Black Farmers Shut Out Again. GA GOP Target DAs. Pete Hegseth Blocks Black Officers
Quick Read
Summary
Takeaways
- ❖Georgia Republicans attempted to change District Attorney elections in five predominantly Black counties to non-partisan, targeting Black women DAs.
- ❖Former President Trump's White House event for farmers excluded Black farmers, while his tariff policies contributed to their financial distress and foreclosures.
- ❖Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth reportedly blocked the promotion of two Black and two female officers to one-star general, raising concerns about racial and gender bias.
- ❖A candidate for Ohio governor proposed shutting down Central State University, the state's only public HBCU, as part of a broader attack on Black education.
- ❖The Florida Attorney General announced plans to challenge the NFL's Rooney Rule, framing it as discriminatory.
- ❖Bishop William Barber called for strategic, micro-targeted voter mobilization, highlighting that a 20% increase in Black voter turnout in Southern states could shift national politics.
- ❖A federal judge upheld North Carolina's voter ID law, acknowledging its disproportionate impact on minorities but citing Supreme Court precedent.
- ❖MAGA-aligned groups used misleading mailers and unauthorized images of Barack Obama to trick Black voters in Virginia regarding a redistricting referendum.
Insights
1Targeted Legislative Attacks on Black Political Power in Georgia
Georgia Republicans introduced Senate Bill 573 to convert District Attorney elections in five metro Atlanta counties (Fulton, DeKalb, Gwinnett, Cobb, Clayton) to non-partisan, and to appoint medical examiners rather than elect coroners. The host and guests highlight that all five targeted counties have Black women serving as District Attorneys. Although initially defeated in the Senate, the bill was resurrected by stripping language from another bill and passed both chambers, now awaiting the governor's signature. This move is framed as a direct attempt to undermine Black political power, as sheriffs (who are often white) were explicitly excluded from the non-partisan change.
Senate Bill 573, targeting five specific counties with Black women DAs; bill's passage after initial defeat; exclusion of sheriffs from the non-partisan change.
2Systemic Economic Disadvantage for Black Farmers Under Trump's Policies
Former President Trump hosted 800 farmers at the White House, none of whom were Black, and displayed a gold tractor while 190 Black farmers faced foreclosure. John Boyd, President of the National Black Farmers Association, stated that Trump's tariff policies and wars led to increased costs for diesel fuel and fertilizer, causing significant financial hardship for farmers. He criticized Trump for claiming to provide 'farm relief' from tariffs that were themselves the cause of farmers' losses, paid by American taxpayers. Furthermore, a $300 million USDA land-buying grant program, intended to help Black farmers, was cut by the administration, labeled as a 'DEI program' to justify its elimination.
Exclusion of Black farmers from White House event; 190 Black farmers facing foreclosure; rising costs of diesel fuel and fertilizer; cut of $300M USDA land-buying grant program.
3Racial and Gender Bias in Military Promotions Under Pete Hegseth
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth reportedly removed two Black and two female Army officers from a list of candidates for one-star general promotions. This decision, described as 'highly unusual,' sparked allegations of racial and gender bias. Senior military officials indicated that Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll had resisted Hegseth's pressure for months, citing the officers' exemplary service records. An earlier incident involved Hegseth's chief of staff allegedly stating that Trump would not want to stand next to a Black female officer at military events. This pattern contributes to an overwhelmingly white and male military leadership, despite people of color comprising 43% of active-duty troops.
Removal of two Black and two female officers from promotion list; alleged statement by Hegseth's chief of staff regarding a Black female officer; current military leadership demographics.
4Strategic Voter Mobilization as a Counter to Systemic Attacks
Bishop William Barber emphasized the need for strategic, rather than just broad, voter registration and turnout, particularly in Southern states. He highlighted that a mere 20% increase in voting among unregistered or non-voting Black individuals in the South could 'shift everything.' Specific examples from North Carolina showed that significant numbers of Black citizens did not vote in elections where Trump won by much smaller margins. The host, Roland Martin, announced a joint effort with Bishop Barber to train 1,000 Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity brothers and other Black men in massive, micro-targeted voter get-out strategies, focusing on specific precincts and voter education.
Bishop William Barber's call for strategic voting; NC election statistics (Trump winning by 11k votes in a district where 85k didn't vote; Trump winning state by 180k votes where 500k Black people didn't vote); Roland Martin's call for Alpha Phi Alpha and other Black men to mobilize.
Lessons
- Engage in strategic voter mobilization: Focus on specific precincts with low Black voter turnout and educate communities on local, state, and federal races, connecting them to policy impacts.
- Support and amplify Black-owned media and organizations: Recognize their role in telling Black stories and providing platforms for critical discussions and calls to action.
- Challenge discriminatory policies and rhetoric: Actively oppose legislative efforts that target Black communities, such as changes to DA elections, cuts to Black farmer programs, or biased military promotions.
Strategic Black Voter Mobilization
Identify specific Black precincts with high numbers of eligible but unregistered or non-voting citizens.
Conduct targeted voter education and mobilization campaigns, focusing on local, state, and federal offices and their direct impact on Black communities.
Train community organizers (e.g., fraternity members, civic groups) in micro-targeting strategies to maximize turnout in critical elections, rather than broad, untargeted registration drives.
Quotes
"We need some folk that understand we can't be playing checkers while they playing chess. There is a third deconstruction going on, and we must decide that we will have a third reconstruction."
"Too many of us support the First Amendment when it favors our slanted side and our distorted views. Slavery was central to the definition of the United States of America."
"The hatred of blackness circulates in the lungs of the beast of white Christian nationalism, and we can feel the fire flaming from the nostrils of the dragon of black animosity."
"It was an empire. It was the government that lynched Jesus. And they lynched him not because he was talking about love... but because he was saying the systems that have created the inequality and in opportunity for the lies, those must be broken down."
"The real religion in America for many of these people is whiteness itself."
"Black people ain't doing farm work anymore for for for free and minimum wage and all that stuff."
"Anytime you're losing your phone and and you know that this president's policy is hurting me, but you keep uh voting for him because he's speaking all on your all on your terms. A white only America."
Q&A
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