Detroit Rev. Horace Sheffield Endorses Jocelyn Benson for Governor
Today, Reverend Horace Sheffield, a longtime community activist, pastor, and radio host in Detroit, endorsed Jocelyn Benson for Governor of Michigan.
"I am proud and excited to officially announce my endorsement of Jocelyn Benson for Governor of the State of Michigan. I grew up in the era of the Civil Rights Movement. My dad chaired the Birmingham Voter Education Project. James Farmer said something powerful: politics is about who gets what and how much. If you don't want to participate, you're letting someone else decide what you don't have. All the stuff you're complaining about, everything you're going through, is related to somebody sitting somewhere making decisions for you that they'll make without you if you don't participate," said Rev. Sheffield. "That's why I'm supporting Jocelyn Benson. In these times of unprecedented attacks on our healthcare, our food benefits, and our rights, we need a governor who has delivered before and can do it again in the governor's office."
"It is an honor to have Rev. Sheffield's support in this race. I believe wholeheartedly that the power of the people must always be greater than the people in power. That's a tenet of my life, my career, our campaign, and it will be for me as governor—to make sure the voices of the people are always centered, that we're always asking what everyone needs from us and meeting people where they are. This brings me back several decades ago when I moved to Detroit from Alabama, where I worked investigating hate crimes around the country for the Southern Poverty Law Center," said Secretary of State and gubernatorial candidate Jocelyn Benson. "It was there, living in Selma, where I was deeply instilled with a responsibility that we all carry to continue the work of those who've come before us—to fight for political power, educational opportunity, and real economic power as well. That's what I've done as Secretary of State: making sure every vote counts, that we transform and expand our democracy, even against attacks. At this moment, our democracy is entering a phase where we truly have an opportunity to become a real multiracial, multicultural, multi-ethnic democracy. That's who we're supposed to be, but we're not there yet. I want Michigan to lead the way in that direction."
Rev. Horace Sheffield joins a growing coalition of supporters across the state for Jocelyn's campaign for governor. She has received labor endorsements from Michigan Laborers Council, a majority of the Michigan Teamsters Locals, UFCW Locals 876 and 951 in Southfield and Grand Rapids, and the Association of Flight Attendants - CWA as well as national organizations including EMILYs List and End Citizens United. She also has the support of over 20 state legislators and nearly two dozen municipal leaders from across Michigan including the mayors of Grand Rapids, Ann Arbor, Cadillac, Highland Park, Oak Park, Pleasant Ridge, and Berkeley.