Black Female Voters Taken For Granted

[Sunnyskies801]

This discussion thread was locked by EarlG (a host of the General Discussion forum).

Last edited Wed Mar 4, 2026, 11:58 AM - Edit history (3)

Hi All. I have stopped posting here many years go. I think over the years I have become disillusioned with politics. I still lurk here but I dont post. The 2024 election was my last straw with cable news. So I typically stay in my bubble with black youtubers and black message boards. I know many people wont like what I have to say but I need to say it because I think the Democratic Party is ignoring the elephant in the room.

I feel as if the Democratic Party is taking black female votes for granted. It is beyond the election results from last night. People barely talk about how Trumps economy is hurting Black women. I dont see Democratics talking about policies or how they plan to fix this for one of the core groups of the Democratic Party. I have then seen Black women be used at bulldogs to call out the wrong doings of the Republican Party. But done get the support from the Democratic Party when these same black women are attacked. All I hear from White liberals and Hispanics is that 1) They are too ghetto/abrasive (Jasmine) 2)She laughs too much (Kamala) 3) She is wrong for calling out AIPAC (Cori). I feel we are damned if we do. Damned if we dont.�

I am not advocating to vote 3rd�party or Republican. What I am saying is that as a Black woman in her 40's I am starting to becoming disillusioned with politics and the Democratic Party. Why should black women continue to vote if some white and hispanic democratic voters wont vote for black women because of our race and gender. I live in Georgia in a ruby red district. I love John O. But I feel that my vote doesnt matter and taken for granted.

Where are the tangibles for Black women. All I see from the Democratics is there fight against Ice and support for LGBT rights. What about black women? I am on black message boards. Ya'll are losing us. If that so called blue waves isn't strong as you all think...Then maybe the democratic party needs to take a deep look inwards to see how they are taking BW for granted and losing us all together.

Note: My black voice is being stifled in my own post. I'm NOT against the Democratic Party. I just want tangibles for my vote. I am raising the warning flag because I post on BW forums. Not addressing what I am saying will only hurt come election time when those same BW votes people are counting on to come out in full force simply DONT. But go ahead and silence me.

For the new replies. Sorry I can't reply. I am no longer able to reply to my own thread. Thanks for taking the time to listen to this BW democratic voter. Maybe I should just stick to my black forums like to use to.

@demmiblue. Sorry I did not know that my voice as a BW critiquing the party and trying to give them a warning about what I am seeing and hearing from BW is so offense to post on DU. If the mods want to verify that I am a BW from GA. I dont mind providing my DL. I know there are trolls. I am not trying to be a troll. I'm internally frustrated and as a BW I dont feel heard. I came to DU today to express my concern for this election season. But it seems that people just want Black Women to just shut up and vote no matter. Its 2026 and we can't continue in this direction.

[JustAnotherGen]

1. ITA

My party, my party, my party -

But folks! This is why I'm 'resting'.

My time is better spent on a Saturday with my Black Women's Gun and Survival Club than it is at a March. Like - it's in my blood to preserve food, hunt, preserve the meat, know how to defend myself from my government.

We did it from 1619 to 1965. We are survivors.

Harm reduction has already been done. I've no hope that America loves me back. So nope - I'm not engaging anymore outside of my Borough. Note - I'm the ONLY Black woman elected to office in my county in NJ.

The ONLY one. Let that sink in. Blue Jersey my ass.

[Sunnyskies801]

2. Tired of being spit in the face

Tired of turning the other cheek. No one is addressing why Black women are resting. Dont get made at us when we dont turn out in force in 2026 and 2028 like in the past. We are freaking tired of the BS.

[walkingman]

4. The only way to change the system is to participate....the only way participate is to VOTE.

That is how a democracy works.

[Sunnyskies801]

8. That Is a Lie

We have been participating. The system is not changing. The same people we vote for are the ones who ignore and disrespect us.

Again what the the Dems going to do to address BW?

[demmiblue]

21. 12/21/13/2

[Quanto Magnus]

35. What is that supposed

to mean?

[JustAnotherGen]

9. It doesn't work for us though

The system doesn't work for Black Americans.

Never has, never will.

Until this past December I was a long-standing Democratic Committee member in NJ. It's an elected position - and I left before my term was up. I'm also the only Black woman elected in my County in New Jersey.

I've seen some shit. I'm not putting my neck on the line for people who wouldn't do the same for me. Every single person running as a Democrat needs to commit to lifting the Filibuster to re-enact that Voting Rights Act.

If they don't - they are just playing in my face. I can't trust them.
Anyone saying we have to come together with racist ChristoFascist magapubs? Ditto.

They can BEG me to like them or vote for them. BEG ME.

BEG Me as much as they do poor white men magas who chose to be losers in America. They made a choice - and we mollycoddle those fuckers. Everything is designed for them to be winners at everything. If they are losers - it's because they didn't work hard enough.

I wrote what I wrote.

[Sunnyskies801]

14. Bingo 100%. The Dem Party is not listening to our frustration.

[JustAnotherGen]

17. Platitudes about voting

Not if they don't LET you vote. Not if they don't allow your vote to be counted.

