As a Black woman, I can vouch for a white, male VP prospect from Minnesota, Tim Walz [View all]

[Nanjeanne]

https://www.startribune.com/as-a-black-woman-i-can-vouch-for-a-white-male-vp-prospect-from-minnesota-tim-walz/600683165]

This is an article that is very anecdotal - but it is heartwarming and worth reading.

FYI: Sheletta Brundidge is an award-winning broadcaster, podcaster, author and founder of /ShelettaMakesMeLaugh.com, a production and promotions company that celebrates Black culture. From Wikipedia: Sheletta Brundidge is an American children's author, an Emmy Award winning comedian, and a local activist. Brundidge has focused on autism in her books, and is an advocate for autistic people and children. She is the author of Brandon Spots His Sign, which was inspired by her autistic son Brandon drawing inspiration from Let's Go Brandon signs around his neighborhood.

He’d be great. He’s shown himself to be a powerful ally for Black women and women of color
By Sheletta Brundidge

Three years ago this month, he accompanied me as I got my COVID-19 vaccine. The pandemic was at its height, and I had decided I was not going to get the shot. Like many Black women, I have good reason for not trusting the health care system: the shameful, tragic Tuskegee study and my own experience of nearly dying in childbirth.

But after voicing my anti-vaccine concerns on the radio, I changed my mind when my teenage son asked me to get the shot as his birthday present.

My public reconsideration turned me into a target for anti-vaxxers who planned to protest when I was vaccinated. At 11 p.m. on the night before I was scheduled to get the shot, police came to my door, saying they had received “credible threats” against me and my family.

Walz was in touch, asking what I needed to be safe. He made sure we had extra security and was by my side when the Hy-Vee pharmacist gave me the shot, whispering, “You got this.”

Because he came, there were additional officers there, which meant my children and I were safe. Because he came, the media came, too, and carried my message to other Black women that it’s OK to change your mind.

SNIP

I created and sponsored Black Entrepreneurs Day at the Capitol, inviting hundreds of business owners to join me. Walz again asked how he and his administration could help. He came to our rally in the Rotunda, addressed the crowd and talked one-on-one with business owners.

His presence and leadership were a game-changer.

SNIP

He signed into law the CROWN Act, which bans racial discrimination based on hair texture and styles, and the African American Family Preservation Act, which addresses disparities in the child welfare system and promotes the stability of Black families. He signed the bill that established the state’s Office of Missing and Murdered Black Women and Girls in response to the Minnesota statistic that Black women are three times more likely to be murdered than white women.

He has elevated BIPOC women in his administration, especially through his partnership with Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan, the highest-ranking Native American woman elected to executive office in the U.S.

The whole article is worth a read. He really is a mensch.