How Black Southern Leaders Plan on Moving Forward After 2020 Victories

After a year of historic racial justice movements and Democrat victories in the 2020 election cycle, African American leaders in the South call for continued action. Four panelists met in a virtual event hosted by Brookings this Monday to discuss the major issues faced by Black Southerners and how they plan to move forward.

Louisiana State Senator Karen Carter Peterson said that Black organizers and politicians can not wait until midterms to empower Black voters to hold elected officials accountable. Peterson is the first Black woman to be elected to the Louisiana State Senate and cited cynicism as the number one reason for low voter turnout amongst people of color.

Deborah Scott, executive director of STAND-UP, a think tank out of Atlanta, Georgia, was among those advocating for voter registration in the 2020 election cycle. She said, “It wasn't about who was at the top of the ticket, it was about putting the voter in the driver seat. We shared with them every step of the way that they have the power.” Scott turned her focus to the 30,000 new eligible voters in 2020, and said that hosting events catering to the younger generation was crucial to the 90% Black voter turnout in the Georgia runoff this January.

Melanie Campbell, CEO of the National Coalition on Black Civic Participation, said that Black women are the “secret sauce” in winning Democrat elections, particularly Generation Z and Millennials. “We knew what the younger generation wanted, but when the pandemic hit, a lot had to change about how we were getting it done. We had to use more technology and post more online.”

Despite the high turnout at the polls, according to the three speakers, there is much left to do in their fight for racial equality in the South.

“Racism is a public health crisis, especially in the South,” Scott said. “Georgia is a slave state. It began as a slave state and will remain a slave state until change is made.” According to Scott, the best way forward is to eliminate voter suppression and look at every office in each department of government from an equity standpoint. She said that attention must be brought to the South on these issues, and also called for the immediate passing of the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Act.

At the top of the agenda for Senator Peterson is providing aid to small Black-owned businesses which she said are disproportionately closing in Louisiana. She said that this could potentially require loan forgiveness and student loan debt relief. “We have to show them the benefit and results of their engagement.”

Peterson, Campbell, and Scott agreed that disenfranchisement, police brutality, and white nationalism are the biggest issues the Black Southern community faces. They agreed that they were not shocked by the insurrection at the Capitol on January 6, but believe that accountability will be necessary in order for the country to move forward. “They fear our power,” Peterson said. “So we have to continue to showcase our power through our vote.”