Editor’s note: The following article is an op-ed, and the views expressed are the author’s own. Read more opinions on theGrio.
I am not going to sugarcoat it, I am a bit stressed about the Nov. 5 election. I am worried about the amount of misinformation and disinformation pouring into Black communities from a myriad of outlets and individuals. I am worried about the lack of enthusiasm folks have toward the current president. And I am concerned that far too many people are not connecting the dots and thinking about how much worse this country can get if Donald Trump is reelected.
I was recently chatting with a colleague who stated, “I am a Biden voter, not a Biden supporter,” and I realized her sentiment summed up the feelings of a portion of the Black electorate. They may disagree with the current president’s interventions abroad and money spent on international relations when far too many Black communities are in real need of infrastructure spending on everything from roads to schools to housing. President Biden’s hawkish interventionist policies echo every U.S. president, but somehow, Biden’s policies abroad and current money spent in Ukraine and Israel have been an Achille’s heel for the current president in ways not seen imposed on other U.S. presidents by Black voters.
As some Black voters express disappointment with the speed of change under the leadership of President Biden, I implore them to play out the scenario just a few months down the line beyond Nov. 5. Some voters have expressed the desire to abstain, to which I say, that is antithetical to helping Black communities get the resources they need. By removing oneself from the dominant political process, several battleground states like Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan and Virginia could become Republican gains, not just in the presidential contest, but in races down the ballot for statewide offices across the state.
For those who think their vote doesn’t matter and…
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