On Feb. 1 and Feb. 8, I read in the Herald-Journal the comments by Mr. Monier Abusaft, the new NAACP leader in Spartanburg, about the tragic and unjust killings of black youths and black men. I agree that these deaths are tragic and that the nation’s attention must be drawn to the issue.
However, in his first attempt at creating dialogue about issues concerning this community, Mr. Abusaft also should have addressed the several high-priority issues for Spartanburg County and the city of Spartanburg: the lack of or low voter turnouts, unemployment, high school dropout rate, crime and drug problems. Because all lives matter, these are most pressing issues.
There are 160,771 registered voters in Spartanburg County. In November’s general election, there were only 65,870 ballots cast, just 40.9 percent of voter turnout. If we work to get people to vote, that will solve many issues. Mr. Abusaft, along with the other NAACP leaders in Spartanburg, could play a pivotal role in bringing together the residents, community advisers, business leaders and churches to work on finding solutions for these issues.
Too many people have lost their lives for us to have the right to vote; to not vote is a sign of disrespect for those who sacrificed so much for so many. My hope is that Mr. Abusaft will make voting another one of his driving issues.
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