Thread
On FB someone (not-Black) suggested that Black ppl who don't back Biden are making a serious mistake and wanted my response. Here is my (edited) response:

I know several Black people who say they won't be voting for president this year and they are paying attention. They cite Biden's 1990s Crime Bill as a prime reason along with Biden's lack of substantive policy proposals to change structural racism in pretty much any area...

I think Biden's chasing after white conservative and centrist voters. They may be a winning strategy given Trump's extremism, but I can't fault Black voters who feel they're being taken for granted by the Democratic candidate. Again.

One White friend responded that that's BS and out of Putin's literal playbook. I wrote: I'm not sure what part you're saying is BS. I don't doubt that Putin wants to exploit racial divisions to get Trump reelected, but...

...criticisms of Biden on his record of, at best, ignoring issues that are vital to Black Americans seem well-founded.

Another White friend wrote that, again, this is what Putin wants and that we can't let the perfect be the enemy of the good....

I wrote: America is already divided by race (and it always has been). A Black baby today is twice as likely to die in the first year as is a White baby. Black mothers are three times more likely to die in childbirth than are White mothers....

Racial disparities penalize Black Americans throughout their lifespan (which is shorter than the average lifespan for White Americans). A Black child is suspended from school for the same behavior for which a White child receives no punishment....

A Black college graduate is paid less than a White person who drops out of high school. A Black person and a White one are convicted of the same crime; the Black person will receive a harsher sentence....

The most important difference in our hyper-capitalist system is wealth. The median Black family has a net worth of $17,600. The median White family has ten times more wealth ($171,000). Which means our White wealth is inter-generational, passed on from generation to generation...

These are just the first examples of racial inequalities that came to mind. I’ve spent the last 2 years researching and reporting on racial gaps in America http://TheAmericanProject.us  because this divide seems to be the most serious one facing this country...

– and one we White people have generally ignored. This is all to explain a rather simple fact: As a White person, I’m not going to lecture Black Americans on how they should vote. /END