African-American political leaders discussed public education, the Legislative Black Caucus and the role of future African-American politics at Tuesday night’s town hall meeting.
More than 170 students and community members gathered in the Bo Campbell Auditorium of the Cox Communications Center for Student Athletes as the African and African American Studies Program presented a town hall meeting on the future of black politics in Louisiana.
Eleven political panelists were on hand to deal with issues regarding present and future black politics.
Leonard Moore, director of African and African American Studies at LSU and moderator of the event, said the event was scheduled to give African-American political leaders a chance to speak to the upcoming black leaders.
“Emphasis for the meeting is to get together and discuss where we are as an African-American community as far as the political realm,” Moore said.
Among the most controversial issues the panelists discussed was the public school system in Louisiana.
The lone Republican on the panel, Kirt Bennett, said a voucher system will help lower income students get into private schools and thus improve the school system as it is today.
Albert Samuels, a Southern University assistant professor of political science, thinks vouchers are not the answer to improving the education system.
Samuels said legislatures need to correct the education problems in the classroom before worrying about issues outside of the classrooms.
Panelists also wanted to get across the fact that African-Americans need to become more involved in politics.
      State Sen. Cleo Fields stressed the fact that students need to become more inspired when it comes to dealing with politics, particularly voting.
“When I see a young college student who is not voting, I don’t say he is apathetic, I say he is uninspired,” Fields said.
Fields said political leaders should take it upon themselves to inspire these students who do not have the drive to vote.
State Sen. Donald Cravins also spoke about the Legislative Black Caucus in Louisiana and its importance and agenda.
Cravins said the group should help present and future black politicians get their views across.
“As a black politician, we have a great cause and a greater responsibility because we can’t believe that just because it worked for other folks that it will work for us,” Cravins said.
State Rep. Karen Carter said the present agenda for the Black Caucus needs to be stronger, but believes the group has come a long way in the past few years.
Carter said she is part of the group’s problem, but will be pushing toward its solution.
Desmond Stevens, a political science junior, came to the discussion because he has been waiting for a discussion like this since he arrived at LSU.
“I wanted to see what today’s leader want the leaders who are coming along next to expect. And give them a guiding light as to what they are supposed to do,” Stevens said.
New Orleans Councilman Oliver Thomas said African-Americans have felt both the ups and the downs of the political landscape and thinks more students need to get involved.
“We have been blessed by politics, but we have also been divided because of politics,” Thomas said.