When Barack Obama walked upon the stage at the 2004 DNC, he was a junior Senator from Illinois. Most people had never heard of him and certainly had no idea that four years later that he would be the President of the United States. Skeptics predicted his defeat and said he didn’t have a chance. We can take the same look at Dr. Will Boyd. Dr. Boyd is a candidate for Governor of Alabama. Who would have dreamed in 1968 that a black candidate would be running for the highest office in a state where Civil Rights were born? But, where else is a better place for change than Alabama?
After looking into “who” Dr. Boyd is, I find him “overqualified” for this job. Dr. Boyd was born in 1971 in Florence, South Carolina. Dr. Boyd has a BS degree in engineering from the University of South Carolina, an MBA from Regis University, and a doctorate in religion, psychology, and organizational management. He has served as Chancellor of St. James the Elder University and Dean of Student Success, and Assistant Professor of Management at Greenville College. He has also written three books that focus on leadership, values, and faith. He presently is on the Board of Directors for the Health Care Authority of Lauderdale County and the City of Florence. In addition to all of this, Dr. Boyd serves as the Presiding Bishop of Zion Ministries of the historic St Mark Missionary Baptist Church in Florence and Patriarch of the Holy Catholic Church International. Whew!!! Dr. Boyd is not only a busy man but one who is dedicated to building a better future for Alabama.
For the past fifteen years that Alabama has had Republican leadership, we have not improved healthcare for Alabamians. Dr. Boyd supports the expansion of Medicaid that will prevent the closing of more rural hospitals. He wants to work to lower the high costs of medication, especially for low-income families and the elderly. Dr. Boyd knows how important it is to protect Social Security.
Alabama has been on the bottom in education for years, with government leaders ignoring the importance of our children having quality education. Dr. Boyd wants to keep the funding in public education that will update the technology in our public schools, raise our teachers’ pay, and ensure that rural schools are not left out in funding for education.
The job opportunity in Alabama has fallen over the past years, especially in the most rural areas of Alabama. Dr. Boyd is in favor of raising the minimum wage to a decent paycheck and bringing better-paying jobs to Alabama. This is usually the “political smack talk” of politicians; however, Dr. Boyd has seen the results of low-paying jobs in Alabama that have increased the poverty levels, especially among the African-American citizens.
One of the biggest problems in Alabama that has gone to the back pages of our books is the state prisons that are overcrowded and understaffed, while some of the buildings are falling apart. Too many inmates are raped and killed, drugs are readily available, and life expectancy falls at the entrance. The Federal government, under multiple presidents, said all of this makes Alabama prisons unconstitutional in their cruelty.
The Black population makes up over a quarter of Alabama’s prison population. It is a fact that Black people are incarcerated at a rate of 2.9 times higher than white people in Alabama. Factors contributing to this disparity include historical racial bias in the criminal justice system, stricter enforcement of laws like “three strikes,” and potentially disparities in parole decisions and felony disenfranchisement laws. Dr. Boyd is a strong advocate for “equal” justice, where the color of one’s skin has nothing to do with the fairness or lack thereof in our system.
The gerrymandering and voter suppression from the Republicans are a manipulation of our rights as Americans to vote. Dr Boyd opposes any efforts to undermine the Voting Rights Act, especially those that misrepresent minority representation through gerrymandering Congressional districts.
Since the Republicans have taken over the majority of Alabama, the LGBTQ community has lost a lot of rights that are to be protected by the Equality Act. Dr. Boyd wants to add the LGBTQ people to the Civil Rights Act of 1965 as a protected class of people.
Dr. Boyd is a Black man with a big vision of what he would like to see Alabama look like. Dr. Boyd said, “ As a servant leader, I believe we need leaders who embody core values which include equality, fairness, and freedom, as I envision a day in the near future when every American has an equal opportunity to realize ‘The American Dream.” So, the answer to this question is YES, Alabama is not only ready for a Black governor but needs one.
Lynda Kirkpatrick