Many adults have taken notice in regards to the Presidential Elections, starting with the primaries earlier this year. Everyone was trying to figure out what was going on with each political party. From the Republican side, we watched Donald Trump take the Republic nominee by majority vote. And from the Democratic Party, we watched Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders battle it out. What we all noticed was Bernie Sanders winning the majority vote for many states, but Hillary Clinton was backed by delegates, and these super delegates ultimately gave her the presidential nomination for the Democratic Party.
Many questions arose from this experience. How could one political party have a different way for nominating a president? How is this even fair? How can different political parties have different rules? My next thought was…how many people were like me and didn’t realize this was going on all this time? It turns out…a lot of people. The news broadcasts were flooded with people in disbelief of what was happening, and many news articles used historical lessons to explain the situation. Then I thought about the children, and how my education in a public school didn’t prepare me to understand the political process.
This thought process, led to my third book, Monster Mas Runs for President. It aims to teach kids about the political process starting with the primaries. It’s a fun, innovative book that will get kids interested and talking about politics. Adults need to use this book and teach about the importance of super delegates because students faced with poverty, will naturally grow into being a Democrat, and they need to know the necessity of voting in local and state elections first, as this can be the determining factor for a Democratic presidential nominee. This is where most of the super delegates come from being Democratic governors, senators, and congressmen.
If we want to have a brighter future, we must instill political knowledge kids need in order to change it. This is especially true for students living in poverty, as 45 % of children in our nation live in poverty, and 21% of those never make it out. In preparation for what lies ahead, our children’s education should address politics and potentially increasing their chances of entering the field of politics, and leaving their familiar cycle of poverty.