Citizen journalist Faye Anderson talked to Black Voices about the impact of the midterms on African Americans and her take on the oft-misreported stats about black voter turnout on Nov. 2. Through a series of questions, Anderson discussed the National Coalition on Black Civic Participation Black Women's Roundtable, which held a Power of the Sister Vote postelection briefing. The goal for Anderson and the Black Women's Roundtable was to get together to talk about the midterm elections and the fact that black women are not getting the support and respect they deserve, relative to the magnitude of their presence in the black voting base.

According to Anderson, females are roughly two-thirds of the black vote and very loyal to Democrats, but their programs are being underfunded and their voices are not being heard in media. One only needs to take a look at black media to notice that most of the prominent political voices in black America consist of men, not women. She went on to say that, contrary to what is reported, black voters turn out in a major way -- including the midterm elections. She gives the example that pundits blame low black turnout for Democratic losses. They compare 2010 turnout with 2008, but that is like comparing apples and oranges. Turnout is always higher in a presidential election year. The relevant comparison is 2006, the last midterm election. The math used when counting black voter turnout or President Obama's time in office isn't quite exact. Anderson's observations are spot on.

Read more at Black Voices [5].

 

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