I wanted to take some time out to discuss a very unassuming yet important thing.
The Black vote.
It’s a mythical thing that simultaneously does and does not exist and is a thing of ultimate power, apparently. To hear everybody else tell it.
In almost all angles, dominant culture media and news outlets talk about this mythical phenomenon called the Black vote. It’s quite like a unicorn. Like the unicorns on Harry Potter. People claim it exists. Some people have seen it. Older folks say that they can remember it in abundance. Somebody’s always trying to covet it. Some others are always trying to dismiss it, saying that it is inconsequential and that Black votes don’t even vote anyway. And every so often comes some character out for its life force to sustain themselves because they too, carry hot sauce in their purse.
There’s something scary that I notice. And if you have followed me in any way over the years, you know that one of my biggest red flags is when we start aligning with or sounding like folks we shouldn’t.
My problem though, is this. Media outlets near every voting season start using this critical and chastising tone toward Black folk about our vote. And Black folk ourselves get on that same wave. One doesn’t necessarily cause the other but this is one of those times when we gotta knock this mess off.
First and foremost we need to believe in our own competency. Black people are not infantile. We make our own damn decisions and have our reasons that are born from our contexts. And you are not going to get adults to do things by talking down to them like they’re children. Even if you, yourself, are Black.
It isn’t at all true that Black people don’t WANT to vote. So let’s get that out of the way. Plenty of us do and cannot. Some of us are justice involved or have been and can therefore not participate… cause Crime Bill and some other things that we’re all familiar with. Disenfranchisement is real. Voter suppression and gerrymandering are real. There are folks doing something about this Black vote phenomenon as if there’s a “final solution” that’s needed. No matter what you say doesn’t work, there are individuals clearly doing whatever they can to make it work for them. And I refuse to believe that we cannot find ways to be powerful, to create ad campaigns, or to do anything, spending energy and resources, no matter how scarce, to make their voices heard.
Furthermore, it ain’t the Black vote that got us here. Black women didn’t vote us into The Era of the Cheeto. White women did. Or that’s the story that’s been told over and over again. 52% of white women voted for el cheeto, 61% of white women who’d not gone to college and 44% of those who had, according to exit polls. And how has their support of all things that disrespect the rights of the rest of us changed? Surveys say that is has, and that white women’s support of Trump has dropped 19% since the whole Kavanaugh fiasco, but I wouldn’t bet the farm on it. So save that energy for them and stop expecting us to save the conscience of this country every time. That’s not our job. White folks wanna sink the ship, don’t place the repair on our shoulders.
I continue to be fascinated by this mythical thing that everybody and their mama harps on every time an election season comes up. And exactly how much power it has as an entity, I don’t know. It’s funny to me how so many folks, including white folks are so dismissive of the effectiveness of this thing, yet focus on it so much.
And when I say that they focus on it, they FOCUS on it. They go after it. They attack it.
Meanwhile. If you gon vote, vote. If you not, I respect your decision, and even your apathy, whether I agree or not. And if I want you to do differently, I’ll present info on why you should. And that’s it.
But it remains conversation for many people. Actual policy, actual candidate stances on policy, how ballots even work, local questions to appear on ballots if applicable… none of this seems to matter. I would venture to say that a lot of folks don’t even know what can be voted for. If you think that all you can vote for is an individual candidate or party, you’re sorely mistaken. ACTUAL POLICY and questions that lead to creating policy end up on ballots, too. Here’s a source that can help you actually search for what’s being voted on, near you: What’s on my ballot?. A step further, you can use this resource to find out all you need to about voting, by state… it might not be too late: Voting in your state.
And maybe not by voting at all… but you can still let your opinion and perspective and needs be known to someone besides your Facebook friends with 5 Calls… and yes, there’s an app for that.
Just throwing some things out there…
I said all this to say… that the conversation is just that. Conversation. Actually, I do want you to do differently. I at least want you to do SOMETHING. What most folks are calling apathy is not apathy. It’s actually what some might call a lack of coping skills or any other myriad of things in which something is challenging and you feel wronged and that it shouldn’t be, but you feel powerless or overwhelmed or simply don’t know what to do to impact it. So you settle for it. Yet still complain. That isn’t apathy at all. It’s a psychological response that needs treatment and solutions.
At the very least, you need to be concerned with threats to our right and the rights of other Black people.
If it was any other part of life, constantly complaining but doing nothing about the circumstance would not be acceptable. I’d venture to say that at some point if you continue that pattern, you have to be accountable with yourself and admit that you’re comfortable with the circumstance. If this was an abusive or gas-lighting boyfriend, we’d be quick to tell that to Black women so where’s the accountability here?
If you believe that voting does not impact anything, then by all means, please present the alternative. And if you’re going to encourage others not to vote as well, you do so to what end? Because like it or not, whether you say you’re disengaging from the process or not, you’re still focusing on it. And the allotment of resources through politics be it through legislation or actual politicians does impact you and your quality of life.
Everybody is stuck on TALKING about the Black vote. And to be clear, none of this actually impacts anything but peoples’ temporarily galvanized feelings or opinions which we’ll all spill into micro-blogging and nothing in any way will change. Not one piece of trash will be removed from any street. Not one more child will be protected from commercial sexual exploitation. Not one more textbook will be purchased. Not one more wage will be raised of any laborers. Not one non-violent first offense will be commuted regardless to its mandatory minimum sentence.
Nothing will change. We will be passengers.
But we surely will talk about it.