Harnessing the Power of the Black Voter in 2020
“I would hate to see the most powerful voting bloc in the U.S. succumb to despair,” says Desiree Cooper, writer.
Since the passing of the Voting Rights Act, the African American voting bloc has proved consequential in United States presidential elections as well as in local politics.
With few coalitions as reliably Democratic as black voters, it makes sense that much has been made about which Democratic candidate is going to earn African American support. But has the party as a whole earned this consistent support?
Click on the player above to hear Detroit Today’s conversation on African American political power and how fear can drive votes.
Today’s guests:
Desiree Cooper, is a journalist and author.
Cooper says it is imperative to fight issues of voter suppression to ensure black voices are heard. She emphasizes the importance of voters to be active agents in transformational change, saying not one person can act as an antidote, it’s up to an entire body of voters.
Wendy S. Walters, a writer and visiting professor of nonfiction writing at Columbia University.
In order to galvanize such a collective, Walters says it is important to understand the motivations of black voters. In her research and writing on Midwestern African American women voters, Walters says it is a mistake to think that these voters don’t care about issues like water quality and climate. She says connecting local issues to broad national policy proposals will be key in motivating black voters in 2020.
Cooper and Walters both stress the importance of a presidential candidate’s ability to tap into the collective frustration of black voters. Walters says that a campaign run completely on future projection and promises of what could be overlooks the exasperation many African American voters experience.
The current administration’s rhetoric provokes feelings of threat and grief, something that political leaders need to speak towards, says Cooper. Frustration, Cooper says, is understandable but should act as a motivating factor rather than a reason for apathy. She warns that things can and will get worse if black voters opt out of participation.
Walters says voting should be seen as an act of protest, a signal that black voters will not accept the current reality.
Further reading:
“As We Enter a New (Election) Year, the Future of Our Nation Could Rest on Black Shoulders”
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