Don’t Be Fooled. It’s Not Over Yet.

Community / Open Letter — REAL POWER.TV

Norman K. Edwards calls the midterm win a first step. He wants to know when Black, minority and women contractors get back on the billion-dollar projects going up across Cleveland and Cuyahoga County.

Editor’s note: This is an open letter from Norman K. Edwards, president of the American Center for Economic Equality, dated Nov. 9, 2026. The views are his own.

Although the midterm victory was a tremendous first step it was only that, a first step; we still have much larger battles to fight and we must not allow a single victory to move us into a state of delusion that one battle won eradicates the injustices and social inequalities that continue to exist in America as the result of recent policies and biased court decisions that continue to oppress and murder the dreams and opportunities of Blacks, Minorities and Women.

We should not believe that the singular victory of November 3 signals the end of the hostilities and injustice that have plagued this country and local community over the last two years. Multiple construction projects are currently in process for the greater Cleveland-Cuyahoga County area including the new $1.6B Hopkins Airport expansion, multi-billion-dollar lakefront and riverfront transformation development, $400M North Coast Connector project, and the $360M dollar I-90 Innerbelt Central Interchange Project projects which will lack any significant Black, Minority and Women participation as a result of the legislation initiated by the Trump administration.

Eliminating the legal protections previously afforded to Black, Minority and Women contractors and construction workers implemented in the past to ensure a level playing field through policies ensuring diversity, equity and inclusion on government funded construction projects. The policies of Trump destroyed these protections and effectively enabled racial discrimination as an acceptable business practice for those majority contractors who oppose diversity, equity and inclusion.

I’ve heard a lot of conversation in regards to what the Democrats plan to do as the new power brokers with control of the Congress in regards to the Iranian war, the price of eggs, medical coverage, etc. etc. However, what I have failed to hear is any conversation about the reversal of this government, DEI policies and reinstituting, a fair and equitable employment base to allow deserving minority contractors and labor the opportunity to earn the money to purchase these reduced priced eggs groceries and medical coverage because for many of those who have been subject to the injustice brought on by the destruction of DEI policies, and the subsequent denial of job and contract opportunities it’s not just the price of groceries. It is also the inability to gain employment to buy groceries.

Are we to wait another two years before these pressing matters get the attention, they deserve by both the federal state and local government and their policies of ensuring equality, equity and fairness in the distribution of our tax dollars? No one is more pleased than I regarding the outcome of the November 3 midterm elections, yet I am not able to rejoice in the moment without reflecting upon what will be the actions of our local representatives that come out of this great victory.

I ask this question of the local government in Northeast Ohio, where are we going? Are you going to ensure that diversity, equity and inclusion will exist as a desired goal on city, county, state and government contracts or are we to continue to oppress minorities under the past practices of the Trump administration?

What actions will our elected officials take with this newly acquired power, will the expectation of greater power bring with it a movement of courage to ease the suffering and inequities that currently exist, and how long will we have to wait to see the results of the grant of power and public expectations?

This present and incoming political base should know that we voters are not looking for a return to past practices for if anything this administration has shown us that if we are not moving forward in ensuring and protecting equality and justice, then we are slowly and secretly sliding into an abyss of injustice and a loss of democracy, so the challenge to this incoming wave of blue is where are we going and when does the journey begin? If victory does not bring with it the ability to immediately fight against and change the downward spiral, then where is the win? Know that we the voters are both watching and waiting, but we won’t wait long having learned that the true power rests with us and that it is only loaned to you.

Sincerely,

Norman K. Edwards
President, American Center for Economic Equality