THE VOTE BY: MATTHEW ROSE · NMAC· OCTOBER 28, 2016
Progress means different things, to different people, at different times. And many times progress is not a straight line. The important thing is that we never stop moving and we don’t give up.
Political progress has pushed an imperfect system closer towards the promise of representation for all. Voting has given a voice to generations of people who were once voiceless. Our ancestors made a promise to us that the struggle and pain they endured would end with them. They fought for our right to vote so we could make progress in a world without such barriers. We all have our motivation for what leads us to the polls whether it stems from anger or the drive to fulfill our civic duty. Individually, we have hopes of being a part of a representative democracy to ultimately achieve our vision of creating positive changes in our communities. What is most important is that you show up to be heard.
Scientific progress, especially in a field like HIV, is marked by successes and failures, but the advances we’ve made in our understanding of HIV has the potential to make monumental strides that could drastically change the course of the epidemic.A lesson to learn early in this field is that public health is political.With the tools we have now, it is a question of can we marshal the resources to fully support the integration and scale up to those most in need of newer options. With a collective push by our community, we can shift the epidemic for the first time in a decade for all vulnerable populations. Much of this progress will depend on our ability to show elected officials that we matter and deserve to be a priority during the decision-making process.
In the last election cycle, for the first time in American history, the Black voter turnout exceeded that of Whites, with minority voters proving critical to the election results. As we head towards election day, the votes of minority populations will again play a major role in the election's outcome. We have to ensure that our communities, families, friends, coworkers, and neighbors VOTE!
Share your pride! Email NMAC your “I voted” pictures to communications@nmac.org. Include your city and state so we can show the nation the voting power of the HIV community.
