this right. Standing in line for 3 hours really isn’t so bad (sorry sis!). 

Also, if you’re afraid of physically going because of the coronavirus pandemic, see if you can request an absentee ballot. 

 

Then, there is the Census. Every 10 years the government goes around asking households to fill out a quick questionnaire so they can determine how many people live in each state. Then, once it’s all said and done, they allocate federal funds to each area. This could mean better hospitals, school lunch programs, more stores which means more jobs and other critical programs and services. This is money that can be used to build up your community. 

Visit vote.gov and 2020census.gov to register and fill out the questionnaire. Each website takes approximately 10 minutes each, max!

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