The Roundup: On the Nuances of the 'Black Vote'
From the Editor
What's up, South End?
This week, Emerald founder and Editor-at-Large Marcus Harrison Green wrote a column about Black voters.
In this article, Marcus discussed the nuances of the "Black vote" and what it even means when people refer to "the Black community."
This article came from conversations that he and I had with each other and in the community surrounding the current mayoral election, which mirror conversations we end up having nearly every campaign season.
A lot has happened in this election cycle: A former civil rights leader may or may not have rescinded an endorsement, a campaign PAC was accused of darkening the skin of a candidate, and then, after this article was complete, audio of a candidate speaking about the "Black community" in a room full of white businesspeople landed in our lap and had to be included.
There's a lot going on, but the throughline remains the same: People can and should vote for whoever they want. But truthful information is critical.
I recently chatted with Marcus about his column, about my belief that "all skinfolk ain't kinfolk," and about the things he learned while reporting that didn't make it into the article.
This interview has been lightly edited for length and clarity. For full transparency, as the Voices editor, I assigned and edited the column we are discussing.
MD: In your reporting, how many sources did you speak with? Was it hard to decide whose voice actually made it into the article?
MHG: I ended up talking to over a dozen people — I'd say closer to 15. I was doing my best, because we were positioning this article as the viewpoints of the Black community, and I wanted to try to have as large of a cross section of folks from the community as possible. But at the same time, we have a word count. I was trying to balance it out with different thoughts and opinions, and also trying to just present viewpoints that didn't necessarily overlap. I ended up going with four different voices that represented academia; the political consultancy class; the business class; and the activist class and the elder class. These represent a variety of viewpoints that all fit comfortably within, you know, this amorphous thing that is "the Black community."
MD: I think you did a great job in the article of laying out what you learned. I'm curious to know if anything you heard in this process surprised you?
MHG: I think, ultimately, what the piece did was, it gave the public sort of an insight into these private conversations that, quite frankly, have been happening within the Black community since the mayoral primary. Where folks didn't necessarily want to be combative with each other online, or they didn't want to criticize other folks who had posted something that they thought was out of pocket or, quite frankly, just wasn't true. I'll say, it wasn't that there was necessarily a huge insight that I myself saw, but I do think that it was insightful for other people to read the article. The reactions I got were people saying, "Oh man, I was feeling that way too. I'm so glad that I'm not alone."
I think there are a lot of people who have been on social media and so forth, and have expressed their opinion, and have been loud about that opinion, but I think, and not to invalidate anybody's opinion, but I think we need to be honest about it being that individual's opinion, as opposed to it being representative of an entire community's opinion. So I think that's where the insight comes from. The Black community, as the article showcases, is not a monolith.
MD: One thing I picked up on in your writing is the quick line where you point out that Black people are being pushed out of Seattle and into Federal Way and Tukwila. There aren't enough Black people in Seattle to make or break an election, so why do we always end up having these conversations about the Black community when it's time to vote?
MHG: I think part of it is on brand for Seattle. Meaning that this is a city that has, whether it's true or not, this very progressive reputation, that Seattle is very inclusive, right? I mean, you can't go to an event here without getting a land acknowledgement. And you can barely be anywhere in Seattle without there being a yard sign about "we welcome you," that includes every identity, right? So I think it's like, even though, quite frankly, electorally, you don't need one Black vote to become the mayor, or to win a citywide position, you do at least need the appearance that you are supportive of this community. At the very least, it's like brand insurance, a credential, so to speak, as an elected official.
This didn't make the article, but, you know, somebody said this (who I ended up not being able to include): A lot of times, the Black community is sort of a stand-in for your social bona fides, or your social credentials that say, "I'm supportive of the Black community, so that means I'm a social justice champion, and I'm a bona fide progressive." I think it's almost like a symbolic signifier.
Even though Black people here don't have the electoral power of a city like Chicago, if either of these candidates were to come out and flatly say they don't care about the Black community, I don't think they could win. Because I think that would be taken as a sign, particularly in Seattle, that this person doesn't share our values as a city.
The Roundup Rundown
Permanent affordable housing is coming to Columbia City.
Emerald contributor Maya Tizon reports that nearly two dozen affordable homes will be built on MLK near the Columbia City light rail station.
Sound Transit transferred 10 parcels of land to the City of Seattle at no cost on the condition that the land be used for affordable homes.
You can get more details on the project and its timeline in Maya's report.
A new affordable housing complex and early learning center has opened in Othello.
Emerald contributor Jacquelyn Jimenez Romero reports that Nichols Court, a six-story building with 148 affordable units, has replaced Othello Village.
For all the details on the new building and early learning center, read Jacquelyn's full article.
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Mike Davis is the newsletter editor and Voices editor at the South Seattle Emerald. Born and raised in Seattle's South End, Mike is a longtime journalist who's covered everything from arts and culture to sports to politics.
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