BY SOUMANOU SALIFOU

It’s often said “This is the most important election of our lifetime.” Probably more than any other elections in our nation’s history, the 2020 presidential election will shape history decisively in one direction or another.

In 2016, our nation had its first serious female presidential candidate, indeed the most qualified person ever to run for the office, in terms of her government experience and overall preparedness. She lost because our country was not ready for a female president, and because of foreign interference in our election. Even women did not want her, as most of them voted for her opponent. That opened the way for the chaotic past four years that have seen our democracy trashed, and our basic values of decency and social cohesiveness attacked beyond our imagination.

Eight years earlier, in 2008, we elected the first black man as our president, after a campaign we deemed the most important in our nation’s history. But this election, in comparison to the previous three, will arguably be the most consequential presidential election in our history. The choice, clearly, is between a man who has attacked the very fabric of our society, and a decent man driven by compassion and commitment to the fundamental values that have permeated our country for generations.

For us, black, brown and native Americans, the stakes are particularly high, knowing that the man who became our president four years ago does not believe systemic racism exists in our country, feels that Nazi demonstrators are decent people, and sees the Black Lives Matter movement basically as an anarchist movement—running counter to the majority of our fellow Americans of all races that braved the pandemic and marched for social justice for months and on.

Let’s all go vote to save our nation, and for the sake of our survival as Blacks, Browns and Native Americans.

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Soumanou Salifou is the founder/publisher of “The African,” the premier African magazine founded in the United States, dating back to 1994.