Black Folks Were Behind Kamala...Now We Need To Get Behind Us

Black folks showed up for the vice president, but now we know our best “ally” is us.

07 Nov 2024, 20:48 by Madison J. Gray · The Root

Photo: Tom Williams (Getty Images)

The other day I told you in the event of a Trump win, there would be shock, sadness and grief. I only wish I was wrong about that. Not only did we go through those emotions, but there was a collective nausea in the 24 hours after because we realized what we’ll be facing for the next four years.

But this leaves us with an insular feeling — almost like we’ve got our own bag. Many feel that we’re now all we’ve got, and to be honest, that’s a sentiment that has been reflected in generations of our history. And let me tell you: It’s okay to want to serve our own interests as long as we’re not harming others.

So we should take some solace in knowing that when it comes to standing against a would-be dictator like Trump and his rabid lieutenants, we did what we had to do. But there is the question of all the other demographics that didn’t.

The primary focus in many discussions is the Latino community. The poll data shows that despite Trump’s deportation threats directly targeting the Spanish-speaking population, he was supported by 46 percent. To make it more granular, 55 percent of Latino men voted for Trump, while 38 percent of Latina women did the same.

Does this mean Latinos have collectively turned against us? No. Lots of people in that community find Trump as disgusting as we do. They were just as upset and a significant number feel threatened by his deportation plan. But complaints about the economy spurred them into voting Republican in record numbers, meaning enough of them made a possibly fateful choice.

Still, while Black people make up 11 percent of the electorate, Latinos make up only 12 percent. Whites make up 71 percent, and that’s the real issue. They voted for Trump by 57 percent. White men backed him by 60 percent, while white women did so by 53 percent. It’s obvious that his intentions to deport millions or to have “one violent day of policing” were not targeted at anyone who looks like them, so they didn’t care.

For Black people, although we can say that we were behind common sense, neighborliness, education and a better economic path, we must now plan among ourselves to strengthen our own communities. We’ve heard lots of talk about “allyship” and that’s a good word during different times. But our best ally is us, and it is better to think in terms of “partnerships” because when you partner with someone, you have as much to gain or lose as they do.

It should be clear to us now that our purpose is to help ourselves in the best way we can economically, socially, and spiritually. If we need help we should seek beneficial exchanges of labor. In other words, we should work with ourselves, and with those willing to put in the work.

Black Folks Were Behind Kamala...Now We Need To Get Behind Us

Black folks showed up for the vice president, but now we know our best “ally” is us.

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