Who Is Black America's Best Choice For President?
Since he first announced his campaign for President, Joe Biden has been the front-runner. This has been especially true among Black Americans - but that may be changing! Elizabeth Warren has steadily been gaining ground in major polls.
According to Real Clear Politics, Biden had a huge lead in the Democratic field in May, with more than 40% of voters indicating he was their first choice. That lead has steadily shrunk, and as of October 8th, he is still in the lead - but with only about 26% of the vote.
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During the same time period, Elizabeth Warren has consistently risen - going from about 8% in May to 26% in October - dead even with Biden. But why? And is this change reflected among Black voters?
Not exactly. According to multiple polls, Biden is still by far the top choice for Black voters. But Warren is gaining ground here, too: her poll numbers among Black voters have doubled in the last few weeks.
Activists have criticized Biden as “not progressive enough,” and attribute his role in creating the 1994 Crime Bill as to why. It introduced things like “three strikes” laws and mandatory minimum sentencing, which greatly contributed to mass incarceration, which has put countless Black people behind bars.
He also regularly says eyebrow-raising off-the-cuff remarks, like when he compared “poor kids” to “white kids,” or when he bragged about being friendly with openly-racist senators.
Black voters make up nearly 25% of Democratic voters, and that means whoever Black people vote for is very likely to be the nominee. But Black voters are diverse and have a wide variety of interests and priorities.
Primary among Black voters is “electability;” many reports indicate that their highest priority is winning against Donald Trump. While many could support a woman president, they know it’ll be harder for her to compete - and they look to Hillary Clinton’s loss as a cautionary tale.
Biden has mainstream name recognition and a close association with Barack Obama - the most popular former president in recent memory - neither of which is one of Warren’s strengths. Supporters of Biden also point to his reputation as a collaborator and dealmaker in congress, while Warren is known more as a “firebrand.” Many activists argue, though, that not only is Warren electable, she’s also better for Black America than Biden.
Biden has been largely moderate on most issues important to Black Americans - such as criminal justice reform, education, economic issues like taxes and income inequality, and racism - while Warren has been outspoken and progressive about these issues, as well as one of the first congress members to call for President Trump’s impeachment.
As she gains popularity - Elizabeth Warren is now clearly in the No. 2 spot behind Biden - more Black voters are warming up to her. One Black Warren-supporter explained her perspective on the shift: “I just think people don’t know her yet… [a]ll she needs to do is put herself in front of people,” and they might like what they discover, said Kim Ume, who lives in South Carolina, which strongly supports Biden according to polling.
Only time will tell who wins Black voters’ crucially important favor.
Every 10 years, the United States conducts a national Census - an attempt to count every person in America. Getting an accurate, comprehensive Census count is a crucially important aspect of American domestic policy, because it determines so many things: state budgets, representation in congress, school funding, and much more.
But you may end up filling out an “illegal attempt to mislead the American people” instead of the real Census, according to Carolyn Maloney, the head of the Census Caucus in the House of Representatives. That’s because the RNC is mailing out documents that look just like a Census form - but are actually Republican fundraising surveys.
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According to the RNC, the “mailers are clearly marked that they are from the Republican National Committee.” Critics of the practice - which is called “FRUGing,” or “Fundraising under the guise of research,” disagree.
Chris Kiser, whose tweets about the survey recently went viral, told Snopes that his mother was confused and believed the survey was mandatory - and that the $15 “processing fee” was required as well. The surveys say “OFFICIAL DOCUMENT, DO NOT DESTROY” and “2019 Congressional District Census” on the envelope.
Inside, the forms state: “President Trump has requested that a Census of every Congressional district be conducted immediately.” The surveys do, however, contain very strong pro-Trump and pro-Republican language. Repeatedly they mention supporting Trump’s re-election and that they are sent from the Republican party - not the U.S. Census Bureau.
The Rochester Post Bulletin reports that this language is designed to target vulnerable people. “These mailings target people who are more vulnerable to manipulation… [they target] the elderly, who might not even be able to read the small print but can see the big-type warnings about deadlines and mandatory processing fees.”
This practice isn’t new. Congress even passed a law in 2010 outlawing the practice, which both major political parties have used in the past. Despite the outcry, it appears that these deceptive mailers are still legal.
Emilie Saunders, director of communications for the Montana Department of Commerce, argues that the main issue is misinformation: "Getting accurate information out is so critical. We don't want folks to think that because they respond to this mailer back in May or in September that they already responded to the census when it arrives next year."
The 2020 Census is crucially important, and lawmakers as well as numerous news outlets are urging their constituents to pay attention and make sure that when the Census happens in 2020, they are filling out a legitimate Census document from the U.S. Census Bureau.
Some states switched up after the 2010 census. They decided to start counting prisoners based on their home communities, and not the prisons where they reside. The controversy over this makes it clear why our participation in the census is so important!
According to analysis from Stateline.org, “Many inmates hail from neighborhoods in or near cities, but most are incarcerated in small towns and rural areas.” This means that counting inmates in prisons could shift power to rural areas, whereas not doing so emphasizes cities.
