Millions of Americans voted in this week’s election, and some wonder if the results will have an impact on African-Americans, both locally and nationally.
Nationally, after a hard fought campaign, a diverse coalition of voters re-elected Barack Obama, the nation’s first African-American president, over Republican challenger Mitt Romney.
“The election in 2008 served as an inspiration for Blacks, and this re-election just reaffirmed that inspiration,” said Dr. Monroe Little, associate professor of African American Studies at IUPUI.
Most polls show that Obama held onto the 96 percent of Black voters he won in 2008, along with a sizeable number of women and voters in other minority groups.
Experts say Obama’s victory has multiple meanings for Blacks and the challenges they will continue to face as the president enters his second term.
In a campaign often marked by racially charged attacks and insults on the president that motivated his Black supporters – including an effigy of Obama in a noose on a tree in Lebanon, Ind. – some believe that his re-election indicates that the country is not turning its back on the racial progress made when he was entrusted with the presidency in 2008.
“In many ways, Obama’s reelection can be seen as resilience on the part of the African-American community,” said Lonnie G. Bunch III, founding director of the National Museum of African American History and Culture.
In an interview on Election Day, civil rights leader, Rev. Jesse Jackson, said Obama’s re-election proves that his 2008 victory was no fluke, and dismissed comments made by critics who said the president won mostly because of his skin color.
“He won not because of complexion but directions,” Jackson said. “You can say there are more Americans working, banks have been saved, more Americans are insured, more kids have Pell grants, the automotive industry is back on its feet again, we’re out of Iraq. He won on direction, not on complexion.”
Observers have expressed the belief that now that Obama has been re-elected and is safely in office for another term, a greater emphasis must be placed on addressing the challenges faced by African-Americans.
In an editorial by The Chicago Defender, one of the leading Black owned newspapers in Obama’s hometown, they noted that there are real issues that must be faced in the next few years, including unemployment that remains high among African-Americans at 14.3 percent (compared to the national average, which has fallen to 7.9 percent), and stubbornly low graduation rates in many urban schools.
“When President Obama wins this election, African-American activists, especially those who have access, must remind our president of this data and suggest that there is a coordinated and comprehensive response to the disproportionate exclusion of African-Americans in our economy,” the Defender wrote.
Indianapolis resident Lea Lillard is concerned as to whether Obama will be able to reduce unemployment in his next term.
“To be honest I think the reelection of Obama will not benefit the African-American community,” said Lillard, 24. “Black America has probably been hit the hardest with the economy and job loss.”
Little, the IUPUI professor, believes Obama has not been able to do a whole lot in terms of economic or social improvement for African-American life because of the opposition of white supremacy not just from Republicans, but also from members in his own party.
“We have experienced that on all levels even locally, not just in Washington,” Little said. “We are in a war. The same war we’ve been in for the past 40 years. We are dealing with white supremacy.”
Local voter April Spriull, who supported Obama, is optimistic, noting that Obama’s party held onto the majority in the Senate, and should be able to accomplish a lot if Republicans in the House move their rigid positions on certain issues. She also believes Obama has a better chance of bringing the country together in another term than Mitt Romney did.
“I have faith that good things will happen in the next four years,” said Spriull. “And if you took notice of the supporters during the speeches, you saw that Obama’s supporters were a diverse group, mixed with all races and genders. That is a true reflection of what America is. It’s a melting pot of good people.”
State and local impact
With Black candidates winning election to local school board seats in Indianapolis Public Schools, Pike and Washington Townships, African-Americans will continue to have a voice in how policies are shaped in districts where most minority students are located.
With Republicans tightening their hold on the Indiana legislature, could it become more difficult for legislators to address issues of concern to the state’s minority community?
“Without a doubt,” said Rep. John Bartlett, a Democrat from Indianapolis.
African American and Latino members of the Indiana legislature, also known as the Indiana Black Legislative Caucus (IBLC), are all Democrats.
Bartlett noted that with Republicans having a quorum proof “supermajority” in both the House and the Senate, they can pass legislation without involvement from Democratic members, several of whom represent districts with significant populations of minorities.
