Black women voted at a record 68.1 percent during the 2008 presidential election, outpacing all other demographic voting groups and establishing their presence as a formidable voting bloc. The surge in Black women voter turnout was often credited to voter enthusiasm over the candidacy of the first African American for president, frustration over the Bush administration’s handling of Hurricane Katrina’s aftermath, and the thinning of the Black middle class caused by the Great Recession of 2008.  History repeated itself in 2012.  Black women voted in high numbers—a historic 70.1 percent—the highest voter turnout of any other group. Black women were mobilized in the fight to protect the Affordable Healthcare Act and pushed for continued work on criminal justice reform.  In 2016, Black women maintained their voting strength with a turnout rate of 63.7 percent. The numbers are clear: since 2008, Black women voters have consistently surpassed overall turnout during presidential election years by an average of 6.7 percent.[i] (see chart below)

*Data sourced from the U.S. Census Bureau Reported Voting and Registration 2008, 2012, 2016

 We attribute general high voter turnout and enthusiasm within the Black community to a strong sense of responsibility and regard for the franchise, and this is particularly true in the case of Black women. According to the results of the Black Women’s Roundtable’s annual report, “Black Women in the U.S., 2018” and the National Coalition on Black Civic Participation’s Unity Election Day exit polls in 2014 and 2018, more than 74 percent of surveyed Black women voters reported voting out of a sense of responsibility rather than to support a specific candidate. This data demonstrates the importance of 501(c)3 (non-profit) voter engagement work in the Black community to connect voters to that sense of responsibility.[ii]  Given past voting turnout numbers and the dangers of today’s aggressive political climate, we expect Black voters—particularly Black women—to continue to demonstrate their power as a key voting bloc and make a powerful impact on the presidential campaign of  2020.

Black Women’s Political Leadership Rising

In 2018, Black women stood at the crest of the blue wave that swept Democrats into Congress, voting at a rate of 92 percent for Democratic candidates. But Black women did more than vote. Motivated by a negative political climate and a lack of candidates addressing their unique concerns and issues, hundreds of Black women filed their candidacies for office. They broadened their political influence into governance, running for elected office—at all levels of government—with a vengeance. 

The surge of Black women running for political office resulted in 25 Black women serving in Congress, four Black women in statewide seats, 275 Black women in state legislators, and seven Black women mayors among the largest 100 cities.[iii]  Four of the five new Black congresswomen are under the age of 45 and come from very diverse backgrounds:  Rep. Jahana Hayes was a teacher; Rep. Lucy McBath was (and continues to be) a gun control advocate; Rep. Ilhan Omar was a state legislator; Rep. Ayanna Pressley was a city council member; and Rep. Lauren Underwood was a nurse.  Each of these Black women led campaigns based on the issues most important to Black women and their families, specifically healthcare, criminal justice reform, and education.[iv][v]  

Black women also sought political representation beyond the halls of Congress, running for local and state offices, especially in the South. Stacey Abrams ran a strong, historic race to become the governor of Georgia, only to be robbed of the seat over voter suppression. In Alabama, Sheila Tyson, a five-year Birmingham, Alabama city council member, ran for county commissioner and won. Beverly Chester-Burton lost her first race for mayor in 2008, but in 2018 became Shively, Kentucky’s first African American mayor. Paula Dance was elected the first African-American, female sheriff in Pitt County, North Carolina.  Merleyn Bell, a first-time candidate, won a seat in the Oklahoma House of Representatives.[vi]  In Texas, 17 Black women were elected judges in Harris County. These victories have created excitement throughout the country. We believe Black women will continue to build on these wins and continue to run for office.

Issues That Matter to Black Women

According to the Black Women's Roundtable's recent Unity 2018 Power of the Sister Vote exit poll, safety net issues like Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid, affordable healthcare, and criminal justice reform ranked high on the list of issues Black women want President Trump and 116th Congress to address.[vii] Half of Black women surveyed identified protecting Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security as their top policy priority. One-third (33 percent) identified the protection of the Affordable Care Act as their second highest policy priority. We believe progressive candidates must address these issues —among others—to win the Black women’s vote in 2019 and 2020.

As the nation prepares for the 2020 presidential election, one thing is clear: Black women are a voting bloc to watch—and court. Black women will scour stump speeches for the issues that matter most on their agendas. They expect their leadership to be respected and invested in as constituents, voters, candidates, political managers, and organizers. We believe Black women will take their political leadership to new levels of success in 2020 and beyond. For those seeking to win the Black women’s vote, you would do well to recognize that Black women are the key to victory. If you want to win, recognize the numbers and follow the lead of Black women.

