Volume 6, Issue 2 (1992) Race and Politics in America: A Special Issue

This special issue of the Trotter Review is devoted to a broad range of topics related to race, power, and voting. Although voting is a critically important political tool for black America, the vote does not necessarily guarantee that a group will enjoy power in society. At the same time that we seek greater rates of voter registration and turnout at all levels of the electoral process, we must also continue to struggle towards an agenda that delivers power to the black community.

The issue opens with an explanation of why statehood for Washington, D.C., should be a key item on the black agenda. Statehood could result in greater political influence for blacks. But, as Reverend Jesse Jackson reminds us, statehood for the District of Columbia is also important in ensuring that the nation practices what it preaches by adhering to the principles of a democratic society.