6/2/2020 – The Washington Post
“I know how painful racism is. But we can’t give up on voting.” – Rep. Antonio Delgado, a Democrat and Future Forum Vice Chair, represents New York’s 19th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives
I’ve cried many a tear as a black man in America. Sometimes, it is the only way to process the fact that, in the eyes of so many, I’m a walking threat for no reason other than the blackness of my skin. And it’s been this way for as long as I can remember. I’ll never forget my mother telling me when I was growing up that her one job was to make sure I survive in America — to find ways to ensure that when I left the house to go play and hang out with my friends, I made it back home alive.
Today, I’m a black man representing a district that is nearly 90 percent white and in one of the most rural parts of the country. I’m the first person of color to ever represent upstate New York in Congress. The road I traveled to get here was not easy. But my experience is proof that voting can bring about change that once might have seemed out of reach — in fact, it’s crucial to changing the laws and policies that have caused so much agony. READ MORE