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The census count has everything to do with legislative representation and resources. An accurate count means a more accurate measurement of who gets what. This is why it’s important to participate. And keep in mind that prisoners can’t vote (except in 2 states), so they’re not really considered constituents.
It’s being described as “prison gerrymandering,” and it depends on where you are and who runs your state to know what’s what. Prison Policy Initiative says it “leads to a dramatic distortion of representation at local and state levels, and creates an inaccurate picture of community populations.”
If you didn’t know, now you know. The census is a big deal and participation matters. If it didn’t, why else would a debate like this be ongoing? It’s up to us to make sure our communities are counted accurately, starting with each of us individuals!
Every parent wants to raise intelligent self-aware children.
But Black parents, in particular, struggle to find age-appropriate ways to discuss things like police brutality, loving your dark skin and gravity-defying curls, and even which college will support their child best. Thankfully, these five books can help.
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Your toddler will love their beautiful Black skin and hair with books like “Sulwe” by actress Lupita N’yongo and “Hair Love” by Matthew A. Cherry (Ages 4-8).
It’s never too early to talk about the benefits of higher education, and HBCU attendance especially.
Try reading the “College Project” by Morgan Cruise and schedule a college visit to inspire your elementary or middle school student. (Ages 7-12)
“Dear Martin” by Nic Stone tells the story of Justyce McAllister, a bright young boy on track to attend an Ivy League school.
But a scary run-in with the criminal justice system inspires him to pen letters to Martin Luther King, Jr. as he questions whether any of King’s teachings apply in today’s social climate. (Ages 14-18)
Sadly, “The Talk” about precautions to take when encountering the police is still painfully relevant.
In “Momma, Did You Hear The News?” author Sanya Gragg includes a memorable mantra to help Black young people remember what to do and not do in the presence of police. (All ages)
When Russia’s interference with the 2016 United States presidential election was investigated by the U.S. government and Facebook, they discovered something alarming.
Accounts disguised as Black people were being dispatched across social media to target YOU.
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These imposter bots posed as political influencers to persuade Black voters to GIVE UP their collective power as a key voting bloc that could determine the fate of the nation.
According to Black Enterprise’s report summary, Russia’s whole motivation was to suppress Black voters (especially women) by using a “front” profile that tried hard to pass as an authentic Black voice.
Once they gained access to users' feeds and friends lists, these bots deflected serious criticism of President Trump and spread misinformation around “manipulated topics such as Hillary Clinton’s ‘super predator’ comment from 1996; and issues related to race and policing, immigration, and guns.”
With important races happening on a local, state, and federal levels in 2019 and 2020, we have to exercise caution with who and what informs our ballot choices.
To spot a fake account, be wary of users who make authoritative claims without citing sources, have unusually high follower counts yet receive little to no interactive comments or shares, and who use stereotypical slang that feels insincere.
Most importantly, remember that there are powerful forces dedicated to keeping you and your crew silenced throughout the political process.
This upcoming election is no different.
It seemed like his life was over. Isaac Wright, Jr. was facing life in prison and the testimony of multiple police officers and witnesses.
But he wasn’t a “drug kingpin,” as they claimed. He was innocent. And he’d fight to prove it.
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Wright was sentenced to life. But he used his time in prison to study law, and ended up getting overturned convictions or reduced sentences for TWENTY of his peers.
After years of study, however, he was ready to take on the biggest case of all: his own.
During his appeal, he acted as his own lawyer - and got a confession out of a crooked cop, which revealed a wide network of corruption. Numerous officers, as well as a prosecutor and even a JUDGE, were arrested and convicted!
Wright was freed, and went to law school - but his fight wasn’t over. The New Jersey Bar spent NINE YEARS trying to keep him out of the profession. But they failed. As of 2017, Wright is officially a lawyer.
“I went to law school for one reason and one reason only,” Wright says. “To slay giants… especially when it involves helping those who cannot help themselves.”
We need more “Giant Slayers” like Isaac Wright, Jr.! His incredible story will soon be an ABC show produced by 50 Cent - and we hope it will inspire others to take up law, and fight the good fight, as well!
When Kimberlé Crenshaw blessed the world with the theory of “intersectionality” in 1989, it upset white people - and earned a collective sigh of relief and appreciation from people of color everywhere.
There was finally a term to describe the ways that, for example, not all women experience womanhood or sexism in the same way! Black women face a specific intersection of womanhood AND Blackness that mainstream feminism has always ignored.
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This has long been true in many communities, who want to ignore our differences and say “we’re all the same,” when that’s clearly not true. We don’t just have one identity - our age, race, language, culture, sexuality, disability, education level, etc. all exist in us at the same time, and impact each other!
America has always wanted us to “quit pulling the race card” or “stop bringing race into everything.” But race AFFECTS everything! The theory of intersectionality is a powerful remedy to “color-blindness,” and its power forever changed race theory.
It was even added to the dictionary in 2015.
The theory will hopefully be reaching an even wider audience soon, thanks to a new book coming out next year.
Hopefully “On Intersectionality: Essential Writings,” Crenshaw’s new book, will inspire a new generation of activists and thinkers to be unapologetically Black, reject “color-blindness,” and insist our experiences be taken into account when we discuss critical issues!