Op-Ed: Keeping Up The Momentum Heading Into November  – Essence

The 2024 presidential election is less than five weeks away, and almost every poll tells us that the race is still dangerously close. Just as important as the presidential election are the countless down-ballot elections for state and local positions such as governor, mayor and state attorney general that will have enormous implications for our freedoms. Whether the issue is reproductive freedom, the freedom to learn about our history, or the freedom to make a living for our families, this election deserves our undivided attention.  

Over the last few months, the Global Black Economic Forum(GBEF) has built momentum mobilizing our community to not only go to the polls but also make informed decisions when we do.  

For example, we have been hosting numerous events with elected officials – most notably Vice President Kamala Harris. During this fireside chat on the GBEF stage at the 2024 ESSENCE Festival of Culture, she laid out in clear terms that another four years of Donald Trump is another four years of chaos, lawlessness, and an anti-freedom agenda that will fall disproportionately on the shoulders of women, Black people and people of color.  

At the GBEF Business Summit, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries joined Richelieu Dennis, Founder and CEO of the Sundial Group of Companies and I to discuss how the recent U.S. Supreme Court cases on abortion, democracy and affirmative action have raised the stakes of this election. Leader Jeffries spoke to the fact that Black America is living in the nation’s third “backlash period” to progress – underscoring the need for us to get engaged to push through this period and make it to the other side.  

We have also convened prominent members of the Black business community, including Thasunda Brown Duckett, CEO and president of TIAA, and Robert F. Smith, founder and CEO of Vista Equity Partners. Their perspectives—as trailblazers in their respective fields—helped our community understand how we can transform the financial landscape to build and maintain wealth. The clear takeaway from both of their discussions was the importance of making our voices heard at all levels of government.  

GBEF also had the opportunity to participate in the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation’s Annual Legislative Conference on September 12 in Washington DC. I had the opportunity to participate on a panel entitled, “Pathways to Prosperity: Advancing Democracy and Black Economic Opportunity.” The conversation highlighted a key piece of the economic injustice conversation that is often left out – how racial disparities hurt the United States economy to the tune of trillions of dollars. Closing the racial wealth gap would actually increase the gross domestic product (GDP) of the United States. The conversation underscored how the current realities of Black economic life will only be fixed if policymakers, business leaders and community advocates come together more often and more quickly to make progress.  

These moments throughout the summer were a natural segway to our recent launch of Paint the Polls Black. As we have convened reliable and trusted messengers in the community to bring attention to key issues, we, the Sundial Group of Companies – which includes ESSENCE, the Global Black Economic Forum, Girls United, AfroPunk, BeautyCon, Refinery29 and New Voices Foundation –  also announced a robust schedule of virtual events to help voters understand how the key policy issues impact our daily lives.  

So far, we have seen a real appetite for the programming we are hosting, with the first three events attracting hundreds of thousands of viewers. There is more programming ahead about the importance of battleground states, how to get others in the community to vote, the rules for early voting and how to ensure your rights are not obstructed at the ballot box. But we need your help to spread the word. 

Visit paintthepollsblack.com to watch our previous town halls and sign up for the upcoming events. You can also find all content on the Global Black Economic Forum’s YouTube page.  

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Alphonso David is a civil rights attorney and the President and CEO of the Global Black Economic Forum.