[i]https://www.census.gov/topics/public-sector/voting.html

[ii]https://www.ncbcp.org/assets/2019BWRReportBlackWomenintheU.S.2019FINAL3.22.19.pdf

[iii]https://cawp.rutgers.edu/fact-sheets-women-color

[iv] https://www.ncbcp.org/assets/2019BWRReportBlackWomenintheU.S.2019FINAL3.22.19.pdf

[vi]https://www.ncbcp.org/assets/2019BWRReportBlackWomenintheU.S.2019FINAL3.22.19.pdf

[vii]https://www.unitycampaign.org/ncbcp-unity-18-campaign-2018-election-day-exit-poll-results

In our country, if you work hard, you ought to be able to take care of yourself and the people you love. That should be the fundamental promise of America. This is deeply personal to me because I got a real taste of opportunity: my father ended up as a janitor, but I got to be a public school teacher, law professor, a United States Senator, and a candidate for president. I’m deeply grateful, and I’m running for president because I want every kid to have a chance to build a future.

For too long, communities of color have been locked out of opportunity. Washington runs on two separate sets of rules: one set for the wealthy and well-connected and one for everyone else. The path to economic security is steep and rocky for millions of working people in this country, and it is steeper and rockier for Black Americans. Over the years, America’s middle class has been deliberately hollowed out, and families of color have been systematically discriminated against and denied their chance to build real security. This economic squeeze has touched every community in America; and for communities of color that have stared down structural racism for generations, the squeeze has been even tighter.

Here’s one example: home ownership. It’s the number one way middle-class families build wealth in our country. But until 1968, it was the official policy of the United States government to subsidize homeownership for white families and deny that same help to Black families. Once that discrimination was outlawed, the predatory lenders moved in. Government regulators looked the other way as Wall Street pushed the worst of the worst mortgages on Black families; and when it all came crashing down, the banks swooped in like vultures—pursuing the harshest foreclosure practices on the communities of color they scammed.

The results have been devastating. Today, Black homeownership is lower than when housing discrimination was legal in our country. And even decades after redlining was banned, Black borrowers and Latino borrowers are still more likely to be denied a mortgage than comparable white borrowers. Race matters—and if we ever hope to make the promise of America real for African Americans and other communities of color—we must fight tooth and nail to make big structural change in our country.

But that will never happen so long as billionaires and giant corporations call the shots in Washington. When the wealthy write the rules, it is corruption—plain and simple—and I have the strongest, most comprehensive anti-corruption bill since Watergate. Among other things, it would end lobbying as we know it, ban members of Congress from trading stocks, and force the Supreme Court to follow basic ethics rules. Every year, the rich and the powerful have lobbied Washington and paid off politicians to tilt the system just a little more in their direction and away from working people, poor people, and people of color.

Second, we change the rules of our economy. We should empower workers to elect corporate board members so big American companies are held accountable for failing to raise wages or shipping jobs overseas. We should impose a two percent wealth tax on the great fortunes of this country—$50 million and above—and we should use the money to invest in our children: universal childcare, universal pre-K, and universal pre-pre-K for our little ones. This is of particular need to Black families because they face especially high barriers in accessing affordable, high-quality care. With this plan, parents could work if they want to and every child could develop the skills needed to reach their full potential. My plan would also dramatically increase wages for America’s child-care workers—who are disproportionately women of color

It’s also time to attack the home-ownership gap in the country head on. The homeownership gap has led to a staggering wealth gap. Today, white families have a median net worth of about $171,000, while Black families’ net worth is about $17,600. I believe that the federal government has a central role to play in reversing this damage caused in large part by decades of government-sanctioned discrimination. That’s why I introduced legislation to produce more than three million affordable housing units and bring down rents. This would give a great boost to poor families and working families across the board—but I’ve gone further. For the first time in federal law, I’ve proposed dealing with federal redlining by providing down payment grants to people living in formerly redlined and currently lower-income areas. It would be a significant start in acknowledging—and starting to reverse—a long history of housing discrimination.

The third thing we must do is change the rules in our democracy. The right to vote is the key to determining whose voice will be heard in Washington, and that’s why powerful forces have fought to suppress the right of Black Americans to vote. In 2013, five conservative judges on the Supreme Court gutted one of the most important civil rights statues ever enacted in our country: the Voting Rights Act. They opened the floodgates for more measures to deliberately cut Black voters out of the political process, like voter ID laws, voter roll purges, and felon disenfranchisement laws.

