The Democratic Party Is Black; the Republican Party Is White
Here’s what that means for politics and antiracism
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Black is Democratic; white is Republican. That’s how the parties function in a white-supremacist nation, and that reality has implications for politics and antiracism.
Black women make the point: Black women are the most loyal to Black people and the Democratic Party. Historically, whites made a child’s status follow their mother’s status, which makes the Democratic Party the Black Party in a white-supremacist nation.
Demographics make the point: More than 90% of those who vote Republican in presidential elections say they’re white. And around 87% of Black people identify with Democrats.
Double standards make the point: Whites expect Democrats to have the best plans and policies; Republicans get to govern from the gutter. That double standard exists because one party is Black and the other party is white.
History makes the point: As a majority, white voters haven’t voted for a Democrat in presidential elections since L.B.J. and the civil rights movement. Whites took flight from the Democratic Party like it was a neighborhood.
The Democratic Party is functionally the Black Party based on its clear mix of people.
Humanity makes the point: Dr. Tressie McMillan Cottom says, “[b]lackness is humanity.” Today, more humane policies come from the Black Party because the whiteness of the White Party is inhumane.
Political realities make the point: Democrats need Black voters to win. According to Ta-Nehisi Coates, Republicans have their first white president in Trump; but Democrats have two Black presidents — one in Clinton, according to Toni Morrison, and another in Obama.
Racism makes the point: The Black Party’s struggle with racism is colorism, and the White Party’s motivation with racism is whiteness. That line is blurry, with skin-tone discrimination on one side — and subhuman classifications on the other.
Racist definitions make the point: The White Party is white even with people of color in the White Party, just as whites say they’re white even with Mitochondrial Eve in their bodies. The Democratic Party is functionally the Black Party based on its clear mix of people.
Research makes the point: In 2018, political scientists from the University of Michigan published the study, “Black is Blue and Red is White?” The researchers said, “We suspect that Americans now see the partisan coalitions in racial terms and that these racialized images are highly consequential for how people feel toward the parties.”
The Democratic Party is the Black Party; the Republican Party is the White Party. What applies to whiteness applies here: There’s no neutrality or “both sides” because humanity wins when the White Party ends.
