As a Black woman, I’m ashamed of many Black men in America today — and I have been for awhile.
Let’s start with the election. Latest polling from NBC News found that approximately 21% of Black men voted for Trump. Nearly one-quarter voted for a man who has a history of racist, misogynistic rhetoric.
Of course, I’m not talking about all Black men. It would be ignorant to assume collectively every one of you are the same. But for the Black men who support Trump – I believe you haven’t truly asked and answered this question yourselves — why?
Trump is the same man who 35 years ago spent $85,000 in ads saying “Bring Back the Death Penalty” and “Bring Back Our Police!” for five Black and Latino young men who were wrongly accused of raping and beating a white woman in Central Park. After members of the group — who were convicted despite lack of DNA evidence and eye witnesses —- were exonerated years later, Trump publicly refused to apologize in 2019.
And for those who need a reminder, former Ku Klux Klan member David Duke said at a 2017 rally in Charlottesville, Va., that he was “determined to take our country back” and “fulfill the promises of Donald Trump.” That’s from a former member of a group that spent decades killing and intimidating Black men like yourselves.
“Make America Great Again” was never meant for you. It’s meant for a group of people whose skin provides more privilege than what you’ve been working for your whole life. And while most of you claim that your votes supported Trump’s plan to revitalize the economy, research from the Joint Economic Committee shows that he inherited a strong economy from the works of former president Barack Obama — the same Black man Trump claimed wasn’t a U.S. citizen and called “the most ignorant president in our history.”
For once, look beyond just the money that may or may not go into your pockets. This is a new reality that not only you have to live in, but your daughters, your wives, your girlfriends have to endure. And I hate to say this, many of you don’t like Black women. I see it through the hate some Black men show in Instagram comments to Black women who love themselves and put themselves first. The Black men who have hate in their hearts for us while we, too, are experiencing the same pains of this country.
Under Trump, possible limits on contraception will force more women to have children that they can’t afford. Many of you have experienced the travesties of living in a family riddled with generational trauma consisting of resentment, pain and struggle. The cycle will simply continue, with burdens that could have been prevented, and the likely increase of death in pregnancy from denial of care – increasing the already too high Black maternal mortality rate. Since Roe v. Wade was overturned, several Black women have already died in pregnancy, like 28-year-old Amber Thurman, due to abortion restrictions.
The problem is that you and many other men of color have fallen for the false dream that “Make America Great Again” includes you. When you really look throughout history, when has America really been great for Black people? Was it during the 1950s and 60s, when redlining prevented us as a people from buying homes and acquiring generational wealth? Was it when Black people, especially Black men, were condemned for looking a white man in the eye and were forced to let him pass on the sidewalk? Was it when we were brought here on ships and stripped of our dignity?
Or did you vote for him to acquire power? You know, the power his white privilege embodies that gives you hopes that you, who have been oppressed, are closer to achieving? But what I’ve come to realize is that supporting someone with privilege doesn’t mean that it will trickle down to you. Even trying to associate with it won’t change how a country, built on the foundation of racism and capitalism, will view you. It’s why so many Black people still face microaggressions and bias when at work, or while browsing through the store, or when getting pulled over by the police.
Look beyond Trump’s gesture of previously offering a stimulus check. Vice president Kamala Harris, a presidential candidate you quickly dismissed, was offering $25,000 in payment assistance for first-time homebuyers. This would have made a difference, especially since Black people have the lowest homeownership nationally. We make up only 41% of homebuyers, which is 30 percentage points lower than white homeowners.
Trump’s plan of raising national sales taxes on everyday goods, on the other hand, would increase prices by nearly $4,000, making it even harder for families to live. In 2023, 15.4% of Black families in the U.S. lived below the poverty line, and Black people only make 10 cents for every dollar white families have.
As a Black woman, trust me, I understand your struggles. I know you are traumatized by a system that continues to prevent you from prospering no matter how hard you try. I understand that the blue-collar jobs many of you have historically relied on for income have diminished. I understand the traumas and burdens you carry that some just don’t experience. I understand living in a society where you are often criticized for showing any type of sensitive emotion — especially among your male peers — that might seem to diminish your masculinity from others’ perspectives. But Black women are for you, not against you — more than our next president will ever be.
We are stronger together than we ever were apart. I hope you will realize that sooner rather than later. ◼️