Commentary

COMMENTARY: Black Women Stand With Biden

THE AFRO — A new survey from Black Women for America (BWFA) outlines the key issues for this critical voting bloc, and shows that former Vice President Joe Biden has strong support from African-American women. One of the survey’s biggest findings is that the female candidates have yet to break through among this important segment.

Published

5 years ago

September 3, 2019

Oakland Post

Former Vice President Joe Biden

By Special to the Afro

A new survey from Black Women for America (BWFA) outlines the key issues for this critical voting bloc, and shows that former Vice President Joe Biden has strong support from African-American women.

One of the survey’s biggest findings is that the female candidates have yet to break through among this important segment.

“Joe Biden can attribute much of his support from Black women to his association with Barack Obama and the halo effect of our beloved, ‘forever’ President. Not to mention the fact that he is viewed as the candidate who can most likely beat President Trump,” said Sarah Lattimer Irvin, President of BWFA and Metrics Marketing, a creative marketing consultancy that specializes in multicultural audiences, particularly Black women.

“Building a relationship with this important constituency is key, especially when our survey showed that when African-American women do not vote, the number one reason is dislike for the candidates. Candidates trailing Biden can narrow the gap by authentically addressing key issues affecting Black women, their families and their communities.”

Other takeaways from the landmark survey include:

Healthcare coverage is the most important issue among this key group, followed by gun control, and police brutality. Increasing the minimum wage and abortion rights round out the top five issues.

Over 57 percent of respondents do not trust the government to make decisions in their best interests or that of their family and community. Black women are also divided on whether they feel included in the “Me Too” movement or whether the movement only represents White women.

Black Women for America (BWFA) is the political practice of Metrics Marketing, a creative marketing consultancy. Data-led and culturally informed, BWFA helps candidates and political organizations connect with constituents by crafting key strategies and messaging that resonates with Black women, their families and their communities.

Metrics Marketing, Inc. strategically merges information, interpretation, innovation and implementation to forge relationships between brands and multicultural consumers, particularly Black women, that drive results. Having developed successful programs for Fortune 500 companies, as well as local businesses, it is one of the few female and minority-owned agencies in the South with a breadth of national and regional brand experience. For more information about Metrics Marketing, please visit www.metricsmktg.com. Follow @metricsmktginc on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of The Afro-American Newspapers.

This article originally appeared in The Afro.

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Opinion: Surviving the Earthquake, an Eclipse and “Emil Amok.”

Last Friday, a 4.8 magnitude earthquake shook New York City, reported as the “biggest earthquake with an epicenter in the NYC area since 1884” when a 5.2 quake hit. A bit bigger. The last quake similar to Friday’s was a 4.9 in 1783.Alexander Hamilton felt it — 241 years ago. That’s why New Yorkers were freaking out on Friday. They were in the room where it happens.

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In New York City, the eclipse was about 90 percent visible. Good enough for me. Though a full solar eclipse is a celestial rarity, blockages of any sort aren’t generally celebrated. My one-man play is about growing up with the eclipsed history of American Filipinos and how I struggle to unblock all that.

By Emil Guillermo

I’m a Northern Californian in New York City for the next few weeks, doing my one-man show, “Emil Amok, Lost NPR Host, Wiley Filipino, Vegan Transdad.”

I must like performing in the wake of Mother Nature.

Alexander Hamilton felt it — 241 years ago.

That’s why New Yorkers were freaking out on Friday. They were in the room where it happens.

And it just doesn’t happen that often.

Beyonce singing country music happens more frequently.

When I felt New York shake last week, it reminded me of a time in a San Francisco TV newsroom when editors fretted about a lack of news an hour before showtime.

Then the office carpeting moved for a good ten seconds, and the news gods gave us our lead story.

On Friday when it happened in NYC, I noticed the lines in the carpeting in my room wiggling. But I thought it was from a raucous hotel worker vacuuming nearby.

I didn’t even think earthquake. In New York?

I just went about my business as if nothing had happened. After living near fault lines all my life, I was taking things for granted.

Considering the age of structures in New York, I should have been even more concerned about falling objects inside (shelves, stuff on walls) and outside buildings (signs, scaffolding), fire hazards from possible gas leaks, and then I should have looked for others on my floor and in the hotel lobby to confirm or aid or tell stories.

Of course, as a Californian who has lived through and covered quakes in the 4 to 6 magnitude range, I tried to calm down any traumatized New Yorker I encountered by taking full responsibility for bringing in the quake from the Bay Area.

I reassured them things would be all right, and then let them know that 4.8s are nothing.

And then I invited them to my consoling post-Earthquake performance of “Emil Amok, Lost NPR Host…”

It was the night of the eclipse.

ECLIPSING THE ECLIPSE

For example, did you know the first Filipinos actually arrived to what is now California in 1587? That’s 33 years before the Pilgrims arrived in America on the other coast, but few know the Filipino history which has been totally eclipsed.

I was in Battery Park sitting on a bench and there was a sense of community as people all came to look up. A young woman sitting next to me had a filter for a cell phone camera. We began talking and she let me use it. That filter enabled me to take a picture of the main event with my iPhone.

For helping me see, I invited her and her boyfriend to come see my show.

Coincidentally, she was from Plymouth, Massachusetts, near the rock that says the year the Pilgrims landed in 1620.

In my show she learned the truth. The Pilgrims were second.

History unblocked. But it took a solar eclipse.

Next one in 2044? We have a lot more unblocking to do.

If you’re in New York come see my show, Sat. April 13th, 5:20 pm Eastern; Fri. April 19, 8:10 pm Eastern; and Sun. April 21st 5:20 pm Eastern.

You can also livestream the show. Get tickets at www.amok.com/tickets

About the Author

Emil Guillermo is a journalist and commentator. He does a mini-talk show on YouTube.com/@emilamok1. He wishes all his readers a Happy Easter!