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Black Voters From B-N Share Top Concerns On Election Eve

Janessa and Linda
Tiffani Jackson
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WGLT
Janessa Williams, right, and Linda Foster in the WGLT studios for an interview.

Four years ago, black voter turnout declined in the U.S. for the first time in 20 years for a presidential election. Aiming to make a comeback starting with Tuesday’s primary, black voters in Bloomington-Normal say they’re adamant about educating themselves on the issues, hoping to make strategic selections that will result in progressive policymaking in the future.

Health care and education are at the top of their list of issues, according to WGLT interviews with five black voters from Bloomington-Normal.

Arthur Haynes, owner of Silver Back Apparel Co. and leader of the West Market Street Council, said health care reform is one issue influencing his vote for president.

"Having health care for all or some kind of reform to assure that people don't have to remain sick or worse, die, because they can't afford health care is a very important issue that needs to be addressed by whoever is elected as our new president," Haynes said.

Arthur Haynes speaks
Credit Ashley Binkowski / WGLT
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WGLT
Arthur Haynes is one of the leaders of the West Market Street Council, which is trying to bring a grocery store to west Bloomington.

NAACP President Linda Foster agreed that the candidates' plans for health care would weigh heavily on her decision.

"I know individuals that do not have health care, and I know the impact that it has on them as far as being able to have a primary physician and someone to call up and share health concerns with. They don't have that, so it weighs heavily on my pick."

The future of education and its affordability is a concern for many Americans. Foster and Haynes said finding a solution for student loan debt is essential for generations to come.

"There are so many people that would like to go to school, have the abilities to go, yet do not have the funding ... to be able to go through and not be ridden with debt," Foster said.

"All the research shows the student debt pitfall is pretty much hurting all of America," Haynes said. "So figuring out some way to kind of wipe out all of the student debt or help those who are in need of help, I think will pretty much change the face of this country if we address it head-on.”

Janessa Williams, Delta Sigma Theta sorority member and former associate director of housing at Illinois State University, said in addition to those issues, broader job opportunities will weigh heavily on her decision.

"The Civil Rights Act needs to be addressed and redressed as well as employment opportunities across the board,” said Williams, also chair of the Normal Human Relations Commission. “For young people, people who don't have college education, people over 40, and those who have not been able to keep up with appropriate skills and training or have been forced out of the labor market."

How the candidates plan to ensure justice through law enforcement and prison reform are additional issues residents of color hold close to heart.

"Recently, there was an innocent man put to death (Nathaniel Woods, Alabama),” Haynes said. “Anytime you have a criminal justice system that has factual data that shows that a person is innocent, and they're put to death for a crime that they did not commit, that's all the exposure you need to know that we need prison reform all across the board.”

Foster, from the NAACP, said one way to improve the handling of justice is through law enforcement. 

"We need laws that are not designed to be favorable to certain groups. I want someone to try to equalize the playing field so that one group doesn't feel as though they've been minimized because the law is not in their favor, but for their counterpart, it is," Foster said.

Williams said the management of each of these issues will play a significant role in the future of communities.

“If you aren't employed, then you probably don't have adequate health care, your educational opportunities may be limited, and the laws are not in your favor, particularly as it relates to cash bail," she said. “We've got thousands of people sitting in jails across the country because they can't afford a $500 bail, while people who are committing much more serious crimes can go home because they have the financial wherewithal to post bond. I think those are all issues that are intertwined and need to be addressed collectively.”

Georgene Chissell
Credit Courtesy
Georgene Chissell ran for Bloomington City Council in 2019.

With African American candidates Sens. Cory Booker and Kamala Harris out of the race due in part to fundraising challenges, Georgene Chissell of Bloomington said through voter education and active participation during local elections, complications as such could be avoided in the future.

"It's not like they have all this money like (Tom) Steyer and (Mike) Bloomberg have. It's pretty sad because a lot of people of color are either not educated to the point where they believe the democratic process is important to them, or they're just afraid to vote, afraid to put their name out there, or give money," said Chissell, who ran unsuccessfully for Bloomington City Council in 2019.

"I believe that it trickles upwards. Local-level is very important to our local living, but people don't see the importance of that. They say, 'My vote doesn't count,' but I'm so tired of hearing that. Your vote does count, and it should make you proud when you cast it.”

Too Much Trump Focus?

With the race now down to former Vice President Joe Biden and Sen. Bernie Sanders, these black voters—like everyone else—are deciding how much emphasis to put on electability. Should they pick their straight-up favorite candidate? What if that’s not the one they think has the best chance to beat President Donald Trump?

"Someone who can beat Donald Trump is one of my top concerns because you can have the best ideas in the world, but if you're not successful in your candidacy, it's irrelevant," Williams said.

"So it is important to me to have a candidate that can beat the current president, and that is because of his issues, his stature in the world, and his ability to listen to experts in the field of knowledge,” she said. “He's got all these interim heads and secretaries so that he can fire them when they make him unhappy. There's nothing presidential about that, but he has a solid base, and unfortunately, that base is big enough that if blue voters don't show up, he could very well win again. That is absolutely terrifying to me," she said.

Veronica
Credit Tiffani Jackson / WGLT
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WGLT
ISU senior political science and communication major Veronica Williams Hall.

ISU senior political science and communication major Veronica Williams Hall said some candidates focus too much on Trump.

"Everyone's like, 'This is how we're going to win over Donald Trump,' but they are leaving their policies vague. I don't have a favorite candidate right now because no one's really saying anything powerful and it makes it difficult. So that's something I'm going to be considering in these next few weeks,” Williams Hall said.

Biden has outperformed Sanders among black voters, including the South Carolina primary win that famously turned around his campaign. But there is no one black vote. Haynes said he thinks Sanders’ plan for racial justice is more progressive than Biden’s.

"I believe that Bernie's plan for the African American culture in America is more genuine than Biden's because of Biden's track record. With (Biden) being the author of the Clinton crime bill that spurred mass incarceration among people of color in this country, I don't think anyone who had those views not that long ago, can change their views to reflect something too far different," Haynes said. "Now Bernie, I believe that everything that he's ever said in terms of a plan for African Americans in this country has always been consistent since he came to the forefront of politics and people when he first ran."

Black voter turnout rate declined in 2016 for the first time in 20 years in a presidential election, falling to 59.6% after reaching a record-high 66.6% in 2012, according to the Pew Research Center.

To ensure voter participation in the future, Williams Hall said the education on the voting process starts in school.

"I had one professor that stressed voting, but he did not tell us the process of voting or, 'Oh, you should vote in the primary, vote in the midterm, or you should vote in the presidential election. I feel like most people don't even know there is more than one election that exists," she said.

"More importantly, people not present in their town meetings makes it difficult, so we have to come together to understand why civic engagement and why educating about the voting process is important. Then we could get to some real change within politics," she said.

Passionate about a future career in politics, Williams Hall said helping people understand how the political world works and how much power they hold through participation is her top priority moving forward.

"Right now they're playing on the ignorance of the population, and they've been running with it for years, but there's people like me who are dedicated to simply educating and not putting a policy agenda behind it. I don't want to tell someone, 'Vote for this one person' if it's not aligned with their values. I want people to vote for who they believe will be the best fit for them, and then we can tackle that situation as we go,” she said.

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Tiffani Jackson is a reporting intern at WGLT and a student at Illinois State University's School of Communication. She started working at WGLT in summer 2019.