Making a Difference through Politics

With increasing coverage of the republican nominee
hopefuls, it’s clear that election season is upon us. Campaign ads are on all the channels and politicians are making promises. Throughout the dull cycle it’s hard to fully grasp the weight of the situation. How does a person get involved in such a boring career like politics? Sometimes it just takes a person wanting to make a difference like Dr. Robert Albritton.

Dr. Albritton was born in Andalusia, Alabama and grew up in a very conservative household. Dr. Albritton’s father had been one of the founders of the Republican Party in Alabama and a founder of the John Birch Society.

“I don’t think people get how conservative we were back then, we were slightly to the right of Genghis Khan conservative,” said Dr. Albritton.

Dr. Albritton would not become affiliated with politics until the civil rights movement. The many speeches and debates sparked an interest in him to get involved and make a difference.

“The issue of segregation was one of the most influencing factors in my life. I believed this was wrong and decided to become active in civil rights,” said Dr. Albritton. Dr. Albritton would go on to become a vice-president in a chapter of the NAACP as well as join in one of the marches to Selma.

After the civil rights movement, Dr. Albritton held many political positions including a seat in the state legislature of Illinois for 3 years before transitioning into teaching. Dr. Albritton taught at Northern Illinois and Virginia Tech. He then came to Ole Miss in 1998 to chair the political science department. After teaching for 35 years, Dr. Albritton will be retiring at the end of this semester.

On the upcoming presidential election, Dr. Albritton says a lot still relies on the stability and recovery of the economy. He also believes the national polls to be untrustworthy for determining the standing of any candidate. Dr. Albritton concluded that Romney was the strongest of his competition in the run for the nominee but doubts his momentum will hold strong if he does make it to the presidential race against Obama.

“As far as politics go, the best thing students can do is find a political party closest to their views and become active in it. Political parties are very important despite the media’s criticism of one another. They are the best cues for voting, especially for those of us who don’t have time to stay informed on issues.”