When Brandon Byrd learned that Vice President Kamala Harris and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz would be in his home state of Georgia to campaign this week, he responded: “It’s about damn time.” Byrd understands rural areas better than most as a native of Metter, a 30% Black town of fewer than 4,000 people. Since 2021, […]
Politics & Policy
Posted inPolitics & Policy, Wealth Gap
‘As Goes California, Goes The Rest Of The Country,’ Except On Black Reparations
Through a series of films in the 1990s, from Boyz n the Hood to Menace II Society and Friday, the perception of Black Los Angeles became ingrained in the minds of people of all backgrounds across the nation. Palm trees and hood politics became synonymous with the neighborhoods. But in a rarity, the films also […]
Posted inPartner Content, Politics & Policy
Kamala Harris Fact-Check: How Accurate Was Her 2024 DNC Speech?
CHICAGO — Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris said she’ll be a president who is “practical and has common sense and always fights for the American people.” In a 37-minute acceptance speech — roughly one-third the length of former President Donald Trump’s at the Republican National Convention in July — Harris retold the story of […]
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Beyond The Main Stage: From Church Pews to Museum Halls, Black Spaces and Culture Shine at the DNC
CHICAGO — “Alls my life I has to fight!” Kendrick Lamar’s lyrics reverberated through the electric atmosphere of the United Center in Chicago as California Gov. Gavin Newsom proudly announced California’s 482 delegate votes for Vice President Kamala Harris at the Democratic National Convention on Aug. 22. Georgia declared its votes to a bass-heavy Lil […]
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Kamala Harris, Democrats Take on New Tone at DNC
For years, Democrats have been criticized for refusing to stand up for themselves. They’ve gotten flak for going high when their Republican rivals go low. The Democratic Party faithful simply want their leaders and allies to, as one Beyoncé song goes, twirl on their haters. And this week, they did. Their approach seemed tactical — […]
Posted inElections, Partner Content, Politics & Policy
2024 DNC Night 3 Fact-Check: What Speakers Got Right, Wrong
CHICAGO — PolitiFact fact-checked the third night of the 2024 Democratic National Convention, including Wednesday’s speeches by the Democratic vice presidential nominee, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, and former President Bill Clinton. PolitiFact fact-checks politicians across the political spectrum. We also fact-checked the Republican National Convention in July. Read more about our process. Continue to check back as this story […]
Posted inPartner Content, Politics & Policy
Fact-Checking DNC Night 2: What Democratic Speakers Got Right, Wrong
CHICAGO — Two decades after exploding onto the political scene at a different Democratic convention, former President Barack Obama, along with former first lady Michelle Obama, energized convention attendees here. The Obamas bestowed their support on nominee Kamala Harris, who aims to follow Obama as the nation’s second Black president. Barack Obama began his address by […]
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What Black Voters Can Expect From a Harris-Walz Ticket
On Monday, Democratic National Committee delegates passed the party’s platform in a voice vote. The themes are familiar, with a focus on reproductive rights, the working class, climate change, and infrastructure, among other things. The original platform was approved just days before President Joe Biden’s exit from the race and unveiled a day before the […]
Posted inPartner Content, Politics & Policy
DNC Fact-Check Day 1: Democrats’ Warnings About Trump’s ‘Project 2025 Agenda’
Project 2025 has a starring role in this week’s Democratic National Convention. And it was front and center on Night 1. “This is Project 2025,” Michigan state Sen. Mallory McMorrow, D-Royal Oak, said as she laid a hardbound copy of the 900-page document on the lectern. “Over the next four nights, you are going to […]
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Can Kamala Harris Recreate the Political Momentum of 2008?
Black Voters and the Fight for Democracy is a multipart series that explores the stakes of the 2024 election for our communities. This project was produced as part of the Advancing Democracy Fellowship. Jovita Lee wasn’t old enough to vote in 2008, when Barack Obama was at the top of the Democratic Party ticket. But […]