Black Voters Don’t Need Lectures, They Need Empathy
Not forgetting about us for four years at a time might help too
Update 6/7/22: Level has a new home. You can read this article and other new articles by visiting LEVELMAN.com.
Every single election cycle, a segment of the Black population is asked why it lacks faith in a political system that pays them such little mind. Rarely is the question asked with sincere interest in an answer, though. It’s merely a precursor to the true motivation: to ostracize the most vulnerable among us for perceived complacency.
I’ve never found the strategy persuasive, but its longevity is undeniable. Our community’s most notable uncle and auntie duo, Mr. and Mrs. Obama, may be the most famous recent examples of this, but high and mighty thoughts are not limited to the rich and powerful. I see it on social media, even in what I thought was escapist TV like Love & Marriage: Huntsville. Here I was thinking I am just going to laugh at country and grand Black folks with delusions of grandeur and/or wayward dicks, but instead I got treated to the same tired “people marched for this” angle.
As always, I fault our political coverage.
In a recent story from AP, a 31-year-old Black woman offers a criticism that feels passed down like a (bad)…
