With the battle for the so-called "Black Vote" heating up in South Carolina, the casual spectator may be surprised to witness how politically diverse and divided Black America really is. Up until now, conventional wisdom might have suggested the vast majority of the Black electorate were low information voters limited to specific issues. So, for those who are somewhat amazed, you might want to let this 2016 election cycle serve as a learning experience.
To think of Black voters in broad generalities is to fail to appreciate the wide spectrum of views, positions, goals, priorities and motivations of Black America. As Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders scrap for their Party's nomination, they're finding Black leaders, activists and celebrities vigorously debating who's plan will yield the highest return for that coveted Black vote. So, it should be no surprise how coveted those Black endorsement have become.
While Hillary Clinton received the endorsement of Morgan Freemen, Bernie Sanders secured the endorsed of Spike Lee. When Clinton got the endorsement of the Congressional Black Caucus, Sanders scored with Cornel West, Danny Glover, Harry Belafonte and Killer Mike. When Hillary Clinton got the support of Gwen Carr, whose son, Eric Garner , was killed by a NYPD cop placing him in a controversial chokehold, Bernie Sanders received the support of Mr. Garner's daughter, Erica Garner. This has become a fight for hearts and minds which neither can afford to lose.
Although both campaigns would have cherished the backing of the Black Lives Matter Movement, the group's leadership stated, "We do not now, nor have we ever endorsed or affiliated with the Democratic or any other party. The Democratic Party, like the Republican Party, have historically attempted to control or contain Black people's efforts to liberate ourselves." They went on to say, "True change requires real struggle and that struggle will be in the streets and led by the people, not a political party." So there!
Thus far, the way this battle for Black votes is shaping up, it appears Black elites, academicians and entertainers are lining up behind Bernie Sanders in impressive numbers, while Hillary Clinton is maintaining the blind allegiance of church going, civil rights stalwarts. While it's true Black people from every grouping have many of the same concerns, that doesn't mean they don't have very different ideas on how to address them. And acknowledging the divide between the Black intelligentsia and the Black working/struggling classes only compounds the complexity.
Clearly, Black life is too much of a mixed bag for political polls, focus groups or surveys to accurately predict the direction of the "Black Vote". Southern Blacks can vary widely in their thinking and lifestyles from Northern Blacks and the same goes for the East, West divide. You've got your Christian Blacks concerned primarily with domestic issues and you've got Black Muslims who may have a more world view. And we haven't even gotten into the divide between those who consider themselves Black people who live in America versus those who prefer to be called African Americans.
Bottom line: The interest and life experiences of these very different groups of Black people are just as wide-ranging as those of their White counterparts. Unfortunately, for those looking for the one pitch fits all approach, Black voters are no more politically homogenous than any other ethnic group. In order to measure precisely where and why these opposing mindsets draw their lines in the sand, one must invest the time, energy and effort in understanding Black people and that can't be done with CliffNotes.
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