Its Crunch Time

If you believe you have heard it or seen it all, then just wait a day or two... much more of it is on its way.  With the number of contested local, state and national races this time around, things are about to get interesting, to say the least.  Between now and Election Day there will be more debates about the issues, town-halls, rallies, robocalls and door-to-door campaigning.   

A lot is at stake and voters are eager to hear more about what can be done about the issues that matter to them.  Even here in Milwaukee, local residents are looking for more than a canned speech or empty rhetoric, they are looking for answers.  In a broader view, people want to hear more about solutions that help the community become safer and more economically vibrant. They seek solutions to reducing the high rates of incarceration of African American men and boys; improve job skill training for employment across all career pathways, reducing poverty, shrinking the number of high school dropouts and the creation of more affordable housing options.  These are all though issues to tackle, but any solutions are better than none.    
  
What is truly amazing about this election cycle is that it occurring during a generation shift, from “baby boomers” leaving the workforce to “millennials” joining the workforce in full force.  It is also a time period of changing demographic and when the nation as a whole is becoming more diverse.  And it is with this transition that a lot of the values of the previous generation are being questioned and changed.  These changes are not only affecting the values of our past, but also our heritage and national identity.   


For those of us who appreciate where we are in this moment of history, it helps to have the ability to relate to a new generation in ways that can only build stronger communities.  For those who cannot relate to this new generation and realize that a new era has begun, it may be too late to be out front in the near future.  One thing is for sure that this new generation has come to learn quickly in that change can occur through activism and voting.  This year, the pressure to win is on and the time is running out!!!