As Election Day fast approaches, Blavity hosted a roundtable discussion focusing on Black men’s perspectives on voting, economic opportunity and political engagement. The conversation with Mouse Jones, Baron Davis, KevOnStage, Ryan Wilson, and Blavity co-founder and COO Jeff Nelson emphasized the importance of addressing systemic barriers, including wealth inequality and criminal justice reform. Following the release of Vice President Kamala Harris’ “Opportunity Agenda for Black Men,” an initiative that includes plans to give “1 million loans that are fully forgivable to Black entrepreneurs and others to start a business,” the conversation highlights how Black men are often sidelined in political discourse, and the time for change is now.
“When I think about myself as a Black man, and I talk to other Black men that I know, and the discourse I’m seeing… it really comes down to the economy,” Nelson offered early in the conversation.
He added that, more so than in the 2020 election, there is more discourse about the plan for Black America this year.
According to American Progress, the link between economic shifts and the reality of being a Black man in America today is significant. Studies show that as the economy began to recover post-COVID, systematic racism and ageism have flooded the labor market, hitting Black men, especially older and disabled Black men, hard. Experience gaps and a lack of economic opportunity are still holding people in these demographics back, and with Harris’ campaign, this economic and racial issue is finally being addressed.
“Any plan for Black men and any plan for Black people must lead with the economy,” Nelson mentioned.
“Opportunity Agenda for Black Men” addresses many ways the economy needs to be tailored to uplift Black men and the Black community, including homeownership. The initiative notes a proposed “ambitious plan to lower the costs of renting and buying a home by building 3 million additional homes and providing up to $25,000 for a down payment for first-time homebuyers who lack inherited wealth.”
KevOnStage opened up about his journey to homeownership and how many in the Black community are navigating the process for themselves and their families for the first time.
“In the Black community, we haven’t had years of opportunities to own homes,” he remarked. “A lot of us are the first homeowners; our parents weren’t able to leave us land. Imagine if your families had owned homes and land for hundreds of years. You have wealth that you don’t have to do any work for.”
Later, participants talked about where Black men fall in the American dream, prompting Davis to offer his interpretation of the promises of America and how they’ve failed Black people and people of color.
“The American dream was never our dream. We’ve just been in a dream,” he said, adding, “Nobody wants to be OK; we have to be the American dream, or we have to struggle and be mad at the people who are stable.”
Toward the end of the conversation, participants talked about the plight of other demographics, namely Black women, and why it’s so important for Black men to advocate for their rights as well.
“I think it’s extremely important, especially as Black men,” Jones shared. “Advocacy is not something we can be passive about. That’s not me saying that everyone has to pick up every mantle, but you gotta pick up a mantle.”
After discussing Harris’ initiative, which they considered a first step to solving a deep-seated issue in American culture, Wilson highlighted how important it is for Black people to vote.
“This is going to be unpopular to say, but then we have to vote,” he declared. “There’s no way to get there if we don’t vote.”
“And not just every four years,” Nelson chimed in.
Watch the full video below.
The post Black Men Offer Perspective On Voting, The Economy And More In 2024 Election Discussion appeared first on Blavity.
