By Megan Sayles
As election day draws near, Black voters face a pivotal moment, as candidates at national, state and local levels take distinct approaches to addressing critical issues, like health disparities, wealth gaps, reproductive rights, voter suppression and education.
With a polarizing presidential race, tight races in Congress and contentious ballot measures, it becomes even more important for voters to identify the policies that enable them to thrive. The AFRO sat down with three leading, nonpartisan voter organizations that seek to empower the Black community to determine which issues are the most pressing. Here’s what they said.
Voting rights
Voter roll purging, or removing individuals from registered voter lists, has escalated in recent years. The practice is meant to preserve the integrity of the list, clearing out people who have died or moved, but a number of states have used it to remove people due to infrequent voting in recent elections.
“Most Black people, close to 60 percent, live in the South where you have a lot of voter purging taking place,” said Melanie Campbell, president of the National Coalition on Black Civic Participation (NCBCP). “Voting rights is a big issue for us.”
NCBCP has spearheaded a voter preparedness campaign to ensure people are registered to vote, know where their polling location is and understand the protections that exist.
Economic security
The economy has been a hot-button issue this election season. Campbell said Black women in particular are experiencing a great deal of concern over their finances.
“We did a poll earlier in the year, and the number one issue for Black women had to do with economic security— issues around paychecks not making it all the way through the month and matching bills,” said Campbell. “There’s a high level of anxiety for Black women across generations.”
Campbell also pointed out that the recent devastation caused by Hurricane Helene, which ravaged communities in the Southeast, would mean even more implications for the U.S. economy.
Leaders of Black Girls Vote (BGV) also touched on the economic plight of Black women. Founder Nykidra Robinson pointed out that they are the fastest-growing segment of entrepreneurs in the U.S., but they need to be able to preserve the wealth they are creating.
“We have a lot of Black women who are heads of households or the breadwinner, but it’s tough,” said Robinson. “Even though we’re going to school and getting educated, we have student loan debt payments that come with our salaries, which can be limited.”
She also highlighted the steep cost of housing today. Homeownership has traditionally been identified as a way to create generational wealth. But, if home prices are out of reach, this avenue may be closed to Black families.
“The cost of housing is now astronomical, and Black women want to purchase homes,” said Robinson. “For those who are able, we want to make sure that they can stay in their homes and not just buy them.”
Health equity
BGV advisory board member Destiny-Simone Ramjohn, a public health sociologist, raised health care affordability, quality and access as a major issue up and down ballots this year.
“Health disparities exist along lines of race but also along income and geography. We need to vote for candidates who prioritize health equity and ensure that those policies are designed to reduce disparities by addressing social drivers,” said Ramjohn. “Most of what contributes to your health happens outside of your doctor’s office.”
The Black community faces disparities in maternal health, cancer rates, mental health treatment, heart disease, hypertension and diabetes. Social determinants of health, or the conditions in which a person lives, works and ages, significantly impact these disparities, according to Ramjohn.
She warned that the next president will inherit multiple public health epidemics, including those related to Black maternal health, gun violence,
“Black women are three times more likely to suffer from maternal morbidity and maternal mortality when compared to their White counterparts,” said Ramjohn “We also know that firearm violence, which is now a leading cause of death among children, is concentrated in marginalized, racial and ethnic communities.”
Addressing reproductive justice is also a major issue under health care. While many associate the term with abortion access, it encompasses much more than that.
“When we hear about reproductive justice, there’s so much talk about abortion, but we’re not talking about in vitro fertilization (IVF) treatments or surrogacy,” said Robinson. “We’re not talking about the mothers who desire to have a child and may not be able to conceive or have complications when trying to have a child.”
Black Voters Matter Fund
Economic security
Co-founder of the Black Voters Matter Fund LaTosha Brown explained that Black communities consider the health of the economy at an individual level rather than global.
“We’re not thinking about the health of the economy based on how the GDP is doing or the unemployment rate being lower,” said Brown. “We’re looking at costs and the health and wellness of our communities.”
As Black families, who were disproportionately impacted by COVID-19, continue to recover from the pandemic, she said they have become increasingly sensitive to the rising costs of goods.
Like BGV, Brown called attention to pricey housing costs, which have made it difficult and sometimes impossible for African Americans to attain homeownership.
“The cost of homes has exploded and risen to the point where it’s been cost-preventative for people coming out of college and new families to get a new home,” said Brown. “We need people with strong housing policies so we can build wealth.”
Student loan forgiveness
Though millions of Americans have outstanding student loan debt, there is a stark gap in the amount owed by Black borrowers and their counterparts. According to the Education Data Initiative, African-American college graduates owe an average of $25,000 more in student loan debt than White college graduates.
Brown highlighted legal attacks, largely led by Red states, on President Joe Biden’s Saving on a Valuable Education (SAVE) plan, which is designed to make payments more affordable, expand forgiveness and eliminate interest.
“They’re willing to give corporate welfare to bail banks out and millions of dollars to wealthy business owners in Paycheck Protection Program loans, but then there’s been attacks on student loan forgiveness,” said Brown. “That impacts us economically.”
Education
In recent years, assaults on Black history in schools have increased. Brown noted that several states have sought to ban AP African American studies and critical race theory.
“Why is our history less valuable than any other? It is American history,” said Brown. “We have to see that that’s not just an attack on African American history; that’s an attack on our identity.”