Prepared.

Being prepared requires a process. First, preparedness requires a mindset that is guided by thoughtful and intentional choices to guarantee anticipated outcomes.

Kudos to President Joe Biden for his successful, bloodless coup.

Several pundits have suggested that the rapid mobilization of support for Vice President Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign was happenstance, especially the overwhelming response of Black women!

Not so.

WinWithBlackWomen (WWBW) has been meeting every Sunday for the past four years. Their original meeting on Aug. 2, 2020, was, in part, to place Black women up and down the Democratic tickets in 2022 and 2024 There were 90 in attendance at that first meeting, headed by Jotaka Eaddy, a professional strategist. During the first week of Harris’ campaign, WWBW sponsored a Zoom call on which more than 40,000 Black women attended!

Within only a few hours, the WWBW call generated millions of dollars for the Harris campaign and started an avalanche of affinity groups including Black men, Hispanic women, white women, LGBTQI+ persons, Native American and Two Spirits. Each called on their constituents to join in support of Kamala Harris. And the list keeps growing.

Over the course of one week, over $200 million was raised to support Harris for president.

While I did not attend that initial call, I showed up this past Sunday, and I am all in, ready to join with the legions of others to put my boots on the ground and open my checkbook, because I know how prepared we are to “finish the job.”

And what about the preparedness of the candidates themselves? Ask yourself the question, which candidate is demonstrating thoughtful and intentional decisions.

Let’s look at Kamala Harris (Dem) and Donald Trump (Rep) for US President, and J.D. Vance (Rep) and a highly anticipated Democrat choice for vice president.

Both Harris and Trump have records and recordings of their individual accomplishments, their policies and positions about the major issues which affect our lives including the economy, jobs, climate change, the environment, crime, terrorism, international relations, immigration policies and more.

The data from both candidates’ time in public office is available, and I encourage each of you to examine the information for yourself. Be sure to filter out biased sources of material. The lists are long and include Harris’ from her time as a San Fransisco district attorney through her vice presidency, and Trump’s four-year term as president.

Let me remind you that Harris did not elect herself, she campaigned, over decades, for each of her elected offices: San Francisco DA, California state attorney, senator from California, vice president of the United States.

By comparison, Trump’s political career is only recent and short on the campaign trail.

Political rhetoric is full of bombasts and promises, so we must train our ears to filter out the bluster from the bullet points. Harris speaks from a carefully prepared script. Trump too often leaves his script and gets lost in thought bubbles and reminiscing.

Which of the issues on the ballot appeal to you? Your lifestyle, the future of your family, the state of the nation, the policies of the future?

Growing numbers of voters are lining up behind Harris on several important issues: improving access to voting and civil rights, restoration and protection of abortion rights, criminal justice reforms, particularly laws to protect Black folk, especially women, from murder by police, economic and international stabilization to secure the future of the country. etc.

Trump/Vance are focused on a return to a former time when conservative, pseudo Christian values prevailed, turning against women’s rights to body autonomy, reducing minority rights to vote, and economic policies that continue to enrich the1%.

Preparedness is the minimum requirement to apply for any job.

Building a resume based on air can be fraught with peril. Making something out of nothing is foolish and doomed to fail.

Even high school students applying for college admission have to demonstrate their commitment to some future career by accumulating a substantial number of volunteer hours before being accepted into higher education institutions!

Who is more prepared, as president to lead on day one? Just as importantly, who is more prepared, as vice president, to assume the leadership, on day

one? Who is more prepared to continue telling people the truth? Prepared to lead the country into a future of prosperity and well-being for all Americans, not just a select few?

So, I implore you to examine the preparedness of the candidates and their running mates and determine who has done the work, who has earned the positions, who can you put your faith and trust in to effectively fulfill their campaign promises and to complete the jobs they are elected to do.

You have the power to select the candidate who is best prepared to represent you, so vote. Vote. Vote.