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Guest Essay

By Christina Greer

Dr. Greer is a political scientist who studies Black ethnic politics and public opinion.

Growing up, I recall that my grandpa was never a fan of the concept of potential. Potential was for people who weren’t interested in learning (or doing) the job at hand. He worked at a dangerous paper mill in the Florida sun, and the last thing he wanted was someone with potential.

Nearly four years ago, I wrote an opinion essay titled “A Leader Who Defies Easy Political Labeling. Finally,” which detailed why I thought the new mayor at the time, Eric Adams, had potential. Partly it was designed to explain, from the point........

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