The African-American community should not succumb to this trickery played by the local Republican Party. This is one of the most important elections in our state’s history, a vote now based on fear, spiritual presumptions and transgender politics. This election can set back civil rights gains, which our ancestors fought and died for, into a chasm that would take years to dig out of.

HB2 is not just about bathrooms or transgender politics. It also prevents city and county governments from setting minimum wage standards for private employers and prevents or blocks a path for individuals to sue based on discrimination claims. So, those making minimum wage will have to rely on the generosity of their companies to give them pay raises. This is a short cut to eliminate minimum wages in North Carolina.

This election is too important to vote out of unnecessary fear. The community cannot be hoodwinked by homophobic paranoia, when the key issues for African-Americans are health care, jobs, incarceration, education, poverty, voter ID laws, unequal schools in dilapidated buildings, rise in hate groups, poverty, low teacher wages and an unbalanced and unjust criminal justice system.

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African-Americans cannot afford to be tricked when it comes to bathroom-gate and transgender politics and vote for candidates simply because they support HB2. In short, it’s time to take back our state.