BOSTON – Election night was seen by many pundits as a disaster for Democrats in Massachusetts and nationwide, not least because of their desertion by significant numbers of voters in demographic groups that have been reliably Democratic voters, including black voters.
One of those was black voters, especially black men, who, according to a Boston Globe analysis, delivered a roughly 6% gain for Donald Trump over his shows in Massachusetts cities with large black voters.
Why the increase in black men voting for Trump?
Tanisha Sullivan, former president of the Boston chapter of the NAACP who now oversees strategy for the civil rights group in five New England states, joined WBZ-TV to discuss a variety of topics, including why that was the case .
“So many people have expressed through their voices their deep concern about the bread and butter issues of being able to make ends meet, being able to pay the rent, being able to buy eggs, being able to buy gas, being able to have one job that is life-sustaining , she said. “Black people are not a monolith and in many ways represent a diversity of political ideology and perspective, and are not tied to one political party.”
Does this mean the NAACP will reconsider its political emphasis on issues like police reform?
“Economics really moved to the top of the priority list for a lot of voters,” Sullivan said. “That doesn’t mean people aren’t concerned about public safety. That doesn’t mean that people, that black people or anyone else, aren’t concerned about racism and racial discrimination, and it doesn’t mean that we’ve succeeded in eliminating racism. That is not the case. a black person walking the streets, dare I say, wanting to be subjected to racial profiling at any level. So this election should not be an indication that for the NAACP or any civil rights organization, our work is changing. What it could mean is that the paths we take about advancing racial equality and combating racism could change tactics.”
Pushing for a return to phonics-based education
Also at the top of Sullivan’s agenda: pushing for a return to traditional phonics-based literacy instruction in the early grades, a move opposed in some districts by the politically powerful Massachusetts Teachers Association.
“Literacy is the most important issue,” she said. “We fully support efforts in the Commonwealth to advance the science of reading and integrate the principles of phonics. My response to all [opposing] this is that it is not possible to be a civil rights advocate, it is not possible to be rooted in the principles of social justice if we do not embrace the curriculum, if we do not embrace tools that have been shown to can promote access to language.”
Sullivan also discussed the state of efforts to expand economic empowerment and whether promises in that regard, made after the summer of unrest that followed the 2020 killing of George Floyd, have been kept.
Jon Keller
