Ieshuh Griffin is running for state office in Wisconsin. Running as an Independent, the state of Wisconsin allows and provides a space for a five-word slogan to describe their candidacy. Griffin’s five-word message to the voter to be placed on the ballot is “NOT the White Man’s b—h.”
She thought she had found the best slogan for her candidacy, since she is running against three Democrats for the seat in the mainly African American 10th Assembly District. It seems to fit since it has been reported that she has a history of being anti-establishment and of having major beef with local officials. But she has been informed that she may not be allowed to use the slogan.
Wisconsin election officials narrowly rejected Griffin’s slogan. Although three members of the all-white, six-member Government Accountability Board ruled in Griffin’s favor, she fell one vote short of the four-vote majority thanks to one board member’s absence. The Wisconsin’s Government Accountability Board determined her motto was “pejorative in nature” and did not meet statutory standards.
Griffin states that she will sue if she is not allowed to have her chosen slogan on the ballot, which she did. In federal court she stated her “freedom of expression” was being suppressed and that her slogan is “not racist, it’s not a slur … it’s not pointed to a particular person, in my point of view the average politician is a token.
“It’s a statement of principle … it’s to show that I’m completely different than the average politician,” she added.
Her voice is loud and clear, and it is more than obvious she is an atypical politician.
“I’m not making a derogatory statement toward an ethnic group. I’m stating what I’m not,” Griffin told the board. “It’s my constitutional right to freedom of speech.”
Griffin is running to replace retiring Rep. Annette “Polly” Williams, D-Milwaukee.
Griffin understands that her slogan is unique and that is what is great about her “no politics as usual stance.”
I wish their were more brave politicians in the African American community who would stand up for their beliefs and principles and say in whatever way they feel, that they are men and women who will not bow down to the mainstream establishment politicians who often ignore the concerns of African Americans, regardless of where they live. –torrance stephens, ph.d.
