Women of Color political group plans forum to question 2020 Presidential candidates

Jan 28, 2019

It’s been proven that Black women have the power to turn out the vote.

And now a group called “She the People,” which brings women of color in politics together, is planning to tap into that power and host a forum in April to question the upcoming presidential candidates, the organization announced Thursday, Buzzfeed reports.

Black women had the highest voter turnout rates of all groups in 2008 and 2012 when president Barack Obama made history, and the second highest in 2016 when they overwhelmingly cast ballots for Hillary Clinton over Donald Trump.

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While no candidates have been secured for the “She the People” forum just yet the founder, Aimee Allison, spoke about the power of the Black female vote.

“I want it to be clear: No one will be the Democratic Party nominee without the support of women of color — that’s the clear message. We are the new American majority,” Allison told BuzzFeed News over a phone call. “It’s long past the time for a forum that focuses on the issues that are important to the base of the Democratic Party.”

“Women of color, as a voting bloc, are the backbone of the Democratic Party and we’re really leading the way with these issues, and we’ve shown that we can get behind candidates of different genders and different races and really affect an election,” Allison recently told BuzzFeed News. “But now we’re demanding way more from the candidates. They need to speak directly to us, and anything short just isn’t going to cut it.”

While not all of the Democratic hopefuls have announced yet, Sen. Kamala Harris has launched her bid as well as Senator Elizabeth Warren. Former Housing and Urban Development secretary Julián Castro and Rep. Tulsi Gabbard both also announced that they were running for the presidential seat.

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Senators. Bernie Sanders and Cory Booker are both reportedly weighing their options on whether to run.

The forum is expected to be hosted at Texas Southern University in Houston.

How to Assess the Candidates

Democratic strategist Che Watkins shared her tips for Black voters to assess the field of Democratic candidates based on the four P’s:

1) Policy: Candidates must be clear and unambiguous about what they stand for and what they will do when it comes to both foreign and domestic policy. America is at a very tenuous place in terms of our standing in the world. We have lost our status. How will the candidate rebuild our image, repair relationships with our allies and make sure we’re once again driving global foreign policy for the betterment of all? And when it comes to domestic policy, no longer can we allow candidates to use the “rising tide lifts all boats” argument. What will they do specifically to strengthen voters and communities. Today’s voters are diverse and have real concerns about race and equity issues that must be addressed.

2) Past: The record of each candidate must be evaluated and compared to their policy platforms of today. What have they done that they are proud of and more importantly, how can they acknowledge missteps and mistakes and learn from them? Can they be honest, open and clear to voters and not fall back on generic sound bites and talking points?

3) Partner: Candidates need to give indicators of who they would pick as a running mate much earlier than in previous cycles. Even if they don’t provide a name, they need to be crystal clear about what type of person they would select and why. This helps voters to see what the future of the party could look like beyond the current candidate. We have seen from past elections that the selection of a running mate can either doom a campaign or make no difference at all. We need a Vice Presidential candidate that bolsters the ticket.

4) Presence: In the era of social media, cable news hits and endless televised debates and townhalls, a candidate’s presence is increasingly important. However, presence is also about how candidates engage in retail politics—interacting with voters from the suburbs, rural districts and communities of color that are struggling for survival. The Democratic candidate needs to show that they are comfortable in a variety of circumstances. We don’t need candidates that are unable to stand on the world’s stage and command the respect of others. Been there, done that, and we don’t need to do it ever again.