Jackson Free Press

If black political and civic engagement was a hospital patient, doctors might say it was in critical but stable condition.

Leniece T. Davis, an assistant professor of political science at Jackson State University, distilled what could have been a semester-long Introduction to American Government course into a half-hour presentation on the state of black politics this morning at Koinonia Coffee House.

At times, Dr. Davis' prognosis was bleak as she outlined widening left-right ideological divides, lackluster candidates and unresponsiveness of elected officials as phenomena that have turned a lot of people off to politics. That awful taste that politics leaves in some voters' mouths has only exacerbated voter apathy, Davis said.

Heaped on top of it all, voter identification laws--like the one now awaiting Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant's approval--further discourage voting, which is especially problematic in areas like the Mississippi Delta and city of Jackson where turnout is typically very low.

A Seattle native, Davis added that political officials could do a better job at training and engaging the next generation of elected officials.

"It takes a village to raise our political leaders," Davis said. "Unfortunately, there have been some of our leaders who have not realized that their time on the stage is over."

Heather McTeer, the former mayor of Greenville who contested long-time U.S. Rep. Bennie Thompson for the 2nd Congressional District seat in the March Democratic primary, agreed with the characterization of voters in her native Delta as unengaged and beat down.

"It's very valid and true," she said after Davis' talk, pointing out that the Delta experienced significant population loss between 2000 and 2010, according to the U.S. Census.

McTeer is now the national spokeswoman for She Should Run, a nonpartisan organization that encourages women to run for elected office, and is hoping to get more women involved for the 2013 statewide elections in Mississippi.

The former mayor, who captured 12.5 percent of the vote in her bid against Thompson and built up $286,750 in campaign debt, said winning, losing, and amassing and paying off debt are normal parts of the campaign cycle. She characterized her campaign as a learning experience that she would absolutely do again.

In line with Davis' call for intergenerational mentoring, McTeer said she plans to start a political institute for women this summer.

"We have to take some of the fear out of running for office," McTeer said.