Why a Question About Slavery Is Now on the Ballot in 5 States
A presidential candidate who has called for ending slavery, who in a past life was involved in civil rights struggles, who once used a racially charged phrase and now is using a new nickname for President Obama, is now a major presidential contender.
One of the major contenders to be the Democratic nominee to become the next president of the United States: former Massachusetts governor Deval Patrick, who told his fellow Democrats to make history.
“We are going to make history,” Patrick told the audience at the Democratic Party’s national convention in Charlotte on Saturday. “And it starts with us.
“It starts with us. It starts with every one of you.”
“Every one of us is a person of color,” he said, “and we can do this.”
Patrick’s remarks come at a pivotal moment. His candidacy has drawn the attention of some key party leaders and voters in states where his appeal seems to be particularly strong: Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Florida, North Carolina and Michigan.
Deval Patrick is among four candidates in the Democratic primary, he’s got a history of standing up for equality, and he’s using the most powerful force in the American public sphere to make history.
For the first time in U.S. history, a candidate has made a campaign issue out of the issue of slavery.
As the country prepares to elect and re-elect its president, some political observers are wondering if this issue is going to carry the day.
Deval Patrick is a rising star
Patrick is the first person of color to qualify for the presidency in a major party’s presidential nominating contest since William Tilden in 1876.
Patrick doesn’t have much of an actual political history compared to two other leading contenders, and he admits that his race is far from an issue.
Patrick told The Huffington Post that he believes it was his “call to action” to run for president, because he wanted to make history.
“The world has come a long way. We have come so far. But it hasn’t come far enough,” he said. “We have to make it. We have to do it. And I think if you’re a person of color