Wendell Pierce was spotted at the Gotham Week Honors event held at the Brooklyn Navy Yard on October 2, 2024 in Brooklyn, New York.
Actor Wendell Pierce responded with sharp criticism to former President Barack Obama’s remarks during a surprise visit to a Pittsburgh campaign field office. Obama addressed the issue of Black men who are hesitant or unwilling to vote for Vice President Kamala Harris.
Some polls have revealed that Donald Trump has gained some support among Black people, particularly Black men. This is why Obama took the opportunity to address this issue and share his perspective.
“My understanding, based on reports I’m getting from campaigns and communities, is that we have not yet seen the same kinds of energy and turnout in all quarters of our neighborhoods and communities as we saw when I was running,” he said.
“That lack of enthusiasm for Harris,” he said, “seems to be more pronounced with the brothers.” He chided voters who were voting for Trump or not casting a vote at all. “And you are thinking about sitting out?” he said.
“Part of it makes me think — and I’m speaking to men directly — part of it makes me think that, well, you just aren’t feeling the idea of having a woman as president, and you’re coming up with other alternatives and other reasons for that.”
Obama said, “women in our lives have been getting our backs this entire time.” “When we get in trouble and the system isn’t working for us, they’re the ones out there marching and protesting,” he said.
“The message is terrible,” expressed the actor from “The Wire” on Twitter. “Blaming Black men is not the solution. The real issue lies with White men and White women. No other group supports Democrats as strongly as Black people, with 87-90% of them voting for the party.
The claim that Black men voting for Trump is significant is unfounded. This accusatory tone might discourage some Black men from voting altogether, which is even worse. Black men are rightfully questioning the Democratic Party to understand what their loyalty over the years has earned them.
This is a positive and healthy process. Democrats should embrace this challenge, as they have a solid track record. However, having personally traveled across the country and engaging with Black men, I will not tolerate condescending remarks from my party leaders towards them.”
Pierce is largely correct in his assessment. However, Obama seems to overlook the fact that his elections, particularly in 2012, deviate from the norm when it comes to Black voter turnout. In 2008, 93% of Black voters supported Obama, and this number increased to 95% in 2012.
Interestingly, 2012 stands out as the only year when Black voter turnout exceeded that of white voters on a per capita basis. It is worth noting that Black voter turnout in both 2008 and 2012 reached its highest levels since 1964, and it has not reached those levels in subsequent elections.
In every instance, Black women consistently showed higher levels of support for the Democratic party compared to Black men. For instance, in 2012, 96% of Black women voted for Obama, whereas only 87% of Black men did the same. This pattern of greater support from Black women compared to Black men remained consistent in both the 2016 and 2020 elections.
Assuming, for the sake of discussion, that 20% of Black men decide to vote for Trump in the upcoming November elections. Even in such a scenario, it is important to note that a significant majority of 80% are still expected to cast their votes for Harris.
This trend has been consistent for several decades now, with Black men consistently showing a higher preference for Democratic candidates compared to men from other racial groups, by a substantial margin.
From the Philadelphia Inquirer:
But despite his campaign’s outreach, any narrative that suggests Harris might lose out on support from young Black men ignores the data. Black people under 50 are virtually no more likely to vote Republican in 2024 than they were 30 years ago, said Kiana Cox, a senior researcher at Pew Research Center.
In 1994, 16% of Black voters younger than 50 leaned Republican. Today, said Cox, that number is 17%. An AP-NORC poll conducted in mid-September found most Black voters of all ages and genders viewed Trump negatively, with only 15% reporting a somewhat or very favorable view of him — a slim percentage in line with the Republican preference seen among Black voters over the last 30 years.
Political experts and organizers — who are also Black men under 50 — said the hysteria about their demographic defecting to the Republican Party is at best overblown and, at worst, an attempt to cast blame on Black men in the event Harris loses to Trump.
It’s not necessary to argue that Obama should have prioritized white people. In fact, it wouldn’t have made much sense for him to try appealing to the very demographic that questioned his eligibility for presidency, leading him to present two forms of his birth certificate as proof.
Obama seemed to be taking a “Black man to Black man” approach, which is understandable to some extent. However, it feels somewhat arbitrary when Black people, both men and women, are the most loyal voting bloc for a party that doesn’t really have to put in much effort to earn our votes, apart from being visibly less racist than the opposing side.