While it is best to work for a Kamala Harris victory, Black political history suggests that voters may also want to prepare for the worst. Many supporters have been caught up in the campaign spirit of “enthusiasm and joy” with favorable national polls and early voting underway in some states. Some may even believe that positive trends in swing states are indicators that “she’s got it.”
Pollsters claim to have made adjustments for the prospect of the “Bradley Effect,” where voters said they support a Black candidate, but fail to turn out or vote for the opponent. And a replay of the disappointing scenario of Hillary Clinton in 2016, where she won the popular vote but lost the Electoral College, should not be discounted.
Most concerning is Harris’s failure to nurture enthusiastic support among Black men — and current efforts to make up for lost ground that come off as patronizing. Former President Barack Obama scolding Black men was unwarranted and unhelpful. Her promise to legalize marijuana and protect crypto currency in exchange for Black men’s votes reeks of desperation for a campaign that should have developed relevant policies, not symbolism, as noted by the National Association of Black Journalists.
Not long ago, Harris stated that “I’m working to earn the vote — not assuming I’m going to have it because I am Black.” The puzzle is that she has repeated the same mistake as Stacey Abrams’s campaign made in her race for Georgia governor in 2022. When the Abrams campaign took men for granted, it likewise floated innuendos of misogyny for their lackluster support. The campaign later got wise and proposed a set of targeted proposals known as the “Black Men’s Agenda.”
As I have suggested before, Harris would be prudent to roll out an agenda of serious proposals when she holds a town hall meeting for Black men in Detroit today. A Harris “Black Men’s Agenda” should incorporate policies on health insurance access, debt reduction, immigration restrictions, jobs in infrastructure and electric vehicle development, voting rights protections, criminal justice reform and national recovery programs for young men, among others.
It is time to begin thinking about the implications of a Harris loss for the Black working class, which does not have the luxury of avoiding political blowback. Black leaders must prepare for the prospect of retribution perhaps reminiscent of what occurred during the unfulfilled hopes of the Reconstruction Era.
What follows are nine ways to get ready for the event of a Harris defeat. And, even if she wins, some of these ideas may still be useful in nurturing the self-reliant resources of the Black community.
1. Prepare for the ultimate insult to racial justice on Inauguration Day, which will take place on January 20, 2025, which is also the federal holiday to commemorate the memory of Martin Luther King Jr. What should be a symbolic marker in the election of the first woman of color could instead be appropriated as a sign of reactionary redemption.
2. Prepare for feelings of dejection by Black Democratic women. Even though some in the community may view Harris as a complicated standard-bearer appointed by Democratic powerbrokers, many women have embraced her symbolism as the first presidential candidate that represents them. Therefore, their sense of loss would be deep and viewed as a larger rejection as a political force, and we would need to support them.
3. Prepare for episodes of acting out by MAGA supporters in the weeks leading into and after the election. The white supremacy rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, was a glaring example of intimidation, but even in Boston there have been instances of masked white vigilantes looking to mix it up. One incident involved the assault of a Black musician by members of the far-right Patriot Front. There may be a need for caution over the likelihood of random aggression.
4. Prepare for a new direction in Black political strategy toward accruing influence in county and state politics. Leaders should examine the merits of consolidation in states with the potential for bipartisan politics. There are opportunities to build political influence in such states that could also influence national policy.
5. Prepare to consider the feasibility of strategic migration to the five southern states with preconditions for Black-led political coalitions. These are Maryland, Delaware, Virginia, North Carolina and Georgia, each of which have Black populations between 20 to 30 percent, diverse economies and non-Black voters open to alliances on certain issues. Targeted migration can help grow the Black voting bloc and serve as a springboard for self-governance, cooperative economics, moral uplift and community esteem.
Social media marketing should be geared toward interested recruits with cultural capital: middle-class families, college students, workers with trade skills, moneyed retirees, managers and professionals that work remotely. Target markets should be states plagued by mean racial politicking, like Texas and Florida; diminished economies, like Mississippi and Louisiana; and areas with shortages of affordable housing, like New York City.
6. Prepare to make better use of cooperative strategies to build community resources beyond public facilities. Initiatives might seek to expand the supply of affordable rental housing, for instance, or to support retailers and service providers through networks like a black version of Angie’s List. And Black youth would benefit from financial literacy on how to budget, save, invest and handle debt.
7. Prepare to promote a campaign for workforce development in the middle-skill occupations of growth industries to counter the threat of automation. Among the most promising sectors are health care, hospitality, government services, transportation, manufacturing and construction. There is also a need to support movements for living wages, trade union membership, fair employment and stronger immigration policies.
8. Prepare to develop and promote online tutorials on practical legal subjects. The offices of district attorneys and lawyers should hold workshops or create accessible information on tenants’ rights, landlord rights, renters’ and car owners’ insurance, health insurance and other everyday legal matters.
9. Prepare to use community leadership positions as a bully pulpit to strengthen the Black family. There is an urgent need to rebuild mutual trust and cooperation after generations of damaging racism and destabilizing media influences. Initiatives are also needed for the uplift of young men estranged from the economic system, and often from society itself.
Black Americans must continue to vote at high rates in local, state and federal elections. Whether Harris wins or loses, it is crucial to embrace the ballot as a precious right of citizenship that should be exercised and defended. It is the best way for people of modest means to demand attention from the political elites.
Roger House is professor emeritus of American Studies at Emerson College and the author of “Blue Smoke: The Recorded Journey of Big Bill Broonzy” and “South End Shout: Boston’s Forgotten Music Scene in the Jazz Age.” His forthcoming book is “Five Hundred Years of Black Self Governance: A Call to Conscience.”