Hillary Clinton has a particular ease of manner in Black Spaces. She is the type of person one might find at a Black church, school, function, rally, a prayer circle, or comforting black mothers of sons and daughters lost through gun violence. The grieving mothers of several of our nation's lost black children found a bit of comfort in the company of the former First Lady and Secretary of State.
Why am I saying this?
Well, I am a bit surprised at all of the surprise over Hillary's big win with black voters this Super Tuesday. I suppose I should have expected it, but still, why would anyone have thought his numbers would improve with us very much after such a resounding defeat in S.C.?
So, before we dissolve into a mess of slurs and slanderous statements about how mean and horrible us black people are, or start talking Stockholm Syndrome talk and all that jazz, let us notice one thing that might help us understand why Black people are comfortable voting for Hillary. Hillary Clinton is comfortable in black spaces. She is comfortable in minority spaces, period. She is always around.
Her ability to show that she is perfectly fine in a room filled with people of color, in a black church, is one good indication of why we are comfortable back. Most politicians have trouble in dealing with us directly, they find it difficult to not come off patronizing, to come into our spaces and have a meal and a chat. Hillary will come to us, come to church, to funerals, hug our kids and kiss our babies.
In contrast, when Bernie showed up at church with Ben Jealous, I felt uncomfortable watching him look so uncomfortable and out of place. He did not even eat a bite. That was telling to many of us. Not a bite passed his lips! I felt a bit offended and I ain't even cook it. (I am an atheist but even I know you have to eat and compliment the cook for goodness sakes!) It was a test and he failed.
I say this not as a person who is in love with Hillary, or as a person who wants to pressure anyone else to vote my way. Or even as a person who is opposed to Bernie; I'd vote for him if he won the primaries.
But the next time you find yourself wondering, "Why are blacks voting HILLARY?", remember how comfortable she is in OUR spaces. I mean, we CAN tell, ya know?