Local NAACP chief says blacks must wake up, vote
Editor’s note: This story is the second in a two-part series examining the role of blacks in local government and the election process.The head of the Fayette County NAACP says the black community must “wake up” and vote if it wants representation in local government. And, Clinton Anderson believes that politicians should encourage blacks to become involved in government, endorsing a form of affirmative action that ensures equal opportunity in politics.
“Affirmative action is a bad word in Fayette County,” Anderson said. “The general public does not understand what affirmative action is, but the politicians who are in power need to (use the program). They need to recruit, hire and train minorities to work on committees, campaigns and so forth.”
Affirmative action, Anderson said, is a program that takes active measures to ensure equal opportunity in education and employment.
“When you mention affirmative action, people automatically think some black guy is trying to get a job he’s not qualified for, but that’s not the case,” he said.
According to Anderson, politicians need to use affirmative action in politics by encouraging minorities to seek office and take part in the election process.
“Some (elected officials) are doing that, but I’d say the majority aren’t. Our politicians can make a difference. They can recruit, they can hire, they can train, they can get (blacks) involved, but for the most part, it’s not being done,” he said.
However, Anderson also pointed out that blacks are responsible for their own future, and he said more blacks need to vote.
“We disenfranchise ourselves by not registering and by not voting,” Anderson said. “African-American candidates will begin to surface once more blacks begin to vote.”
Anderson, who grew up in the Uniontown area, said blacks never were adequately represented in elected office; however, he said blacks used to take pride in voting.
“In the past, even though we didn’t have African-Americans running for office, we had African-Americans going to the polls, voting for candidates who they thought would do some good. But voting has trailed off tremendously,” he said.
Citing the last presidential election, Anderson said blacks who think their vote does not count are wrong.
“Three hundred votes could have swung the election. If the African-American population in Fayette County would have been in Florida and voted Democratic, we’d have a different president today.”
The black community, according to Anderson, has become brainwashed over the last 15 years. Politicians say they’ll take care of the black community, but the blacks aren’t taken care of, he said.
“People complain about the politicians in Fayette County, but the same ones are getting re-elected because the same people are voting for them.
“You can’t have people representing a culture they don’t understand. A lot of the people who are on different boards, committees and authorities making decisions for residents in African-American communities are the same people who roll up their windows and drive 80 through town so they don’t have to see the community (they’re supposed to represent),” Anderson said.
Discrimination against blacks still occurs, Anderson said.
Court Gould, director of Sustainable Pittsburgh, a 3-year-old public policy group that focuses on economic prosperity, social equity and environmental quality, said parts of southwestern Pennsylvania “seem to be stuck in the 1950s” when it comes to racial diversity.
However, Anderson thinks Fayette County is stuck in the 1930s.
“It’s almost like the Old Jim Crow South,” he said. “African Americans feel like they can’t achieve anything. They feel that they aren’t as good as and aren’t equal to (whites), because it’s been driven into their heads for so long that they begin to believe it.”
Citing the 1930s mentality, Anderson said it’s absurd to think the general public would be supportive of a black candidate.
“This community has just begun accepting women,” he said, adding that some whites assume that blacks are uneducated and unable to accomplish things. “But, there are qualified African-Americans in this county who are well trained, educated and able to lead.”
Black representation, according to Anderson, is lacking in everything but sports.
“If you look on Herald-Standard TV, how many African-Americans do you ever see on any of the boards? But you go to the high school football and basketball games and African-Americans are well represented. We have children excelling in sports, but we have no (blacks) serving on the school board,” he said.
If blacks are ever to be accepted in politics, Anderson said, they must become active and get involved in the community. They must become visible at public meetings and voice their opinions so that those in office will take notice, he said.
Anderson also claimed that many politicians try to ignore the fact that blacks are underrepresented in government.
“When you sweep dust under the carpet, the carpet looks clean. So, you sweep that dust under the carpet, but it’s still there,” he said.
The solution, according to Anderson, is community involvement, requiring the efforts of politicians and black voters.
Anderson said the NAACP encourages everyone to vote. The organization has set up voter-registration booths at Uniontown Mall, and NAACP officials ask all who enters their office if they are registered to vote.
Anderson said the NAACP also is partnering with the East End Ministerial Alliance, a group of eight Uniontown pastors who are trying to interest more blacks in politics by encouraging them to vote and informing them about candidates.
“African-Americans need to wake up and take a look at what’s going on,” he said. “Politics is all about getting the vote. Things aren’t going to change if African-Americans are going to disenfranchise themselves and not actively participate.”