Seriously- I fear we are heading back to 1877.

[walkingman]

25. I agree with you. The system does not work for Black Americans and never has.

It is the history of America that no one like to talk about or even teach. I also agree that Black women are the most reliable Democratic Party vote.

The truth is that American politics are controlled by non-Hispanic white males. While making up about 30% of the population, white men hold roughly 62% of elected offices. That is the way it was designed 250 years ago and the struggle to be a more inclusive nation is ongoing.

Some people do not realize it but the last time Democrats won the presidential white vote was in 1964, Lyndon B. Johnson versus Barry Goldwater. In every presidential election since then Democrats have lost the white vote.

It is a sad reality and a struggle that continues as "We the People" try to make it a more perfect union.

I could go on and on (electoral college, systemic racism, cultural issues, voting rights, long-term economic depression) but looking back at our history the only way to change things is to stay politically engaged.

Please know that I understand your struggles, I wish I knew a quick solution to the issues, and I truly appreciate the efforts. We have no other choice but to fight for change it is all we can do and hope we will have the ability to do so going forward. The reason I say that is because I never underestimate nasty white people - history shows this over and over.

We want you, We need you, We love you ☮

[Autumn]

23. I don't know about that. I have never missed an election vote for any Dem and the

only change I see is backward steps.

[Happy Hoosier]

5. Do what you want I guess?

I do think its fair to feel tired. Black women have been a driving force in the party. But I understood that their were driven by principles. Surely those principles are broader than just supporting black women candidates.

And it’s one thing to take a step back leading. That’s fair. But anyone who tales a step back from VOTING is not to be taken seriously IMO.

[JustAnotherGen]

6. I believe that the

Being taken for granted - has dismal consequences.

I'm standing ten toes down on business - for my own family's survival.

Not this, that and the other person's or group's. Me, mine, my own. I've voted for Harm Reduction since 1992. It's a failure. An epic failure.

I have no qualms about making Patriot Missiles 'missile' if it means I have the money to help get my extended family out of America and to Senegal.

[Torchlight]

3. What specific and practical solutions are you proposing?

Seems to me that would be step one, everything else coming afterwards dependent on those first steps.

[JustAnotherGen]

15. Every single Democratic Candidate Running as a Senator

Must commit in their campaign platform to lifting the filibuster to re-enact the Voting Rights Act.

Why would anyone have a problem with that?

[Torchlight]

19. I don't think creating additional divisions will be useful

[ananda]

7. I'm sorry.

I also feel dissed just for being a woman period.

It's tough for women these days, and it's a double
whammy for Black women.

I really would like to see another women's movement
with stamina, persistence, and grit behind it.

[JustAnotherGen]

10. The biggest myth is that American Women are only paid

82 Cents on the dollar that white men make.

That's not true for Black women or Latinas.

It's much lower. But we have to sit down and eat that shit sandwich for the 'greater good'? I don't think so.

[ananda]

26. So true.

That's at least one good reason why we need
a huge, sustained women's movement with
grit and determination.

[Walleye]

29. As an older white woman, I say there are plenty of shit sandwiches to go around

Imagine we thought we had made some progress. What a lie

[leftstreet]

12. This sounds serious

I hope you get some answers here. DU is great for ideas and discussion and tangibles from Democratics

Best of luck to you!

[GETTINGTIRED]

13. As my Momma would say..

Don't get tired yet.
You got a long way to go.
So.I'm continuing the fight..
Can't win if you don't play.
Can't change a thing if you don't vote.

[JustAnotherGen]

16. IF they let you vote

And IF your vote is counted.

Those are two very different things.


My grandfather, his father, and his father's father always voted in Talladega. They went with their guns to the polls - because it was dangerous.

Black Americans need to be given the grace to go armed to the polls again.

It's no different than 1956 right now.

[Climate Crusader]

20. I can relate. As a member of the "religious left", there are many in the party that don't even hide their disdain.

But I realize that I'm a member of a coalition party that cannot afford to break apart with as much to lose as we are facing today. I fear the possibility of a new "Uncommitted" situation that strips away needed voters when we are all needed to pitch in and help.

I'm pleased that Representative Crockett put out this statement today, "This morning I called James and congratulated him on becoming the Senate nominee. Texas is primed to turn blue and we must remain united because this is bigger than any one person. This is about the future of all 30 million Texans and getting America back on track. With the primary behind us, Democrats must rally around our nominees and win. I’m committed to doing my part and will continue working to elect democrats up and down the ballot."

She is keeping her eye on the prize and will have a long and successful career in the party and movement.

[pinkstarburst]

22. I think every group feels like this and it's because

the democratic party is such a big tent party.

I know I absolutely feel like I am told again and again, that I will need to shut up and vote for whoever wins, no matter if I agree with them, no matter if I like them, no matter what was done to make sure they made it through the primaries. We often hear in the primaries that if the base decides they are going to reject a candidate because black men won't vote for a gay man, then they're sunk and it doesn't matter if other voting blocs really like them.

