Now that Joe Biden has won the presidential election, Black voters and Black Lives Matter (BLM) protesters are waiting to see what — if anything — the new administration will do for the Black community.
Biden revealed his “Lift Every Voice: The Biden Plan for Black America” in May but many wonder if he will act on it.
Some Black activists aren’t waiting. They are demanding an audience with Biden.
Patrisse Cullors, a co-founder of the Black Lives Matter movement, sent a letter Nov. 7 to President-elect Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris requesting a meeting to discuss the “expectations” she has for their administration.
In the letter, Cullors, 36, wrote, “Without the resounding support of Black people, we would be saddled with a very different electoral outcome. In short, Black people won this election. Alongside Black-led organizations around the nation, Black Lives Matter invested heavily in this election. ‘Vote and Organize’ became our motto, and our electoral justice efforts reached more than 60 million voters.”
She added, “We want something for our vote. We are requesting a meeting with you both to discuss the expectations that we have for your administration and the commitments that must be made to Black people.”
While some may see this as a proactive approach, others are questioning the motives for requesting a meeting after the election.
Community activist Blake Simons, who goes by the name BlakeDontCrack on social media tweeted, “Lmaoo y’all a fuckin joke” and included a screenshot of the BLM letter.
Simons is an community organizer and co-host of the Hella Black Podcast with Delency Parham.
Some agreed with Simons. One user tweeted, “…it would be fraudulent of them to act differently than this letter bc they WERE organizing voters for this election. They’re invested in electoral politics. This is how that manifests.”
The Moguldom Nation founder Jamarlin Martin tweeted, “Now the Bougie Buffers are trying to meet with Biden and Kamala, after the fact. You already gave up your political underwear, not even a SWIPE RIGHT. If you act CHEAP with this vulture American system, they treat you like that. OVER AND OVER. You’re playing w/SHARKS OUT HERE.”
Ice Cube, who met with the Trump campaign when Biden’s people failed to respond fast enough to his request to discuss a Black agenda, turned down a virtual meeting with Harris. Cube has been demanding that in exchange for the Black vote, candidates must meet the needs of the Black community, and that includes reparations.
In her letter, Cullors pointed out the importance of the Black voting bloc.
“We want to be heard and our agenda to be prioritized. We issue these expectations not just because Black people are the most consistent and reliable voters for Democrats, but also because Black people are truly living in crisis in a nation that was built on our subjugation,” she wrote.
The BLM leader also called for Biden and Harris to act on their promises.
“Both of you discussed addressing systemic racism as central to your election campaigns. Both of you also expressed regrets regarding your record on issues impacting Black people. The best way to ensure that you remedy past missteps and work towards a more just future for Black people — and by extension all people — is to take your direction from Black grassroots organizers that have been engaged in this work for decades, with a legacy that spans back to the first arrival of enslaved Africans,” Cullors wrote.
Biden has been called out over his positions on a number of issues, especially his part in helping to craft the 1994 crime bill, his opposition to federally mandated busing, and his praise for two U.S. senators who identified as segregationists, The New York Post reported.
Biden was also called out for declaring during an interview with African American influencer Charlamagne tha God in late May, “If you have a problem figuring out whether you’re for me or Trump, then you ain’t Black.” Biden later apologized.
Harris has been criticized over her tough-on-crime, pro-police record as a federal prosecutor.
The Biden administration will need to answer the growing calls for reform, racial justice, and addressing systemic racism.
Biden hasn’t backed the defund the police movement but said he wants to pass police reform legislation including a nationwide ban on chokeholds, Daily Mail reported.
During his victory speech, Biden promised, “The African-American community stood up again for me. They always have my back, and I’ll have yours.”
BLM wants to be part of Biden’s transition team’s planning and policy work.
Biden’s 500-plus transition team includes Black policy leaders such as Charmion Kinder, who will help lead or guide transition efforts at the Commerce Department. Kinder was a White House press aide to first lady Michelle Obama. She also served as a public affairs appointee at the departments of Commerce and Housing and Urban Development.
Prominent environmental attorney Patrice Simms will lead the transition effort for the Environmental Protection Agency. He was a deputy assistant attorney general in the Obama Justice Department’s environment and natural resources division.
“The agency review process will help lay the foundation for meeting these challenges on day one,” Tony Allen, a transition advisory board member and president of historically Black Delaware State University, told New Canaan Advertiser. “We are building a team to reflect America and these Black leaders are dedicated experts in their fields.”
Many of the review team appointees are graduates of historically Black colleges and universities, New Canaan Advertiser reported.
“We want something for our vote,” Cullors wrote.
Niambi Carter, a Howard University political science professor, agrees.
Listen to GHOGH with Jamarlin Martin | Episode 73: Jamarlin Martin Jamarlin makes the case for why this is a multi-factor rebellion vs. just protests about George Floyd. He discusses the Democratic Party’s sneaky relationship with the police in cities and states under Dem control, and why Joe Biden is a cop and the Steve Jobs of mass incarceration.
“The Biden coalition owes a debt to Black folks,” Carter told New Canaan Advertiser. “Black people helped them survive the primary and then in this election cycle they showed up in key states like Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin that really pulled Joe Biden over the line. So absolutely, I think this is an attempt by not just Biden but also the Democratic Party to keep Black people in the fold.”
