Brittany Smalls: Pittsburgh’s Black voters using power at polls
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With Election Day less than three weeks away, nowhere is more representative of Black voters’ excitement than right here in Pittsburgh’s Homewood neighborhood. Last month, hundreds of Black voters joined local and national voter engagement activists at a tailgate for the Pittsburgh Steelers in Homewood. Organizers passed out food and merchandise, set up a voter registration booth, and helped participants develop plans to cast their ballots, all while practicing safety precautions due to coronavirus. The message: We’ve got the power.
This year, as a deadly virus, police violence and economic downturn take a disproportionate toll on our communities, this reminder — we’ve got the power — has become the mantra for Black voters in communities across America. With so much on the line in this election, Black voters in Pittsburgh have an opportunity to create real, impactful change in their communities by tapping into their voting power.
And now, the word is out. Organizations like Black Voters Matter, in conjunction with local and grassroots organizations like Pittsburgh’s Community Empowerment Association and the Homewood-Brushton YMCA, are reaching into these communities to engage Black voters and to help them harness their power at the polls. Through our “We Got The Power” campaign, we’re spreading our message of Black love, Black joy and Black power across Pennsylvania and a dozen other states. We’re also deploying voter outreach caravans and the “Blackest Bus in America” to meet with and mobilize voters in their own communities. But this outreach is not only about inspiring voters; it’s about protecting them as well.
Pennsylvania has a long history of suppressing and rejecting Black votes, and it’s on track to continue that disturbing tradition during this election. A recent court ruling on so-called “naked ballots” has fueled confusion around one of the safest alternatives to in-person voting during a pandemic. Disinformation and “fake news” have created distrust in the electoral system. And threats of voter intimidation are stirring fear in Black communities.
It’s been well-documented that these suppression tactics have an uneven impact on young, Black and low-income voters. In Homewood, where residents are overwhelmingly Black, these threats to Black voting power have real consequences. The area was once home to some of Pittsburgh’s wealthiest families and, as the birthplace of Errol Garner, Mary Lou Wiilliams, Billy Strayhorn and other prolific Black artists, Homewood is rich in Black history.
But years of disinvestment and neglect robbed Homewood of the resources it needed to thrive, making it one of the poorest and most segregated areas in the city. Now, with local and federal officials trying to block Black voters from the polls, Homewood residents are in danger of losing their right to address persistent issues like poverty and crime.
Building Black voting power has never been more important. Here in Pittsburgh, we need to encourage our friends and neighbors to use their power to hold leaders accountable and start driving the changes we want to see in our communities. Let’s vote early, turn out in record numbers, and remind our leaders that we got the power. The time is now.
Brittany Smalls is the Pennsylvania state coordinator at Black Voters Matter and Capacity Building Institute, dedicated to expanding Black voter engagement and increasing progressive power.