With a little less than a week until Election Day, a disturbing narrative is taking root in mainstream media suggesting African Americans aren't turning out the vote like they need to this election season. Despite attempts at voter suppression in battle ground states, police intimidation in places like Indiana, where Donald Trump's running mate hales as governor, and roll backs in early voting locations in must-win states for Secretary Clinton, Black voter turnout thus far is commensurate with turnout in the pre-Bush, pre-Obama years when African Americans comprised a significant portion of the electorate that helped secure President Bill Clinton's tenure as our 42nd Commander in Chief.
Now, with five days left until the likely and historic election of our nation's first woman President, some in the media are positioning lower turnout than in the Obama years as some sort of failure of the Black vote.
Despite early punditry and pontification, it would be a mistake to underestimate or overlook the critical nature the Black vote - especially among women - will play in this year's election. Historically, Black women have been the most active and engaged voting bloc for the Democratic Party, and with so much on the line, that trend shows no sign of slowing anytime soon.
For months, grassroots and online networks like Women of Color for Hillary have assembled thousands on the ground, rallied millions more online with the clarion call #ShesGotMyBack, and have contributed significantly to the donor base of Secretary Clinton's campaign. Likewise, organizations like the National Coalition on Black Civic Participation's Black Women's Roundtable and the National Organization of Black Elected Legislative Women have been touring the country and rallying leadership to declare the #PowerOfTheSisterVote. In all instances, whether credited or not, Black women have been educating our communities and mobilizing the masses to get out the vote.
Recent coverage about the impact of the Black vote on this election seem like veiled attempts to undermine just how much Black votes and Black Lives Matter. African Americans have always been a critical part of the Democratic Party's "Big Tent" constituency. What the narrative of 'Black people aren't turning out' does is undermine the value of Black voters, and thereby Black issues, in this and future elections.
To be sure, representing 13 percent of the population with $1.2 trillion in economic buying power with 10,000 elected officials holding local, state, and federal office nationwide does not make for an insignificant voting bloc. On the contrary, 50 years after passage of the Voting Rights Act, and facing attempts to eliminate its protections, coupled with blatant and more visible acts of racism and divisiveness orchestrated by Republican leadership determined to undermine President Obama's legacy and those emboldened by Trump's hateful rhetoric, Black voters are poised to make a tremendous impact in this election.
While raw numbers may presume lower voter engagement thus far as compared to the prior two presidential election cycles, it's still too soon to discount the power and prominence of the Black vote in 2016, especially with Black women working as hard as we are behind the scenes to ensure that we have an informed and engaged electorate ready to turn out in this home stretch leading up to Election Day. Over the next 120 hours, we can likely expect to see increased turnout and voter participation that at least rivals historic Black voter turnout numbers. And on November 9th, when all is said and done, Black people, Black women in particular, will be counted among the crucial voters key to President-Elect Hillary Clinton's success!