I don't discount what you're saying. I'm just trying to say that you're probably not the only person feeling this way. I feel very frustrated and dispirited every primary season, especially when it comes to the presidential primaries, because my state doesn't vote until later, and by then the candidates I wanted have often dropped out, often decided by just a handful of states. I feel like my vote often doesn't even matters, and yet I am told to shut up and vote for the candidate, too. And I do, because not doing so would be so much worse. And even if the primary candidate I wanted doesn't always (or usually) prevail, I usually find the person we elect grows on me and I'm happy to support them in the end.

And I think when people stay home and don't turn out in big numbers with big support because their horse didn't win, it just means when their horse IS up... the same thing will happen to them in response. We don't want to start playing that game. The republicans are really good at showing up for their candidates every time and staying united. When we get upset and don't do that, we shoot ourselves in the foot. Again, big tent party.

So, I don't know what the answer to this is. I know it's not to vote for a republican.

In this race, I voted for Talarico. It wasn't that I didn't like Jasmine. I wished we could have had both of them. I was so disappointed when she announced she was running for senate, not because I didn't like her, but because Talarico had been running for that seat for MONTHS, long before she announced on literally the last day of the filing deadline and I desperately wished there was a way I could vote for both of them. I had been hearing about his campaign for months, had been reading about him, and my vote already belonged to him MONTHS before Jasmine ever announced. It wasn't that I didn't like her. It was that Talarico got into the race earlier, and I really liked him and my vote was already spoken for. I really wished she would have run for something else because I did want to support her. It just sucked that she chose to run at the last minute, and against another candidate that I really liked, and who already had my vote.

[Aepps22]

24. Facts

As a Black male, I not only agree that the party takes Black people for granted but Black women in particular and it is sad. This is a huge blind spot for the DU community and in the party in general that needs to be addressed. For as loyal as Black women have been to the party there has never been specific messaging and policies targeting them to earn their vote. Black women and to a slightly lesser extent Black men are expected to continuously vote to prevent harm and to keep the status quo because consultants fear that programs specifically targeting them will make others not vote. This is not a tenable solution and is a big reason why we are seeing softening in the Black male vote and is also why other minorities aren’t trying to stick with one party out of fear of being taken advantage of.

Now to speak on this forum. I gather most of the people that post here are not POC or Black because after every election loss there are the large threads asking about why Black people didn’t show up in Obama levels because don’t they know what Republican policies will do to them. Really condescending and insulting stuff when you can’t expect to get that level of support without specific policies while your leaders run and court the mythical rural voter at your expense. This has always been Bernie’s blind spot when he talks about the party leaving working class voters behind when the anchor of the party is working class Black voters.

[brer cat]

27. ita. K&R, and thank you for your post..

[Boo1]

28. Regardless of what

Democrats don't do......you should vote for them to protect yourself from what Republicans WILL do with continued power.

[demmiblue]

30. 3 posts hidden in one day... I wonder if you are who you say you are.

[EdmondDantes_]

34. It could be that some people don't like sitting with uncomfortable information

We've seen similar splits in feminism where people of color or in the queer community didn't feel home in the more traditional white woman feminism that centered a different experience. Or decline in support for the welfare state in countries (including the US) when it's perceived to be benefitting black people.

It's easy to say that given we're better for black people than Republicans, so they should vote for us, but being on the receiving end of "just keep waiting" sucks. We have to be able to advance different agendas at the same time because we're a more diverse party. Otherwise that coalition splits and we can't win consistently. If parts of our coalition don't feel heard, that's a problem.

[Ilikepurple]

31. I, for one, want to hear your black voice. BW voters and leaders need to be heard and respected.

I don’t know of a demographic where there’s more disparity between its impact on voting and the respect its issues receive. I’m not a black woman, so I’m going to try to listen and not steal your voice.
It seems historically marginalized people are told “not to let the perfect get in the way of the good” more often than others. Somehow civil and voting rights are too often framed as merely political issues. As if “I believe I should have equal rights and opportunities” and “I don’t believe so” are just political viewpoints that stand on equal ground where the individual should just be content that someone’s viewpoint is closer to the former than the latter. Your voice here is important to me.

[surfered]

32. You are still welcome here, Sunnyskies, I believe our struggle is for basic rights for all.

Democrats tend to favor expanding rights for all while Republicans want to restrict or even take take them away. This is most evident with voting rights.

[Easterncedar]

33. Was the campaign of Kamala Harris worthless?

I am still heartbroken about the end result (stolen by lies if not actual count manipulation, IMO) but the Democratic Party had as its actual leader and spokesperson a black woman. I know it's not enough. I know the rich white men still have almost all the power and that the civil rights are being destroyed and diminished for everyone else, but division doesn't help us and it's too effing late for pessimism. We have to keep fighting, even with our backs to the wall.

[EarlG]

36. I'm going to lock this before you get yourself banned

For the record: Your posts appear to have been removed for breaking the "Support Democrats" rule, because you were posted that a) there's no difference between Democrats and Republicans, and b) you made a number of posts suggesting that you were going to withhold your vote. In addition, if you have a post removed in a thread, you can no longer post in that thread -- you cannot end-around that process by repeatedly editing your OP to continue the conversation you have been blocked from.