Corbin Snardon grieves over George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor “and so many more.”
But he says the best way to honor them isn’t “violence that in many cases is being perpetrated by agitators and not activists.” Instead, he urges, “vote out the leaders who allowed these deaths to happen on their watch.”
Snardon hopes Third House District voters will send him to Frankfort on November 3rd. A Democrat, Paducah Middle School assistant principal, and local NAACP vice president and education chair, Snardon is challenging incumbent Randy Bridges, a Paducah Republican. Neither Snardon nor Bridges have primary opposition.
The Third District encompasses Paducah and its environs.
“If you really want to make a difference, start electing leaders who look like the communities they serve,” Snardon said. “If you really want to make a difference, start training candidates that will represent you in office.
“If you really want to make a difference, contact your congressman, state representative or senator and let them know how you feel and what initiatives you would like them to support. If you really want to make a difference, put your money where your mouth is and donate to legitimate organizations who need resources.”
He cited the NAACP, Black Lives Matter, and Equal Justice Initiative, which “have been fighting this fight for years in the streets and in the courts.”
Snardon wants “justice, not lip service given to assuage guilty consciences and unclean hands. Anger, rage, and the gamut of emotions we feel toward this situation is certainly justified, but unbridled anger can lead to unnecessary violence, damaging the very cause we fight for.”
He is glad to see many people of good will who “are wishing to stand in solidarity and show their support for the cause of justice. But I’ve been standing for a long time. I’ve been solid for a long time.
“I was black long before I knew what solidarity was. I support and welcome people who stand for the cause of justice. But I desire to move beyond solidarity and into the realm of action. Too often I see that after acts of solidarity, silence follows.”
Snardon said “the real battles” will begin after the protests end, and the media leaves to pursue other stories. “These battles are won in the courtroom. These battles are won in Washington and in state and local government through policy and legislation. These battles are won when we ensure that impartial judges are elected and appointed to federal offices to ensure fair trials.
“‘Feet on the street’ is good, and it has its place, but we’ve got to stop the cycle of violence that often ends up with a trial that acquits murderers. We have to push for laws and legislation that protect future generations.”
Snardon is worried that “in all of this turmoil” and “our quest for justice, we will lose the moral high ground and become our own worst enemy. We might not have thrown the first stone of injustice, but the moment we pick up rocks to throw back in anger, we lose the foundation of righteousness. We then become the enemy that we fight against.”
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