All the negative predictions and chatter about disgruntled Black voters abandoning the Democratic Party are nonsense.
Admittedly, there’s a lot of frustration over the Biden administration’s failure to deliver on issues like police reform, voting rights legislation and student loan debt relief. But venting frustration doesn’t equate to disunity.
Over the years, there’s always been a fear that we won’t unite, but in the end, we do. That’s what makes Black America a powerful voting bloc.
A New York Times/Sienna College poll released last November set off alarm bells, finding that 22 percent of Black voters in six battleground states said they would support Trump. However, polls taken in June, before President Biden dropped out of the race, found that Black voters overwhelmingly disapproved of Trump and backed Biden.
And now that Vice President Kamala Harris is poised to become the Democratic nominee, Black voters are elated and even more united. Trump’s small gains with Black voters have declined with Harris as the presumptive nominee.
A narrative about Democrats losing Black men encouraged Trump’s team to do its damnedest to exploit a perceived weakness in our unity. One GOP ploy involved dispatching two Black Republicans, U.S. Reps. Wesley Hunt of Texas and Florida’s Byron Donalds, to persuade Black men at cigar and cognac events to vote for Trump.
However, Black men, even those who were leaning toward Trump, support Harris, as evidenced by scores of brothers who recently voted for her with their wallets. On Monday, more than 53,000 Black men joined a virtual event hosted by the collective group Win With Black Men and raised $1.3 million in four hours for Harris’ campaign.
On Sunday night, hours after Biden stepped down and endorsed Harris, Win With Black Women hosted a Zoom call with 44,000 participants who donated more than $1.5 million to Harris’ campaign in three hours.
According to the Associated Press, Sunday’s strong show of support was actually much larger. An estimated 90,000 sisters and their allies logged on to the event simultaneously. Usually, the platform maxes out at 1,000 participants, but a Zoom executive increased the capacity to 40,000 participants, and the meeting was streamed to another 50,000 women on other platforms.
“Anybody that does not think that Black and Brown women are the backbone of this party, they don’t know us,” Star Jones told The Washington Post. “[Harris] has already been leading by example. We are going to support her, we’re going to raise money for her, and we’re going to get out the vote for her.”
We recognize that unity is our superpower. A unified voting bloc is our means to prevent a second Donald Trump presidency that would be dangerous for our community.
If re-elected, Trump told TIME magazine that he would support the right wing’s war on so-called “anti-white” racism. The movement targeting DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) initiatives have gained momentum and could rise to a toxic level under a second Trump administration.
Shortly after Biden endorsed Harris, right-wing media outlets and MAGA lawmakers launched racist and gender attacks against Harris, calling her a “DEI hire.”
For our community, the choice on Election Day is clear. We’re unified and standing behind Harris.