It is election time again and soon we will face the midterm elections, followed by the 2016 campaign season. Every demographic is currently being exploited for the crucial votes which will determine the leadership of the Senate and most importantly the direction of the country.

While it has been 50 years since the War on Poverty and the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the crucial struggles are just beginning for the votes of the “independents” and of course the Hispanics. One segment that I don’t hear about, however, from either side of the aisle is the vote of the African American or Black female. As a Black woman in America I am always interested in addressing this topic.  

According to one study, the reason for this “neglect”, so to speak, is the fact that “Black women are the most reliable and dedicated progressive voting bloc” and they have great impact at the polls. They show up in force, not just for presidential elections but state and local elections as well. Black women in the state of Virginia led all voters in that state’s 2013 governor’s race and ultimately were a key factor in flipping the governor’s mansion from Red to Blue. However, even though they are politically active, they are underrepresented in the elected political arena. Of the 102 female members of the 113th Congress, 15.7 percent  are African American. Of the 1,787 women who serve in state legislatures today, only 242 of them are black. Mia Love is contending to be the first Black female congress-person from the Republicans and there has never been a Black female senator in the Republican Party. 

Black women are reliably Democrat and perhaps this is the reason that they are often taken for granted by both sides. One side -- the Democrats -- feel that they “own” their vote and the other side – the Republicans feel that they can't “get” their vote.

Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky gave a highly-publicized speech to the National Urban League Conference to a practically empty roomful of chairs. Undaunted, he carried on with his speech. Republicans typically focus their appeal to black voters on two issues: poverty and education. With Rand Paul, the emphasis is power and crime. Before speaking to the Urban League, the senator was putting the finishing touches on a bill to purge the federal sentencing code of harsher sentences for crack cocaine offenses. He talked up his partnership on a bill to restore voting rights to some nonviolent felons with Senator Harry Reid of Nevada

All of these actions are fine and dandy, but what about those Black people or specifically, Black women who are “invisible”?  The ones who are not intimately associated with the penal system and have no interest in crack cocaine legislation?  In other words, the ordinary, working, going to school, or aspiring Black women who have an interest in conservative ideas and ideals that affect anyone regardless of race color or creed?

Far from the image of the “welfare mama”, Black woman outnumber all women in labor force participation percentages. Black women are often overrepresented in the lower-paying fields and tend to work regardless of their children’s ages or marital status. They are more likely than not to be considered part of the working poor.

This fact is unfortunate since the more income you achieve during your working life, the more apt you will be to save for your retirement years. Black women have a less than promising retirement outlook, instead of the “golden” years, we tend just to look at the “olden” years. We are much less likely than other races of women to be eligible for Social Security Spouse or Widow Benefits because marriage rates for Black women are very low compared to other ethnic minority groups and the divorce rate is much higher. In addition, low-wage jobs normally do not come with retirement plans or pensions. Black women over 65 are the poorest of the poor, And if it were not for Social Security – which is often their income mainstay -- the poverty rate would be much higher.

Black women have maintained a higher rate of unionization than other groups. From experience I will tell you that my aunts, who were/are all nurses, teachers, and school administrators in large cities, relied on their unions and were very loyal to them. Black women are highly represented in the teaching and criminal justice professions which, for the most part, are unionized. Understand this: the union represents a protection of sorts against many arbitrary or perceived unfairness in the workplace. Black women who are covered under unions and their collective-bargaining agreements make higher wages and have greater access to benefits than women of all races or ethnicities who are non-unionized.

One emerging feature is that Black women, although the numbers show that they lag in the area of revenue generation, represent the fastest-growing segment for business ownership. Black women receive only 6% of the revenue generated by all women-owned businesses. That compares to 29% received by white women.

In many cases a Black woman is no stranger to violence. Black women are especially likely to be victims of violence in America. In fact, no woman is more likely to be murdered in America today than a Black woman. No woman is more likely to be raped than a Black woman. And…. no woman is more likely to be beaten, either by a stranger or by someone she loves and trusts, than a Black woman. Still and all, even when a Black woman tries to defend herself, she might find herself unjustly prosecuted. In Stand Your Ground states, White women are far more likely than Black women to be found justified and not even charged by prosecutors when using deadly force against a Black attacker (13.5% vs. 5.7%). 

Black women are eight percent of the population, but account for 29 percent of the domestic abuse and homicide cases. Domestic violence is the leading cause of death for Black women in the United States. In fact, they are 250 percent more likely to be murdered in a domestic abuse case than a Caucasian woman. Yet, even with these statistics as well as the recent incidence of abuse within the NFL, not one Black woman was asked to be on the advisory group to the NFL convened to formulate a policy on domestic violence. The NFL responded that they would ask two Black female personnel for their input. 

(I would like to mention, for those who might think differently, Black men are not more prone to violence than other men, holding constant background, upbringing, educational level and income. I mention upbringing since the NFL player might achieve instant riches but they still come wired with the same responses that they were raised with. If violence was the method they were raised with, it might be the method they use when angered.)

Even for those astute politicians who see an opportunity in appealing to this vibrant, intelligent and motivated demographic (I am a bit biased… can you tell?), change will not happen overnight; minds must be changed and old grievances addressed. Representation, not “vote getting”, or “outreach”, will have to be achieved.  The Republican Party has an opportunity to change perceptions by addressing the realities without pandering. The Black female voter will embody “every and all” of the aspirational characteristics of the majority population as well as and any other minority. And -- we are not easily fooled.