A SUMMARY OF PART SEVENTEEN OF "UNDER THE BLACKLIGHT"

On Thursday, October 8th, the African American Policy Forum hosted our seventeenth episode of our hit series, Under the Blacklight titled, “From the Base to the Face of the Democratic Party (Part 2): Black Women Respond to the VP Debate.” In this episode, AAPF Executive Director Kimblerlé Crenshaw is joined by Barbara Arnwine, Alicia Garza, Rep. Barbara Lee, Kirsten West Savali. In this Black Girl Roundtable, they collectively reflect on the first Vice-Presidential debate of this cycle, and the first Vice-Presidential debate featuring a Black woman.  

The episode begins with a reflection, as we’ve said many times before, Black women are often the wheels of the Democratic bus, but with Senator Harris as the Vice Presidential candidate, can we say that Black women are moving to the driver's seat of that bus? Is there a Black woman’s agenda on that bus? And if so, what is it? 

Our panelists were determined to have their say. 

The importance of this election was not lost on our panelists, 210,000 Americans have now died from one of the greatest threats to the health and wellbeing of the nation that we’ve ever seen. We’ve got 4% of the world's population, 20% of the world’s deaths, and an administration that has so badly handled the virus that the very seat of power is the scene of a superspreader. We have an economy in ruins, and have witnessed the highest unemployment since the Great Depression.  We’ve got credible threats to the rule of law from the chief executive, the first presidential candidate who will not commit to a peaceful transition if he loses. He refused to repudiate white supremacists, denies that there is systemic racism, owes 400 million to persons unknown, and represents a party that stands behind his every move. Needless to say, there is a LOT on the line, in this election -- it is the most important in our lifetime. 

ED Crenshaw and this group of esteemed panelists push us to examine the importance of this election and of prioritizing Black women, first the base and now the face of the democratic party. 

You can listen to the remaining comments from the seventeenth installment of “Under The Blacklight” as a podcast, or watch a replay of the event on YouTube (here).