UB Prof.: Democrats Boxed Poorly, Got Knocked Out
November 14, 2016
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In an op-ed in The Baltimore Sun, Ron Kipling Williams, M.F.A. '16, an adjunct faculty member in UB's Yale Gordon College of Arts and Sciences, writes that the Democrats have some lessons to learn from the intersection of politics and boxing: fight to win, or suffer the consequences.
"When you fight not to lose, you are on your heels, avoiding getting hit," Williams, a boxing fan, says. "Your opponent dictates the fight. They cut off the ring, pick shots, exploit your weaknesses, time your moves, throw their best punches and eventually get you out of the ring.
"There was a clarion call by Democrats to vote for Hillary Clinton, primarily out of fear of a Donald Trump presidency. Her high-powered corner—President Barack and First Lady Michelle Obama, Sens. Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren and Vice President Joe Biden—all pitched a stronger case against Mr. Trump than for her.
"It was a failed strategy. Hope has always beaten fear as a driving force. Particularly for African Americans who survived slavery and Jim Crow segregation, a Trump presidency is not frightening."
Read the op-ed. Learn more about Prof. Williams's class, "Divided Baltimore."