For nearly a century, the conventional thinking in U.S. presidential elections was that Republicans weren’t interested in appealing to Black voters—so Democrats won their votes by default. This year, however, for the first time, the two major parties are actively courting Black male voters like never before. It’s a battle that is being waged with slogans designed to reach young Black men like “it’s health, and it’s wealth” (on the left) and with insinuations that Donald Trump’s criminal record makes him a natural ally for Black men (on the right). A mid-September NAACP poll of 45,000 Black voters across 12 states found that one in four Black men under 50 years old said they would vote for Donald Trump for president. In an election that will be won by small margins in swing states, it could prove to be a game changer.
Breakbeat News present “Us: A Summit On Black & Brown Men And The Vote,” a 3-part special produced by Breakbeat News, in partnership with Hip-Hop Political Education Summit and 1Hood Media.
Given hip-hop’s unequivocal standing as one of America’s leading cultural influences—as well as its long-acknowledged history as a Black male-dominated art form—the culture needed to step into this arena as informed as possible.
