Photo caption: Dr. Steve Perry talks to a young man, July 3, 2016, in New Orleans. (Cheryl Gerber/AP Images for Prudential Financial)
As Americans go to the polls today to vote in the midterm elections, many Black leaders are reminding not only Black Americans but also Democrats, that Blacks don’t have to vote for the DNC–they have options. One of those voices is Dr. Steve Perry, an educator who has dedicated his career to educating and inspiring Black boys.
He recently tweeted, “The Black community has not been able to count on either Party. There’s no reason to guarantee either your vote. Educate yourself to who truly represents your family’s interests. Your vote is yours. You don’t owe anyone an explanation.”
So who is Perry? He is a well-known educator and founder of Capital Preparatory Schools, a nonprofit that runs charter schools in New York City and Hartford, Connecticut.
In 2005, he became founder and principal of Capital Preparatory Magnet School in Hartford, Connecticut, with one simple mission: “High-quality education with college-bound opportunities for children in poverty,” Deadline reported. His school was named by U.S. News and World Report as one of the top schools in the country as Capital Prep has sent 100 percent of its predominantly low-income, minority, first generation high school graduates to four-year colleges every year since its first class graduated in 2006.
He also launched Capital Preparatory Schools, a nonprofit organization that opens and operates charter schools in New York and Connecticut. Three schools are currently open in Harlem, Connecticut and the Bronx.
In 2019 he hosted a daytime talk show “Breakthrough With Dr. Steve Perry” on Fox. That same year, Dr. Perry worked on his fourth school with Sean “Diddy” Combs as an investor pledging $1 million to fund the school for local youth. In 2020, his fifth school campus opened in the Bronx, NY, according to his website.
More and more Black voters have expressed disillusionment with the Democratic party. Black men, in particular, have been slowly moving to the Republican Party. Still, Black Democrats supports say now is not the time to switch parties. Recently Tiffany Cross was dropped as a host on MSNBC’s “The Cross Connection” on Nov. 4. But before her show ended, she declared on air, that Black men need to vote Democrat.
“Black men sometimes feel like they are ignored and put down…but you feel ignored and then you go to the other side. The oppressed feel oppressed then you go and align with the oppressor?” Cross asked on air.
She added, “Please…get in line with some the Black women…some of you go to people that advance policies that harm your people. I just don’t understand that.”
Photo caption: Dr. Steve Perry talks to a young man about the importance of education at the Essence Festival, July 3, 2016, in New Orleans. (Cheryl Gerber/AP Images for Prudential Financial)