We need a Voting Rights Act with real teeth. Senator Patrick Leahy and Congresswoman Terri Sewell have legislation that I’ve co-sponsored to reverse the damage done six years ago and strengthen the Voting Rights Act even more. Congress must bring it up for a vote – and every single representative and senator should have to pick a side. If they oppose the bill, they must explain why they are so afraid of everyone getting a chance to vote and everyone’s vote being counted.

I believe every vote should count equally, no matter where you live. It’s time we get rid of the Electoral College and elect our presidents with a national popular vote. We also need a constitutional amendment establishing the right to vote for every American citizen and ensure that their vote is counted. That would put more tools in our toolbox as we work to overturn racist voter suppression laws and end partisan gerrymandering that let politicians pick their voters instead of the other way around. I also support overturning Citizens United because democracy is not for sale. The right to vote is how we protect all our rights, and no candidate for president should be elected if they will not pledge to support full, meaningful voting rights

I’ve spent my whole grown-up life studying how America’s middle class has been hollowed out and how families of color have been shut out of their chance to build wealth. Long before I got into politics, I wrote about how Black Americans are more likely to fall into bankruptcy than white Americans, and how payday and subprime lenders are basically legally sanctioned corporate swindlers who prey on families of color. And I’ve always come back to this one central question: who does government work for?

Right now, our government works for the rich and the powerful, while people without power get dirt kicked in their faces. There are four words etched above the Supreme Court: Equal Justice Under Law. But in America, a kid with an ounce of pot can get thrown in jail, yet a senior executive from a Wall Street bank can destroy the financial lives of millions of families and get a taxpayer bailout. Today, in America, for the exact same crimes, African Americans are more likely than whites to be arrested, charged, convicted, and given harsher sentences. We need real criminal justice reform—and we need it now. That means ending racial disparities in our justice system. It means banning private prisons. It means embracing community policing and demilitarizing our local police forces. It means comprehensive sentencing reform and rewriting our laws to decriminalize marijuana.

This is our moment in history.  It is our time to build a government that is truly a government of the people, by the people, and for all people. And that starts with building an inclusive campaign and an administration that lives the values we fight for every day. I’m committed to this fight all the way.

The National Education Association (NEA) is the largest professional association in the country, representing public school educators—teachers and education support professionals, higher education faculty, educators teaching in Department of Defense schools, students in colleges of teacher education, and retired educators across the country.

While our membership is diverse, we have a common mission and values based on our belief that a great public school is not a luxury but a basic right for every student. Our members go into education for two reasons—because they love students, and they appreciate the importance of education in our society.

We want all students to succeed. Our members show up at school every day to nurture students, to bring out their full potential, to be anchors in their lives, and to help prepare them for the 21st century world that awaits them. It is this passion and dedication that informs and guides NEA’s work as we advocate for sound public policy that will help our members achieve their goals.

This is why we have seen a nationwide crusade by NEA educators, students, parents, and community members who are fed up with tattered textbooks and leaky ceilings, who think 1,430 students are too many for one school counselor to help, who want their children to get five days of school—not four—per week, and who are horrified to hear of educators selling their blood to pay their bills. They think all students, no matter where they live, deserve better.

Former National Teacher of the Year, Kim Oliver, posed this profound question: Are you worthy of our students? We cannot say we are worthy of our students as long as inequity and injustice exists in our classrooms, schools, and in our society.

We know that, as a system, public education is part of the structural racism that exists in our schools and leads to inequities throughout classrooms across this nation. Educational inequity is preventing our students of color from receiving the best education possible and from reaching their fullest potential.

NEA made a commitment to lead on racial justice in education two years ago because we understood that our educational system was built with inequity and bias. There is inequity and bias in deciding how we fund our schools, inequity and bias in our curriculums, inequity and bias in discipline, and inequity and bias in the quality of and support for our schools. As educators, we know that these inequities and biases determine student outcomes and success.

It is shameful that sixty years after the Brown vs Board of Education decision, we still see these dramatic inequities in resources, programs, and opportunities for students of color across the nation. The question we must ask is: why have lawmakers at every level—local, state and federal—failed to acknowledge and address these inequities? We believe that those same policy makers at all levels should fulfill their collective responsibility to remedy these gaps. 

These challenges do not bode well for the future of our students. Fortunately, we can change it. The 2020 election cycle presents an opportunity to answer that call and protect public education for our most marginalized students.

It’s essential to vote for pro-public education candidates. NEA’s affiliate, the West Virginia Education Association, proved this to the nation during their nine-day statewide strike that closed every public school in West Virginia and lit the fire for #RedForEd across the U.S.

