Black voters are responding in different ways to seeing Kamala Harris become the first Black woman to be a presidential candidate for a major political party. For this month’s episode of Purple Politics Nevada, host Lucia Starbuck breaks the misconception that this voting bloc is a monolith and speaks to community members about their top issues, such as upholding democracy, the high cost of living, and education.
Hear from two sisters, Sherrell Collins, a Reno resident and US Army veteran, and Beverly Johnson, a California resident volunteering for the Harris-Walz campaign in Nevada, about the importance of rebuilding the middle class and why they say democracy is synonymous with freedom. Angie Taylor, who is now running for state senate, is the first Black woman to represent Northern Nevada in the state assembly. She discusses what it means for herself and to see Harris break barriers in their political careers.
Polling shows that former President Donald Trump continues to gain support from Black men. Michael Minta, a political science professor at the University of Minnesota, says that presidential candidates’ messaging on criminal justice and prosecution contributes to that. At Black Wall Street in Reno, the nonprofit’s co-founder, Donald Griffin, and his son, James Griffin, outline what they like about Trump, such as his business-owner mindset, while the nonprofit’s other co-founder, RoMar Tolliver, says he might stay home this November.
There is one person who believes it’s crucial to get out the Black vote no matter who the ballot is cast for and to get involved in the political process. That’s Patricia Gallimore, the Reno-Sparks NAACP president, who wants to see more African Americans civically engaged. Listen to this month’s episode of Purple Politics Nevada to hear from these Black voters about the issues they’re taking with them to the polls.
