A Black political and civics lesson – St. Louis American

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Nearly all members of the Black world have heard the saying: “A hard head makes for a soft behind.”
That’s what’s happening to Black people (and others) right now. We’re learning political lessons the hard way. Here are three we’d do well to finally internalize.
One: Voting Matters
Though over 90% of Black women and 80% of Black men voted against the current fascist-leaning White House administration, those numbers just reflect the Black people who showed up at the polls. But when you compare our 2024 voting numbers to those during the 2020 presidential election, Black voters declined by the millions. That meant white people who voted in record numbers… white people who have for decades always voted overwhelmingly against whatever candidate Black people supported, had their way. Sadly, had we voted in numbers similar to 2020, Trump and all his anti-Black executive orders would not exist. Thousands of folks losing their jobs, SNAP benefits, healthcare, etc., would still have it. So, yes, voting matters.
Two: All politics are local
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One of the most common beliefs running through Black communities was/is the idea that voting on the federal level doesn’t matter as much as voting on the local level. This is the line used by voting advocates to convince folk who, during any given presidential election, aren’t thrilled with either candidate or who operate under the belief that both parties are the same (we’ll get to that in a second).
The logic goes as follows: voting locally matters more because local judges, city council folk, DAs, etc., have a more direct, immediate and consistent (daily) impact on your life compared to elected officials who spend their time in D.C. (specifically, the president). And it’s true that those local officials impact our daily lives.
But to think that the person who sits in the Oval Office doesn’t affect our daily lives is idiotic and wrong. Presidents own the “bully pulpit,” the apparatus to sway every level of society and decision-makers toward their way of thinking.
It’s no coincidence that hate crimes and hate speech against Black people, Latinos, Asians, Muslims and LTBGQ-folk skyrocketed during Trump’s first term in office. His anti-Black, Latino, Asian, Muslim and LGBTQ rhetoric gave people license to express the same, and to go even further by acting on their prejudices violently.
The White House occupant’s worldview and policy agenda also directly impact how state and local leaders move. We’re seeing this in real time with local officials and businesses adopting Trump’s anti-DEI stance.
Three: Both parties aren’t the same
Yes, the Democrats are weak as wet toilet paper when compared to the level of iron-fisted fight Republicans bring to issues. Yes, the Dems take their most loyal constituents (Black folk) for granted. But when you run down the list of issues most important to us, the Dems have fought on our side and won battles on numerous occasions.
The other party consists of members who are so anti-Black, anti-Latino that they are endorsed by the KKK, neo Nazis and a gazillion other white domestic terrorist groups. They’re so anti-democracy that they’re endorsed by Putin and every autocratic fascist on the planet.
GOP members supported George Zimmerman and demonized Trayvon Martin, Tamir Rice, Freddy Gray, Sandra Bland, George Floyd, etc. GOP members are against women having agency over their own bodies, with many Republicans pushing for ending women’s right to vote altogether. Every program that supports Black folks’ access to healthcare, educational opportunities, criminal justice system fairness, etc., the Dems are for and the Republicans are against.
Republicans voted against confirming the over-qualified Ketanji Brown Jackson as a Supreme Court Justice and voted to confirm the supremely under-qualified Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett. Dems are for environmental justice and protection. Republicans are for giving corporations the ability to pollute the planet.
Aswad Walker is associate editor of the Houston Defender Network
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