In this election cycle, pro-public education candidates will be both Republicans and Democrats. They live in cities and suburbs and rural communities. They will be running for school boards, state houses, Congress, and the office of the president. What we must look for is a shared belief that we must invest in our public schools and our students.

Education has always been an important voting issue, but this election could well determine the future of public education in the U.S. as well as offer a clear choice between two different visions for our nation

One vision believes in equal opportunity and a just society.  The other is badly out of step with what’s happening in education and will slam shut the door of opportunity for millions of students.  Attacking educators will help them score political points, but it won’t help our students.

We must get engaged now and send a message that we will support and vote only for those candidates who share our commitment to public education as the cornerstone of a democracy that has made our nation strong.

What is the state of Black America?  To answer this often-repeated question, it is vital to assess the state of progress in areas like economic parity, jobs and justice, fair housing, criminal justice reform as well as advances in politics, business and elsewhere.  Ironically, one area that often gets overlooked happens to be one of the most fundamental rights we share as Americans: the right to vote.

There was a time when Black people were legally and systematically barred from participating in the voting process.  It was only after immense sacrifice—including bloodshed and the tragic loss of so many lives—that we secured the right to vote in a nation that was quite literally built on our backs; largely constructed through our hard and uncompensated labor.  In 2019, our hard-earned right to vote is under renewed threat as politicians and those with evil agendas are barring many from voting, using modern-day schemes based on old-school motives. The National Action Network (NAN) is responding the way it always has in the face of injustice: we are fighting back.

On the legislative front, NAN worked on H.R. 1, the For The People Act; and H.R. 4, the Voting Rights Advancement Act, in concert with other coalition groups.  In a symbolic act, House Democrats introduced and passed the For The People Act as their first legislative achievement of the year, prioritizing the urgency of contending with existing problems and proposed solutions in four areas: voting, redistricting, political money and ethics. The Voting Rights Advancement Act has a simple mission: to ensure that fair access to the ballot for each and every American is protected—as it should be.

NAN is also gearing up for the Census 2020 campaign. Our work will highlight the critical importance of 2020 for elections and the census. NAN is carefully monitoring several gerrymandering cases before the Supreme Court such as Common Cause v. Rucho.  We are also reaching out to clergy in Florida and urging them to lead the effort to register formerly incarcerated people to vote.  After the historic passage of Amendment 4 last year, restoring the right to vote for some 1.4 million formerly incarcerated men and women in Florida, it is up to Black churches and the community to reach out to them and encourage them to register and exercise their newly-restored right. This right is already under attack from Florida Republican lawmakers who are attempting to pass measures that put in place new roadblocks to voting, including requiring those with felony records to fully pay off all court fees and fines before being able to vote.  It is akin to a modern-day poll tax; we must not allow it to be instituted and undermine the will of the people in Florida.

In 2013, the Supreme Court effectively gutted the Voting Rights Act when it eliminated a key section of the law that required areas with a history of discrimination to get preclearance from the federal government before changing any election laws. This decision opened the floodgates for a slew of draconian policies like new voter ID laws, the elimination of early voting days, same-day registration and more—measures which were disproportionately felt in Black and low-income communities.  NAN raised an alarm bell on the subject then and continues to focus on this important topic now.  Because the next presidential election is right around the corner, now is the time to take on all strategies or tactics used to suppress our right to vote.

2019 marks the 400-year anniversary of the first documented arrival of “some 20 and odd” enslaved Africans to Point-Comfort, an English settlement that would become the state of Virginia.  Even after emancipation, it would take decades of untold sacrifice, organizing, demonstrations, boycotts and more until the Voting Rights Act was finally enacted and signed into law.  From poll taxes and literacy tests to modern forms of disenfranchisement like harsh voter ID laws and the steady elimination of voting locations, the fight for voting rights unencumbered by racism and extreme partisan loyalties remains a long and difficult journey. 

The 2018 midterm election ushered in the most diverse Congress in this nation’s history.  That feat is a testament to the tireless work of established groups and grassroots level movements that organized on the ground for years to register people to vote. It is a testament to the people who exercised their right to vote and the people who heard the call, decided to take action and ran for office. Because we fully expect to encounter that same vigor, enthusiasm and commitment for the 2020 election, we understand that we must also expect extensive attempts to block our access to the ballot box.

Unfortunately, voter suppression is nothing new. It is as old as the American constitution.  Fortunately, the fight to push back against voter suppression is just as long—and vigorous. Whether it was the Bloody Sunday march on the Edmund Pettus Bridge, the March on Washington, the assassination of one of our greatest civil rights leaders, Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. or the countless sacrifices on the long road to secure our right to vote—among other rights—we can neither allow the hands of the clock to be turned back nor should we indifferently squander our blood-soaked achievement.

