In the pilot podcast, I want to accomplish two things. First, I want to start a conversation about the voting process and issues important to Baltimoreans. The second thing is I want to give listeners a preview of what future podcasts will sound like. With regard to the first objective you might ask the question “Why?” Why start a conversation about voting?
In the podcast, I present some infomation that points to the conclusion that a lot of people in the African American community in Baltimore City might not be turning out to vote for a number of reasons. One reason pointed out has to do with a lack of trust in the voting system and process as a whole. You may know someone who asks “does my vote really count anyway?” There are probably many other reasons that time prevented us from discussing in this 13 minute pilot podcast but as we meet with friends and family in our communities, we need to have more conversations about participating in the process. Voting is a right and a process that allows us to exercise the power of choice. We can choose what we want and if that choice is not working for us, we can make another choice later. In this election, voters get to choose a new Mayor who’s job it will be to tackle the many issues facing Baltimore City. Voters today will also have an even greater ability to do something above voters in previous years. Expectations for the new Mayor of Baltimore are very high and going forward, voters have greater ability to Inspect what they Expect. Social media now has the potential to push news and information in front of people faster than ever before. Within minutes of happening, information about topics we find important can be in front of us to read and act on. So if the next Mayor doesn’t follow through on promises made in their campaign, make yourself be heard! Post, call, write! Be actively engaged. And that doesn’t have to mean you have to go do City Hall. Engagement can happen right on your smartphone. But we have to be diligent to follow up on the issues important to us.
The primary election is Tuesday, April 26th. Don’t forget to get out to the polls.
For information on your polling place you can go to http://boe.baltimorecity.gov/
P.S. Look for our future podcasts coming soon that are currently in production. They cover topics dealing with the vision for the Cliftview neighborhood and community, the development of relationships, attitudes about sex, child support, and more…