#AskABlackChick: Why Isn’t the Black Community Supporting Bernie Sanders?

FeelintheBern asks:

Bernie Sanders was active during the Civil Rights movement, marched with MLK, and seemingly cares for the black community but why aren’t we backing him?

Ashlee says:

There are many different areas a presidential candidate must touch in order to be appealing to a certain voter group. Simply marching with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. does not mean that candidate will automatically win the black vote. Everyone has a different way they view each candidate and what they can do for the country and minorities. There needs to be multiple layers to a presidential candidate, their views and outlooks for their term are important as well as their past affiliations and involvements.

Simply marching with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. does not mean that candidate will automatically win the black vote.

Furthermore, the current presidential race is turning out to be quite ridiculous which further complicates things as undecided voters try to figure out who they would support, which doesn’t help. There is still time though, media polls and primaries are one thing, but the actual election is another. I think time will tell who really has who’s vote.

Jessica-Brittney says:

I’m not sure I can speak to numbers right now or generalize the “black vote” in any way. Do people refer to non-POC votes as “the white vote?”

(This is not meant to be sarcasm, rather a genuine inquiry.)

Sanders is a very exciting candidate as he seems to have an understanding of what it means and what it has meant to be Black in this country and plans on addressing that in a way that makes sense. Plus his experience! I love Bernie. And many of the Black people I know love him too.

There are ways to take action that may not include voting. They may not vote. And I believe that is their right.

But, I’d be remiss to acknowledge that prior to Obama, and even after, there are many Blacks (and I’m sure many people of color) that simply do not have trust in the system set up that we have seen as “American Government.” Why participate in a system that was not originally set up for your success? There are ways to take action that may not include voting. They may not vote. And I believe that is their right.