Black people in New York State and across the country are expected to celebrate because the Democratic Party overtook the Republican Party in the New York State Senate and in the United States House of Representatives, but I am here to warn you, don’t dance yet.
Since the presidency of Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Black people have blindly supported the Democratic Party, and it has not always been in our best interest. There are clear indicators that will tell us if conditions have gotten better in the Black community. These indicators are, but are not limited to, infant mortality, life expectancy, unemployment rate and poverty rate. On a federal level, from 2009 to 2011, the Democratic Party controlled the presidency and both houses of Congress. Even though we had a Democratic president and majority Democratic Congress the poverty rate remained unchanged or increased in the Black community.
On the New York State level, the Democratic Party held the majority of representatives within the same time frame, and the poverty rate increased in the Black community. That is why I am warning you not to dance yet. Neither Democratic control nor Republican control on a state or federal level has ever spelled relief from poverty in the Black community. Who does stand to profit from Democrat control are Democratic Party favorites who will now become chairs of committees and get bigger offices. Now is the chance for Democrats to come up with and pass legislation that would end poverty in our communities, pass a reparations bill and fund a multimillion dollar CUNY and SUNY plan for the college students of New York.
Hold off on the dancing. Only time will tell if the changes in Albany and Washington D.C. mean real change for the Black community. Although the Republican Party is not an option, the Democratic Party has not brought the relief to the Black community that our loyalty deserves. As long as there’s a predatory capitalistic two-party system, Black people will continue to suffer.