African American Turnout Is Here to Stay

In 2008, for the first time in our history, African Americans turned out to the polls at the same rate as white voters.

Then we spent the next four years hearing that that high turnout was a fluke. "Experts" told us we would lose our enthusiasm. We'd be daunted by new voting laws. We'd want to protest marriage equality. We'd think our vote doesn't count.

The "experts" were wrong. On November 6, African Americans turned out to vote in record numbers, many of us waiting in long lines and going through plenty of red tape to do so. One of these was a determined 100 year old "Church Mother" in Elmhurst, New York who didn't want any favors and stood in line and in solidarity with her fellow citizens.

This happened not just because our enthusiasm lasted, but because our organization strengthened.

African American communities had strong voter turnout operations long before there was an African American man on the presidential ballot, with many of them centered around the Black Church. These turnout operations are there for a reason: ever since the process toward full citizenship of African Americans began with the 1863 Emancipation Proclamation and the 13th, 14th and 15th Amendments, politicians and others have been trying to stop us from exercising the hard fought, hard won right to vote.

This year, the attacks on our rights were intentionally suppressive on the African American voter. Elections officials in Ohio and Florida, for example, cut back on early voting hours, resulting in long lines at early voting location and on election day - primarily in African American communities. Politicians from Pennsylvania to South Carolina tried to implement Voter ID laws, which disproportionately disenfranchise African Americans. Around the country, election law changes big and small threatened access to the ballot box. But armed with the sacred text of our faith that says, "what man meant for evil, God intended for good", we did what we do - fight a good fight!
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/leslie-watson-malachi/african-american-turnout-_b_2171052.html