Senator Cory Booker Interview by Gary Lawson Booker: Well…there are a lot of areas in which people are feeling the squeeze…African-Americans…and frankly, others as well. People are feeling the squeeze in healthcare, and they can’t afford it… and education is getting too expensive. People are working full-time jobs and finding it harder to make ends meet. So, we’ve got to make sure that we start addressing the affordability crisis in this country. African-Americans have a real challenge…because there is a big wealth gap in this country, not only between the wealthiest and working class, but also between whites and blacks. So, I have a lot of ideas for legislation to help make college affordable, and pathways to training and education affordable as well. I’m very confident that the ideas are there, but we need to be able to pull people together in this country to actually get those ideas implemented…and get back to the priorities of making this a country where working people get ahead. Lawson: What do you believe will motivate the minority community to vote in 2020? Booker: We need to have leaders that they can believe in… that are really going to fight and have their back. I am the only United States Senator that lives in a low-income minority area. I’ve stayed by the people who first put me into office, and delivered real results to the city of Newark…expanding our economy…improving our schools…and lowering crime. I just want folks in Des Moines…the minority community of Des Moines…to know that I am going to be fighting for them every single day. I will stand with them. I will make sure that we deliver results to Iowans in general…and to people who are struggling and feeling left behind…and especially to those feeling left out. Gary Lawson is a freelance writer who focuses on various aspects of public affairs. He is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania and Central State University. He is also a Vietnam-era veteran that served in the United States Army as a Commissioned Officer. His work experience includes various administrative and management positions in the public and private sectors to include serving as the former Director of the Iowa Commission on the Status of AfricanAmericans and a member of the Human Rights Council within the Iowa Department of Human Rights. He is the recipient of numerous national, state, and local awards to include induction into the Iowa African-American Hall of Fame. Since the 2000 national election cycle, Gary has donated his time conducting public affairs interviews that include decision-makers and policy makers on the national, state, and local levels to enrich Iowa’s minority community with information that will better inform voter participation. 9
10 Publizr Home