Black Men Say They Feel Ignored By Politicians. A Historic Senate Face-off Between Two Black Men Isn't Helping

By Nicquel Terry Ellis, CNN

AtlantaCNN — 

Aaron Bethea says he has voted election after election for US presidents, governors and senators – and yet those lawmakers have done little to nothing to improve life for him, his family or his community.

Bethea said he believes the issues he cares about, financial freedom and equal investment in predominately Black schools, have largely been ignored.

“Where we are from, nobody really cares about what Black men think,” said Bethea, an Atlanta father of six who owns a wholesale company that sells televisions. “They don’t do anything for us.”

Bethea, 40, said he still plans to vote Democratic in Georgia’s hotly contested gubernatorial and US Senate races. But he’s not voting with enthusiasm. He said he is hoping that one day someone will prioritize the needs of Black men.

Bethea is not alone. Political analysts, researchers and Black male leaders say politicians are failing to reach some Black men with messaging that resonates with them and visibility in their communities. Those shortcomings could particularly hurt Democrats in the upcoming midterms given Black men are the second most loyal voting bloc for the party next to Black women, experts say.

 

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