Each has an idea for how to address problems facing Black America. But are they the right leaders? And will their answers work? Can icons revolutionize Black politics?
Black people saved the Democrats. Black voters across the South prevented Bernie Sanders from leading the party off a socialist cliff. Black demonstrators led a protest movement that energized young voters and high-profile sports figures. And Black supporters in Atlanta, Detroit, Milwaukee and Philadelphia turned out in margins big enough to put Joe Biden in the White House.
So, now what’s in it for us?
That’s what Ice Cube (O’Shay Jackson) was asking when he pitched the Contract With Black America. It’s what Kanye West was moving toward when he put on the MAGA hat to urge criminal justice reform.
And it’s what Diddy (Sean Combs) seems to be taking to a new level with Our Black Party, a budding political organization aimed squarely at addressing problems facing Black America.
But are these icons of hip-hop culture the right leaders to threaten a high-profile exodus of Black voters from the Democratic Party? Could such a massive political shift happen?
Assuming it could, would it be a smart move? What types of political muscle could Black independents or third-party voters flex that Black Democrats don’t already have?
The first question is the easiest — of course they’re the right leaders. American Democracy doesn’t work without participation. (And let’s just pretend we actually have a democracy for now. I don’t have the time or the energy to dig into the lunacy of the Electoral College system.)
Any American with an idea to make the nation better has the right to put that forward and try to rally support.
Further, Jackson, West and Combs are wildly successful businessmen. If a business background is good enough for lame-duck President Donald Trump, then it’s good enough for this trio of entrepreneurs.
Whether any of them could lead mass shift away from the Democratic Party is an open question, but it’s smart to ask. The Black vote shouldn’t be assumed as a given.
Democrats need to embrace national and local agendas that move toward racial equity. Create policies that help bust up high concentrations of poverty for people on the lowest levels of the socioeconomic ladder. Find ways to eliminate student loan debt or greatly reduce tuition as a form of reparations to the descendants of slaves. And eliminate slavery once and for all by pushing through a constitutional amendment that would nullify a provision of the 13th Amendment that makes slavery a legal punishment for prisoners.
This election cycle, Democrats succeeded in voting out Trump. But their House majority slipped, and unless they properly mobilize in Georgia, they might not take control of the Senate.
Does this point to an inability to multitask? And does that get worse and worse as politics get more and more local?
Local elections have the most control on issues such as police reform and education. If these issues are problems across Black America, it would seem that any party seeking to court the Black vote would have a scalable plan that would make immediate improvements. (We’ve seen conservatives use this strategy through organizations like the American Executive Legislative Council, which drafts laws and policies and distributes them to elected officials for state-level implementation.)
The biggest question is whether Black voters already have the strength that Jackson, West and Combs are seeking to marshal?
And there’s a compelling case to be made there.
Right now, Black voters are kingmakers. This demographic is directly responsible for the rise of Barack Obama, Joe Biden and Kamala Harris. It doesn’t get much more powerful than the ability to select nominees for the presidential ticket.
But by swinging back and forth depending on candidates, issues and elections, Black voters could have the same level of influence on Republicans, as well.
Of course, there’s a real risk that Black voters would be shut out of the process as Republicans retreat to a conservative, rural base and away from cities and suburbs. And Democrats would do the same by retreating into more and more elite and socialist enclaves that Black voters
are less likely to support.
It would be wise to consider that the Black vote as it currently stands also has huge influence over Republican Party politics, albeit indirectly.
But the Black vote is as responsible for Trump’s ascension as it was for Biden’s. (And no, not because of Lil Wayne, who posed for a picture with Trump right before the election.)
When Black voters stayed home, Trump was able to carve out margins in rural areas that gave him the White House in 2016. When Black voters turned out in 2020, Trump wasn’t able to overcome their numbers.
It seems like Jackson, West and Combs could help turn Black energy and activism into action within the current system by creating specific proposals and supporting specific candidates and highlighting specific races at the state and local level, since that’s the origin point for the overwhelming majority of problems that disproportionately affect the descendants of enslaved Africans.
Jackson’s Contract With Black America needs more publicity and a full-time public face to represent it on news shows and in debates. (It was disappointing when Ice Cube ended up feuding with Harris supporters late in the election cycle.)
West needs to change his delivery or have a seat. Saying things like “slavery was a choice” completely undermines his efforts and gives his critics room to dismiss him as an attention-seeking narcist.
And Combs seems to just need time. His effort is brand new, but his message is spot on.
“To the U.S. political establishment,” his website states, “our votes must be earned.”
It further states that, “Our Black Party exists to advance a political agenda that addresses the needs of Black people. We envision an America where Black people are liberated and participate freely in the political, economic and social systems that work together for our benefits.”
This represents a promising future for the energy of Black activism.
Black people saved the Democratic Party; now Black people are working to save themselves.