The Democratic Party has been trying to appeal to Black communities in the US by referencing hip-hop songs, doing interviews on Black media platforms, and, according to some reports, even changing their accent when speaking to Black people.
In recent years, Republicans have also been trying to appeal to Black voters by claiming immigrants steal jobs, with Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump going as far as calling the low-paid positions allegedly under threat as ‘Black jobs.’
Despite these political parties’ attempts to garner votes, a narrative remains that voting rates are low in working-class Black communities because Black people are ignorant, uneducated or too lazy to cast a ballot. A Washington Post-Ipsos survey reported that 62 per cent of Black people planned to vote in November’s presidential election, down from 74 per cent in June 2020. What might account for the drop?
However, Dedan Wa Waciuri of North Carolina-based community organisation Mapinduzi (@mapinduzi_252 on IG and @weareuziiii on X) argued that neither Republicans nor Democrats work in Black people’s interests. He pointed out that voting activists are the truly lazy ones for limiting their political engagement in our communities to once every four years.
What might be the solution? Perhaps, we can studying the Black Power Movement in the US and the worldwide Pan-African struggle. Then, consider organising for Black liberation and Pan-Africanism, like Mapinduzi.
In the comments, let us know what you think of Waciuri’s message.
Video credit: @bigklfa600 (TikTok) @dedanwaciuri (IG) @waciuri_dedan (X)
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