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The question comes up because of recent public comments by City Councilwoman Linda DeLeon. In her endorsement of Glen Robertson for the District 1 seat, Mrs. DeLeon stated:
“I am surprised some have tried to turn this into an issue of ethnicity. Those people obviously do not know the people of District 1. I know this district's people and I know they look at the quality of an individual's character and their experience, not at the color of their skin”.
We are surprised when an elected official like Mrs. DeLeon has forgotten about the hard fought legal battles which were waged against the Lubbock Independent School District and the City of Lubbock to make sure that “minority representation” became a reality and not just a dream. Some struggles that Mrs. DeLeon herself participated in.
While we agree that people should be judged on character and not solely on the color of their skin, we still live in a time where people make voting decisions based on other criteria.
For example, while some political pundits criticized voters who voted for President Obama because he is black; there were also many voters who didn’t vote for him for the very same reason.
And that is a voter’s right. Whether it is right or wrong is for an individual’s own conscience to decide. Regardless; it is just a political reality.
Another is that the reasons the legal challenges were waged against the two aforementioned city political institutions and election systems; are still a political reality today.
We feel strongly that political institutions should accurately reflect the make up of the electorate. District 1 is predominately Hispanic and consequently, election outcomes have reflected that reality. And it is not so much voters voting for someone only because of the color of his or her skin, but rather voting for someone who reflects who they are, their political views, and their cultural makeup.
They feel more comfortable voting for someone who looks like them, relates to them culturally, speaks their native language, shares their historical background, shares their struggles and shares their frustration with political systems still dominated by elected officials who may not be in sync with the community’s needs and concerns and especially share their hopes and dreams for the future.
We strongly disagree with Mrs. DeLeon’s
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