Black Votes Matter

Killer Mike of Run the Jewels on the power of the minority vote—and the powers that want to stop it

-  Killer Mike

Young black men everywhere ask me, Why vote? Considering that black male unemployment is nearly double the national average, that black males are unfairly targeted in a bullshit drug war and that politicians rarely keep their word to the black community, it’s a fair question.

My response to them is: I don’t care if you vote; I care that you register. If you’re not registered, you’re less likely to be chosen to serve on a jury. And if you’re not on a jury, how can I be judged by a jury of my peers? This always makes the men I speak with listen. Our rights in this country—free speech, gun ownership, protection from self-incrimination, trial by jury and many more—are weapons against tyranny from our own republic. Once you realize that a vote is a weapon, the ballot suddenly matters as much as freedom of speech and the right to own a gun. And a vote is a powerful weapon.