The course leading up to the November election will be significantly impacted by the swing of demographic groups in this country, particularly those that have been historically underrepresented and wish to see a leader who reflects them in the White House.
For Black men, the question of political understanding from a candidate is crucial, and goes beyond the assumption that their priorities only consist of criminal justice reform and anti-discrimination policies. Similarly to many other minority groups, they likely want to endorse someone who doesn’t just back them or discuss issues in the community when it’s politically expedient.
Traditionally, Black male voters are among the most consistently Democratic leaning communities in the country. However, this year, both major parties view Black men, especially those under the age of 40, as attainable voters, AP reported.
“Black men are the target, and we hold the keys to the kingdom. This is our moment,” Lance Robertson, executive director of the Black City Councilmen of Georgia, told AP during a meeting for The Black Man Lab, which for nearly a decade has sought weekly to create a “safe, sacred, and healing space” for Black men in metropolitan Atlanta. “The Black man has built America. Now it’s time for the Black man to save America.”
Particularly since President Joe Biden has dropped out of the presidential race and Vice President Kamala Harris has stepped up to be the Democratic nominee, the question of who Black men in the United States are going to vote for has become pertinent and may be pivotal to the outcome.
“To be frank, I think early on in this process a lot of Black men viewed this election with much skepticism and dread,” said Bishop Reginald Jackson, who presides over all 534 African Methodist Episcopal churches in Georgia. “But since the change in the Democratic ticket, there has been a turnaround. I think they feel they have something that they can support. I think a lot of issues which made a lot of them skeptical are being addressed.”
A day after Biden dropped out of the race and endorsed Harris, a virtual conference tailored for Black men had over 53,000 attendees raised more than $1.3 million for her campaign. The event was organized by Win With Black Men, a collective of Black male-led groups, which has hosted regular meetings every week since then to engage organizers trying to reach Black men.
These organized efforts seek to prove that not only are Black men a significant demographic in the presidential race, but also that they are a diverse group with multifaceted political interests that don’t just pertain to generalizations.
“We want to see jobs and opportunity for Black men, especially,” Andre Greenwood, chair of the YMCA that hosts the Black Man Lab event, told AP, adding that economic messages are one of the most important to Black male voters.
