The Value SystemThat's Behind My Candidacy

From Keith:

The value system that's behind my candidacy
It's about family, faith and a need to work for social justice and the common good.

As printed in the Star Tribune
Published 07.19.06

A great deal has been written about me in the press and on political blogs recently. I would like to take this opportunity to speak directly about who I am, rather than have others tell my story.

My passion for social justice comes from my family. My parents worked hard to instill a sense of purpose and pride in me. I grew up hearing the stories of my grandfather who worked with the NAACP in Louisiana, organizing for voting rights at a time when those who stood up could be lynched, and sometimes were.

Our family proudly tells of the time when a young attorney, Thurgood Marshall, stayed in their home, long before he became a Supreme Court Justice.

My grandfather's work helped to inspire my commitment to justice and equal rights. I have always tried to live up to his example as an attorney representing the poor and as a state legislator from north Minneapolis.

As a young man I was outraged and frustrated by the racism and injustice I saw in my community and the world around me. Those experiences propelled me to become a social activist, using my words and actions to draw attention to the very serious problems of inequality, racial injustice and poverty in our society.

As I matured, I had to confront my anger and face it down. I eventually realized that it is easy to be a critic pointing out problems and failings, but it is a far more difficult thing to be part of creating the solution.

As my father used to say, "Any jackass can kick a barn down; it takes a carpenter to build it back up."

Eventually I understood what my father had been telling me, and I committed to being one of the carpenters.

I began to help create a world where everybody counts and where there are no throwaway people.

I am still outraged by the direction of our country, but now I channel that outrage into renewing our democracy. I reject the value system that insists it is every man for himself.

Family is the center of my life. I have been married for 19 years to Kim, my high school sweetheart and closest friend. We have four children, the oldest in college, one at Blake, and two in the Minneapolis public schools. My mother and father live three blocks away from my wife's parents in Detroit. When we visit our hometown, our children are lucky enough to run back and forth between the houses of their grandparents.

People draw strength and moral courage from a variety of religious traditions. Mine have come from both Catholicism and Islam. I was raised Catholic and later became a Muslim while attending Wayne State University. I am inspired by the Qur'an's message of an encompassing divine love, and a deep faith guides my life every day.

I believe in a value system that invests in people and asks citizens to work for the common good. I decided to run for office because I believe our government has a positive role to play in creating a better future for all people.

We need leaders who are committed to peace, a clean and sustainable environment, strong public schools and a health care system that works for all people. I am that leader and will continue to be that leader as a congressman from Minnesota.

http://www.keithellison.org/inthenews/Strib-Keithvalues.htm