NAN is doing its part to ensure that every American has the opportunity to exercise his or her right to vote because we understand how crucial that right is and how important it is that all Americans have a say in who represents us.  It is hard to keep the faith in today’s political climate, but for those who believe that their vote doesn’t matter or those who have become too complacent to vote, I simply say this: if your right to vote wasn’t so important, people wouldn’t work so hard to take it away.

On the one hand—on an almost daily basis—we are (happily) inundated with stories of the various achievements our people continue to make. Each achievement is a cause for celebration, proof of progress, and another milepost on our march to reshape history. In my own case—at 300 years young—the city of New Orleans elevated a woman to its highest office, making me the first female mayor of the Big Easy. I have often noted that while I am proud to be the first, I take greater pride in knowing that I will not be the last. There is not a day that goes by that I am not inspired by my sister-mayors in cities and towns across the country and by the leadership and example of trailblazers like Stacey Abrams and Kamala Harris.

We show up. We break barriers. And we continue to deftly navigate over society’s imposed limits. Every individual victory is embraced by the larger community. We, as Black people, have lifted up our champions and celebrated our big wins proudly—and sometimes loudly.

On the other hand, we encounter unceasing challenges; some as daunting as any we have faced in my lifetime. To quote Marc H. Morial, a former mayor of New Orleans and current president and CEO of the National Urban League: “American democracy is under serious and sustained attack.” That should be a cause for alarm for every citizen of our republic—and doubly so for Black America.

Today, there are forces within our politics and government that are actively working to silence our voice and disenfranchise us wherever—and whenever—possible. The Voting Rights Act was signed in 1965, but over five decades later we find ourselves still fighting for the right to vote. We are still having to push back on legislative agendas that seek to restrict voting rights and gerrymander Congressional districts in an attempt to isolate, dilute and ultimately silence our people’s voices at the polls.

The 2020 census is a battleground in the fight against voter suppression. When the federal government, as a matter of policy, actively seeks to discourage minority groups from filling out the census, that tells me we still have a long way to go and a big fight ahead.

The 2020 count will formally begin on April 1, 2020. It is difficult to overstate the importance of this data. Census information is used by states to redraw the boundaries of their congressional and state legislative districts in accordance with population shifts. An accurate accounting is essential to making clear-eyed and fair planning decisions regarding community services, public safety and infrastructure. The data is also used to allocate over $675 billion in federal funds to state and local governments each year. The success of the count is critical. It’s vital that we pay attention and focus on making sure it’s done right.

Without preparation and vigilance, history could repeat itself, and our people will go uncounted and, ultimately, underrepresented. That data could be wielded against us to further redraw district maps and further limit our political power.

An undercount would hurt our families and communities and curb all our hard-earned progress. This would exacerbate the already stubborn problems of poverty and housing insecurity. To be uncounted is to be unseen. Without that formal visibility, our people stand to lose.

Between 2000 and 2010, New Orleans’ response to the federal census fell by a third, from approximately 60 percent to barely 40 percent—and our City is still reeling from the punishing impact of the low count. We cannot afford to lose out again. To that end, my administration is already preparing to ensure that every resident of New Orleans is heard, seen and counted.

We are creating Complete Count committees to educate our residents on the importance of a full and accurate count, and we have engaged our regional census officials for training. Recognizing the challenges we face—and the opportunities that lie ahead—I am inviting community organizations and other local groups to partner with the City to help the Census Bureau get a complete count. I will be pushing hard with a city-wide call to action to mobilize our residents and demand that every one of our people be “in that number.”

Accurate census data makes so much of what we do possible. In New Orleans, that includes using the data to help determine how our Opportunity Zone program is implemented. My focus as mayor has to be on ensuring that the program is used as a tool of inclusionary economic development. That means being intentional about how these zones are created and making sure that investments are not concentrated in areas that are already excelling. Good decisions require good data. Without a fair and full census accounting, we cannot accurately assess need and plan interventions.

The 2020 census will be the first full census for New Orleans since our population was scattered and destabilized by Hurricane Katrina. The Big Easy has come a long way since then. Black Americans have come a long way since the first Africans stepped foot onto the colonies. If our history of struggle and resistance is prologue, our community has no intention of allowing anything to stop our progress.

To continue our march towards justice and equality, we must be visible; and our voices must be heard. This means making every effort to ensure full participation in the 2020 census to paint an accurate picture of the multi-racial America we all share.