Black Lives Matter demands racial injustice-themed Democratic debate
While the first Democratic presidential debate may have been a hit with viewers, the Black Lives Matter national network is demanding there be a platform focused exclusively on racial justice.
While the first Democratic presidential debate may have been a hit with viewers, the Black Lives Matter national network is demanding there be a platform focused exclusively on racial justice.
Tuesday, the organization petitioned Democratic National Committee Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz to add an additional debate to the six currently scheduled; the statement specifically requests that candidates be instructed to speak about “tangible solutions” in response to the racial inequalities that exist in this country.
“It is not enough to poll the presidential candidates on whether or not they think ‘Black Lives Matter’ or ‘All Lives Matter,'” the petition, posted at Color of Change, declares. “We deserve substantive responses and policy recommendations. We deserve substance and not rhetoric. In fact, we demand it.”
The BLM network was launched in 2013 by Alicia Garza, Opal Tometi and Patrisse Cullors. Currently, it has 26 chapters across the country and has evolved into much more than just a hashtag, with presidential hopefuls being forced to acknowledge it as the moral compass of the black community.
Keeping this in mind, this week’s BLM petition stresses the importance of black voters and how the candidates now need to address their concerns. The importance of black women voters is particularly underlined, as they embody racial and gender inequalities. The petition also cites the murders of black transgender women and broader economic disenfranchisement as topics of impact.
While the Republican National Convention will host 12 presidential debates during the 2016 election cycle, BLM argues that because Democrats only have half as many on the roster, candidates will be forced to gloss over complex issues such as poverty in the black community, mass incarceration, and racist policing.
