As Americans go to the polls today, much of the nation’s attention will turn to the math of this historic election. How many votes have been cast — early or on Election Day — and of course, whether either of the major party’s candidates have amassed enough support in the right combination of states to […]
Black swing state voters
Posted inElections, Politics & Policy
At a North Carolina HBCU, Black Students Get Out the Vote
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Standing in a manicured field near the edge of Johnson C. Smith University — an HBCU in Charlotte where his fraternity, Alpha Phi Alpha, and others display some of the symbols associated with their organizations – Kevin Napier explained just how large the election has loomed on campus in recent weeks. In […]
Posted inEconomy, Politics & Policy
Ignored for Years, Black Milwaukee Voters Hold Power in 2024
MILWAUKEE — When Diane Blaylock’s parents migrated to Milwaukee from Lena and Canton, Mississippi, they immediately went to work. Her father was employed by Rex Chain Belt, a manufacturing company that produced chain links for agricultural equipment. Donning a knit Green Bay Packers cap, she reminisced about a time when Black people had more opportunities […]
Posted inElections, Politics & Policy, Rural Issues, Voting
The Powerful, Unsung Role Black Rural Voters Can Play in Our Elections
For years, Garrett Snuggs questioned why the predominantly white town council of Wadesboro, North Carolina, didn’t reflect its population — 69% of which is Black. In the rural town of 5,000, about 52 miles away from Charlotte, he noticed that many Black folks, particularly youth and men, were disengaged from the political process. That changed […]
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Black Voters in Philadelphia Can Tip the Scales Toward Harris or Trump
PHILADELPHIA — There are times where Alyce Hobson, 80, can’t believe what’s happening to food prices. One Sunday in late September, she walked into a Philadelphia grocery store and came out with three small items that cost almost $30. “Prices are totally ridiculous,” said Hobson, a retired government employee who assisted Philadelphia’s social workers. “I […]
Posted inBlack Migration, Elections, Politics & Policy, Voting
Understanding Phoenix’s Complex — and Growing — Black Voter Bloc
PHOENIX — Over the past two decades, Black people disillusioned by the inequalities that have defined life in other states have moved to Arizona in droves, searching for more opportunities. Still, as transplants have found hope in the battleground state, the ability to build political power has struggled to take root. The state has emerged […]
Posted inElections, Politics & Policy, Rural Issues
Georgia Residents React to Harris-Walz Rally in Savannah
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, […]
Posted inElections, Politics & Policy
Voter Apathy Is Real. Here’s How Black Organizers Are Tackling It.
Black Voters and the Fight for Democracy is a multi-part series that explores the stakes of the 2024 election for our communities. This project was produced as part of the Advancing Democracy Fellowship. HARRISBURG, Pa. — “Are y’all bored? Who’s bored?” Wearing mules, jeans, and a T-shirt emblazoned with the name of her nonprofit group — […]