By Esteban Cabrera
(The author is a Latino consultant for American Values 2024)
New York: The African-American community has strongly supported the independent candidacy of presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. On Thursday, October 5, various community leaders organized an enthusiastic mega event under the American Values 2024 Super PAC guidelines in a Manhattan restaurant.
Before, an amalgam of participants was made up of supporters of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and others who felt attracted by the candidate’s electrifying and contagious speech and sought to hear more of his political proposals, causing undisputed support for Kennedy in the African-American community.
One of the most authoritative voices of this human conglomerate that was heard at the event was that of Larry Sharpe, a famous African-American leader, two-time liberal candidate for governor of New York, businessman and podcast host, and he expressed the urgent need for a political change in the United States.
“The divisive nature of the current political climate and the two-party system has led to a perpetual conflict. This is not healthy; it is unhealthy, and now nothing is solved,” said Larry Sharpe in his speech as the event’s speaker.
In the past, Sharpe sued former Governor Andrew Cuomo for pushing a COVID-19 emergency bill in 2020 that illegally changed ballot access rules for third parties in New York, resulting in losing the ballot line. Liberalism that Sharpe and his volunteers had spent a lot of time and money on.
“Both major parties have a vested interest in maintaining the status quo, but current dissatisfaction with the system suggests that change is inevitable. The two-party system right now is crushing us. “It’s about how surely neither side can fix anything because we’re constantly fighting each other,” added Larry Sharpe, then said: “Society is increasingly divided along political lines, which affects everything, including families and friendships. “That is why there is an urgent need for change, which is why it is ideal that the system evolves, whether through independent candidates or third parties.”
Sharpe praised Kennedy for taking on this challenge. He hoped that Kennedy would continue his efforts to disrupt the two-party system and encourage others to follow his example. “The advantage is that there is a passion in America right now for something different,” he said. “People are understanding that the two-party system no longer works.”
That’s why Sharpe believes Kennedy’s timing couldn’t be better. “The timing is right,” he said.
Sharpe believes a lot can happen before the 2024 election. “If I had to guess, Trump or Biden wouldn’t be on the ballot,” he said. “It will be someone else on both lists and at least two independents.”
Participation in the Diane Sare event.
The presence at this event of the independent candidate for the United States Senate, Diane Sare, was one of the high points of the meeting of the African-American community in support of the Super Pac American Values 2024, which supports the independent candidacy of Robert F. Kennedy. Jr. Sare passionately advocated the dissolution of the two-party system.
“I am apprehensive about the year 2024. I think this may be the most important election in history because the issues are the explosion of the economy and the threat of nuclear war,” Kennedy is credited for having a clear speech on both issues. “I think the Democratic Party really should have thought twice,” said Diane Sare.
Sare also shared her perspective on why some people gravitate toward figures like Trump. “People like Trump because they feel he cares about them,” she explained. She believes that the fact that Trump has faced numerous legal challenges has made him even more popular among confident supporters. Sare expressed her enthusiasm for supporting Kennedy’s independent candidacy.
Diane Sare was a Democrat for many years and ran as a Democrat for Congress from New Jersey. She switched to independent so she could run against Chris Christie. In 2022, Sare ran for the United States Senate against Chuck Schumer in New York and will run against him again in 2024.
Among those attending the event to support the African American community for Kennedy were John Slade, a graduate of Howard College, who came to express his unwavering support for Kennedy; The Honorable Zainabu Sesay-Harrell, founder of the Sierra Leone Nurses Association in New York and former member of Sierra Leone’s parliament, proudly represented marginalized communities at the event; Sandra Wesley, founder of KHNIA’s Women Empowering Women; Alpheaus Marcus, New York community advocate and candidate for the New York State Assembly in the 2024 election; Felice Schachter, a dedicated teacher and educational consultant; Dr. Fadia Nortdveit, Associate Professor of Media Studies at New York University (NYU), among other influential African American leaders; Daniella May, candidate for the New York City Council District in Queens.
