UPDATE (July 23, 2024, 3:56 p.m. ET): This column has been updated to include Rep. Steven Horsford, D-Nevada and the chair of the Congressional Black Caucus who was on the panel at the Essence festival that addressed the need to vote.
To many Americans, our democracy is a given; yet, for African Americans, it is a lifesaving gift demanding our unwavering defense. This gift promises not only prosperity but shields us with the strength of pluralism. In the crucible of the past three years, the visionary leadership of President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris has steered us through the darkest days of the worst pandemic since the 1920s. Their administration unveiled a monumental infrastructure bill that has not only rebuilt our roads and bridges but also our communities. The administration’s persistent commitment to prosperity for all Americans has created 2.6 million jobs for African Americans, unlocked historic educational opportunities through the expansion of Pell Grants, increased access to housing, and broadened health care for Black communities by increasing Black enrollment in the Affordable Care Act by 49%.
The administration’s persistent commitment to prosperity for all Americans has created 2.6 million jobs for African Americans.
These are not just policy achievements; they are critical lifelines, and now we fear that we may lose the immense progress we have made. It would be a death blow.
At the Essence Festival of Culture this month, even the sweltering heat and humidity of New Orleans paled in comparison to the deep anxiety brewing over the future of our nation’s democracy. We have watched the erosion of the sacred right to vote, once safeguarded by the Voting Rights Act, and now witness our political systems — created to protect us — seemingly turn against us. This betrayal menaces our dreams of security, equality and prosperity. With the Supreme Court appearing to sanction abuses of power, our hearts sink. We fear our democracy is dangerously close to collapsing under the weight of countless challenges to its institutions and norms. Should our democracy falter, Black Americans know that we would be the first to suffer the impact.
That’s why my Democratic colleagues Rep. Maxine Waters of California, Rep. Troy Carter of Louisiana and Rep. Steven Horsford of Nevada, the chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, rallied with me at Essence fest, the country’s largest showcase of African American music and culture, to urge attendees to vigorously defend democracy. We reminded everyone of the stark choice before us: advance with Joe Biden or decline with Donald Trump. We must not retreat from our sacred duty to vote.
Indifference is a luxury we cannot afford.
While some dismiss concerns about our democracy’s stability, their detachment echoes the complacency of those who, during the civil rights era, ignored the urgent cries for equality. Fully enjoying their rights, they boldly proclaimed to those who didn’t: “Wait, your time will come.” They have not had to march in the streets against bigotry to receive the rights they were promised at their nation’s birth. They’ve never had to vote as though their freedom depended on it. They are silent about the erosion of rights because they don’t belong to a group at risk.
But we are a member of the endangered group. We do not have the privilege of apathy. The fight for freedom has always been and is once again at our doorstep and we cannot afford apathy when oppression knocks on our door.
As a morally bankrupt Donald Trump, who’s been convicted of 34 felony counts, runs for the presidency again, our nation is at risk of backsliding beyond where we’ve been before. Despite his claim to have been the best president for Black Americans since Abraham Lincoln, Trump has sanctioned white supremacy, directed his harmful rhetoric at communities of color and threatened to cut federal education funding. He is driven not by a vision for prosperity, but by retribution against his political rivals.
In contrast, President Biden and Vice President Harris are propelling our country forward, envisioning a future where jobs flourish, health care is accessible and reproductive rights are protected. They celebrate our diversity. The choice is clear and binary: Biden vs. Trump. We don’t have the luxury of voting for a third party or not voting at all. Given the strong turnout expected from Trump’s supporters, every other voter must support the best alternative for protecting our democracy: the Biden-Harris ticket of the Democratic Party.
We don’t have the luxury of voting for a third party or not voting at all.
Vice President Harris, addressing the Essence festival, declared the upcoming November election the most consequential of our lifetime. She’s right. Turning away from democracy now would mean abandoning the freedoms we have so fiercely fought to secure. We cannot succumb to disillusionment or a “nothing will change” mentality while so many continue to fight for their rights at risk. The stakes are too high, and our resolve must be equally high.
We must still venture to hope. We must look toward that bright picture in New Orleans, where prideful music and empowered voices rang through the air and see the work that has brought our community this far. The sacrifices of the past have led us here, and an equally passionate mobilization today will ensure that their work was not in vain. Our determination today will shape the destiny of future generations.
We must vote like our lives depend on it because they do.
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