The youngest wants to be in charge
African-Americans have been known to break down barriers throughout history, and Peta Lindsay plans to do the same with the political system.
The 27-year-old Lindsay is the 2012 presidential nominee of the Party for Socialism and Liberation. And while the U.S Constitution (Article II, Section 1, clause 5) states that you have to be at least 35 years of age to take the office of president, Lindsay continues to campaign and challenge the system for her right to be elected.
“People who are progressive are looking for solution and options,” said Lindsay.
Born in Virginia and raised in Philadelphia, Lindsay has always been an activist in her community and has pushed for her rights.
At 12, she experienced a turning point in her young life as a member of the Philadelphia Student Union. The union organized money for more public schools and thousands of students took buses to the state capital to ask why suburban students were getting more money than urban school districts. She discovered at that moment that the system, as in many matters, revolved around property taxes, and the system gave more resources to rich districts than to less well-off districts, leading to inequities in education.
“I think it’s important that people who are oppressed and from working-class communities speak in their own voice and not wait for the politicians to speak for them,” said Lindsay.
Giving props to historic examples like Shirley Chisholm, Lindsay wants to be a voice for those who are struggling. She wants to speak for the interests of the people who are systematically excluded from the system.
“We were very involved in the Occupy movement and community movements for justice all over the world. People are in motion in Egypt, Europe, and even in the United States with Occupy Wall Street…People are struggling against the system, the devastations and the exploitations,” said Lindsay.
She and her team plan to enter the electoral movement the same way people enter other struggles. With that understanding of the struggle, she expects solutions for the nation.
“Our solution is socialism. Our solution is revolution,” said Lindsay.
Lindsay believes that people are finally realizing that the capitalist system is based on exploitation and are fighting back. She stands firmly by her revolutionary movement, making speeches and making the people aware, involved and active for change.
“We have a 10-point program,” she said. “We want to see the profits of the biggest banks. It’s the people’s money they get to sit on; we want to use that money for things that people need—to provide housing, free education and health care for everyone.
“We see these massive profits—we want to end the war in Afghanistan that costs $330 million a day; there is no money for schools, but there is money to drop bombs,” said Lindsay.
She mentions that her campaign experience has been very positive overall, and that she is getting a lot of good responses. There is pressure from the Democratic and Republican candidates, but Lindsay says what they are talking about is “unrealistic from what the majority of people are facing today.”
“Don’t wait for a politician to save you. The people need to get organized and fight back—it is important to struggle now or things will never change,” said Lindsay. “I think people should vote against the system that has oppressed us for so long. A vote for me is a vote for revolution.”
