Dear Editor:

During a mass policy debate, I walked up to an elected official to share my concerns for millions of people who were suffering.  I believed the policy in question had the potential to help alleviate some of their suffering. I did not expect this politician to agree with me, however, I did expect the usual political response. Instead this elected official blew up and said, “I’m not going to be a sacrificial lamb. I’m not going be a sacrificial lamb. I’m not going to be a sacrificial lamb.” So, taken aback, I said what do you mean by that? Their response did not include reasons why they didn’t agree with the policy or an opinion about how the people of Alabama didn’t need such resources, but essentially that if they voted for this bill their political aspirations would be crushed like a sacrificial lamb.

And somehow their political ambition was so much more important than the thousands of lives this new law could touch.  So those words,  “I’m not going to be a sacrificial lamb” have rung in my head for years as I have come to understand the extreme selfishness of many human beings, some of them who also happen to be elected officials.  It is clear that Selma needs a sacrificial lamb for mayor.

In order to have unity there must be leadership that must be willing to get over how unjustly they have been treated in order for them to focus on insuring that justice reigns in the city. Someone has to sacrifice their own sense of pride so that we can all be proud of what Selma has yet to produce.  Someone has to sacrifice their own desires in order to bring people in the community together as we create a vision based on our collective needs and desires.  Selma needs a sacrificial lamb for mayor.

Selma needs a person who will sacrifice the sense of safety and comfort that cliques offer, so that division in Selma will end.

Centuries of division have taken a spiritual and material toll on Selma.  It affects our relationships, families, geographical areas, community and social relationships. It affects our economy.  It has affected our past.  If we don’t stop it, it will defeat our future even before unborn generations can claim any stake in tomorrow. Selma needs a sacrificial lamb.

 

Malika Fortier

Selma