Niccara Campbell is the founder of Rolling Sea Action Fund. She was a panelist at the Black Music Action Coalition’s Celebration Of Democracy on Sunday, Oct. 29, at Breakfast at Barney’s, where she spoke about elections in the community. Rolling out caught up with her after her panel.
Why is this election more important than most?
This election is … more important than most … because right now we actually … have a fascist running for the White House. We … have [an]anarchist, someone who doesn’t believe in the Constitution of America, who is anti-democratic and anti-patriotic. … It is very imperative that we vote in this election so we can save our democracy. … I know this sounds frivolous to a lot of voters, Black people, because … we’ve dealt with so much in our country, but this is very, very real. We have to make sure we vote.
Why do you feel some Black people are saying they won’t vote for Harris or at all?
I think most people don’t want to vote because they think it will be the same old story … . What has changed in their life? Have they felt anything impactful? … We in general haven’t done a … good job of making sure that we are not just voting in the presidential [election], but voting in every single election. For the school board, sheriff, or whatever … . So I understand, but … your vote matters.
Why is voting in other elections important?
They’re … important because those are the people who directly fight for you to get money. … The federal government disperses the money from the appropriations committee … to your governor, your governor then doles it out to your city council, and depending on your municipality, doles it out to you, to your school board, to your sheriff … . That [is]why it’s so important to have champions fighting for you to get the books you need, the funding you need, the teacher salaries you need.
What could happen if Trump wins?
The immunity to police brutality is number one for me. … As a Black woman who loves Black men and … Black people I do not want to give cops immunity when they abuse us. We saw with Ronald Green, … we’re dealing with that situation in Louisiana … . We don’t need another Sandra Bland, … another Tamir Rice. … We don’t need someone who’s going to [give]immunity to … cops. … We also need to make sure that we have someone who supports Black-owned businesses. … The Small Business Administration would fall … underneath Trump’s umbrella. You do not want someone like him dictating what Black businesses get or do not get.
