You previously shared your support for the abolishment of the Electoral College. Why do you feel it’s no longer needed?
The Electoral College was never necessary. It was begun as a compromise to allow Southern slaveholders to count the bodies of Blacks, but not to count their souls, and to still have access to the political power that came with the enumeration that comes from the census. It not only affected how the congressional seats were delegated, but it also affected how the president was elected.
What do you think Dr. King would say about this election?
I think, as with every election, his edict is for us to march on ballot boxes. Actually, one of my favorite speeches by him is not the two that he’s most famous for. But it’s the speech he gave in 1966 in South Carolina, where he said we need to march on ballot boxes. Once the right to vote was made real, we had to leverage that right. He understood that elections are decided by who shows up. But it’s also decided by who stays home and if you stay home because of despair, disillusionment, or because of suppression, the consequences are the same.
