Kelty or Henry: Are Black People on their radar?

In the days leading up to last May's mayoral primary, a prominent Black minister complained that Nelson Peters didn't use any people of color in his campaign materials or on his television commercials. The minister was disappointed when I didn't join in his outrage at Nelson Peters. Blacks were also missing-in-action in Matt Kelty's campaign materials. I'm not mad at him either.

If you recall, now Governor/then candidate Mitch Daniels paraded a shufflin' and grinin' Michael Latham in his political spots. Did that mean that Daniels cared about Black people more than his opponent? The proof is in the policies, and outside of awarding Latham with a cushy job (that allegedly Latham isn't even bothering to perform), can you identify any state government policies that Daniels has championed that are particularly Black-people-friendly?

Black people in this community have far more important issues to address than whether a political candidate hires a few token Blacks or Hispanics to stump for votes in a 30-second commercial. Our biggest concern right now, in 2007, should be the fact that we simply aren't on the political radar as a Black community. We don't speak with anything close to a unified voice. Saddest of all, we fail to realize our potential political strength. From Harrison Square to Renaissance Pointe, hundreds of millions of dollars are going to be spent in this community over the next few years. Are we in a position to benefit from these opportunities? Are we organized and prepared to advocate for ourselves?

If mayoral candidates Matt Kelty (R) and Tom Henry (D) continue to overlook the needs, concerns and contributions of the Black community, we have only ourselves to blame.