Commentary by Black Kos editor JoanMar
Given the current media frenzy, one might be led to believe that Black men constitute the most powerful voting bloc in the nation. In reality, Black men represent a mere 5-6% of the U.S. electorate and despite the hoopla, they remain—second only to Black women—the most reliable Democratic voters.
So what gives with this outsized focus on Black men? On Wednesday morning, I watched Kate Bolduan of CNN relentlessly grill the hell outa MVP’s communication director about Black men “defecting from the Democratic nominee.” She just wouldn’t let it go, treating the issue like a three-alarm fire. I wondered if her intensity stemmed from fear on behalf of the Democratic nominee, or something deeper at play.
The Philadelphia Inquirer:
"Eighty-eight to 90% of Black men are doing something, and people are still spending this much time on the 8 to 10% that aren't," said Robinson. "What are you asking of Black men that you're not asking anybody else?"
What I didn’t hear her discuss was the more significant voting patterns of white voters. In case we have forgotten, white men and white women are overwhelmingly the ones standing in the way of good governance of this country. If, heaven forbid, the two-bit grifter from Queens ends up in the White House for a second time, it will not be because some idiotic Black men voted for him and against their own best interest. It will be because the majority community put him there.
The constant cycle of interviews, panel discussions, newspaper columns, social media postings generated from Russia & amplified by Elon Musk, along with general concern trolling magnifies a relatively small movement—if it can even be called that—within a 13% population. But the problem is even bigger than that. See, at the root of all this manufactured firestorm is racism. I have no pathos for these idiotic men (and women). I find them downright pathetic. But that’s me looking at them through my Black eyes, watching them debase themselves for a man and a movement that only wants their support, never them.
But despite my disgust, this tiny, vocal minority does have the right to be as loud and dumb as their white counterparts. And let’s not forget, this subset of Black voters have always been around. The sudden prominence and importance of the MAGA-supporting faction of that subset is as a direct result of the media working overtime to amplify, dignify, and glorify their voices. Everything the conman touches turns to shish. It seems to me that this insistence that Black folks are —or should be — a monolith is the punditocracy telling us that it’s the job of Black men, and Black people in general, to rescue democracy. Once a slave always a slave mentality: white people, for hundreds of years, have been used to ordering Black people around, with every infraction punishable by whippings or worse. That mindset is not easy to break once it becomes ingrained.
Well over 80% of Black men will be voting for Kamala Harris. Imagine if the same could be said about white men! Yes, we in the community can chastise and condemn our idiots, but white people need to tend to their own houses.
“On the other side, you have someone who has consistently shown disregard, not just for the communities, but for you as a person. And you’re thinking about sitting out, and you’re coming up with all kinds of reasons and excuses,” Obama said. “I’ve got a problem with that because, because, part of it makes me think — I’m speaking to men directly — part of it makes me think that, well, you just aren’t feeling the idea of having a woman that’s president, and you’re coming up with other alternatives and other reasons for it.”
President Obama’s comments were spot on. That’s how we do. Instead of pouncing on his comments to further your agenda, let me see who among you is chastising your tyrant-defending family members.
With this singleminded focus on a tiny subset of a minority community, the media barely has any bandwidth left to discuss the existential threat staring them in the face. And that threat isn’t Black men. It lies in the apathy of white voters and their harmful voting habits. Let me hear you talk about white women voting against their best interests, and white men voting against the best interests of their wives, mothers, daughters, and sisters. Then get back to me about Black men.
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News round up by dopper0189, Black Kos Managing Editor
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Vice President Kamala Harris shot down a group of hecklers at her rally in Wisconsin on Thursday afternoon, telling them that they must have "meant to go to the smaller one down the street."
Speaking on stage at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse recreation center, Harris was attacking former President Donald Trump's abortion policies when a group of hecklers interrupted her.
According to a report from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel's Laura Schulte, the people were escorted from Harris' rally about 20 minutes into the vice president's speech and were shouting "Jesus is Lord" at other attendees on their way out of the room.
"Oh, you guys are at the wrong rally," Harris said in response to the interruptions.
"No, I think you meant to go to the smaller one down the street," she quipped.
Trump often brags about the crowd size his rallies attract, although Newsweek has found that several of the former president's claims have been false or exaggerated.
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With nearly 30 years of experience as a teacher and principal, Sharif El-Mekki believes something needs to change if Black students are going to succeed. He points out staggering statistics that demonstrate a lack of diversity in education and is on a mission to recruit and retain more Black teachers for Black students with his non-profit organization, the Center for Black Educator Development.
His work has garnered attention and millions of dollars in donations from billionaires, including a 1.4 million dollar gift from The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
But while some think his work is helping Black students make positive strides, others have painted him as a radical who is promoting segregation. Let’s get to know Sharif El-Mekki.
West Philadelphia native Sharif El-Mekki credits his mother, Aisha El-Mekki, with inspiring him to pursue a career in education.
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Africa loses up to £3.2bn yearly in inflated interest payments on sovereign debt due to persistent negative stereotypes that dominate international media coverage of the continent, according to a new report.
Research by consultants Africa Practice and the advocacy non-profit Africa No Filter suggests that media portrayals, especially during elections when global coverage is heightened, focus disproportionately on conflict, corruption, poverty, disease and poor leadership, widening disparities between perceived and actual risks of investing in the continent, and creating a monolithic view of Africa.
“We’ve always known that there’s a cost to the persistent stereotypical media narratives about Africa. Now we’re able to put an actual figure to it,” said Moky Makura, executive director of Africa No Filter. “The scale of these figures underscores the urgent need to challenge [these] negative stereotypes about Africa and promote a more balanced narrative.”
While coverage has improved over past decades, spurred on by greater African involvement in international affairs, globalisation, increased local presence of international media outlets on the continent, and advocacy against stereotyping, it remains wanting.
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