This is a message to all of the people, and especially to other African Americans, who are frustrated by injustices, protesting and wondering what can you do about injustices in the system.

Can we ask ourselves a couple of questions?

District Attorneys, who decide what gets prosecuted, are either directly elected or appointed by people who are directly elected. Do we vote in those elections? Do we make it clear to the candidates what our issues are and make it clear that we’ll vote on those issues?

Police Chiefs, who set the tone and administer discipline in our police departments, are usually appointed by mayors or city councils. Do we vote in those elections? Or do we not get engaged and involved in deciding who holds those key positions?

Judges at the county and state level can be directly elected or appointed. Again, do we use our power at the ballot box to weigh in on who holds these positions?

Every part of “the system” is comprised of people who either are directly elected by the people or who are directly or indirectly hired by those who are directly elected by the people.

Do we participate in deciding who those people are? Do we hold them accountable?

If the answer to any of these questions is “no,” the harsh truth is that, as frustrated as we might be, we haven’t been doing everything that we can or should be doing. Voting - and NOT JUST FOR PRESIDENT - is what determines those who make up “the system” we complain about.

None of the decisions about what kind of people make up the jobs in government, at any level, Federal, State, or Local, the people whose job it is to ensure that there is fairness and justice, is determined by marching.

It’s entirely determined by voting.

And that’s where numbers answer the question “what more can I do?”

Black voter turnout in Federal elections was at its highest in 2008 and 2012, when Obama was running. In those years, 69.1% and 67.4% of black voters who could vote voted.

Good, right? Well ...

Most of Congress, who make the laws and decide who gets appointed to Federal Courts, was elected in the midterm years of 2014 and 2018. And in 2014, only 36.4% of blacks who could vote voted. In 2018, it rose to 51.3%. That might sound good. But it’s still just HALF.

And that’s just Federal Elections. The people who make the policies closest to us, the state and local elections often get their fates decided in elections where we don’t participate anywhere near as much as we should.

Politicians worry most about pleasing those who vote.

So, while pondering the question “what can we do,” let’s not ignore the most obvious answer. The answer that will have a much more direct effect on us than any form of protest will.

Are we registered?

Do we take the time to evaluate who’s running?

Do we vote? ALL the time?

(Also, young people, who are a huge percentage of the people involved in the protest, tend to not show up when it’s most important, on Election Day. In 2014, only 16.3% of 18-29 year olds voted. In 2018, it was 32.6%. You have problems with how things are run? Hello??)