Did Black American Elites Derail the 2024 Democratic Opportunity?

Disclaimer: This article does not mention the vice president or former president by name, nor do I mention Black Greek organizations, community leaders, or celebrities. This editorial opinion is a practice of higher-order thinking, or what some might call ‘nuanced,’ meaning to look into blind spots for discovery, truth, and facts.

By Don Allen, Ed.S., M.A. Ed., MAT (written for educational purposes)

In the wake of Tuesday's presidential election, our communities are broken, far more than we will ever want to admit. A Black woman, an apex of feminism, strength, free will, and determination, was denied the top seat, in the top spot, in the top country in the world. This historic opportunity moment, pregnant with the promise of progress, was squandered, leaving in its wake questions about the fissures within the Black political landscape.

While nobody has the answer, valid philosophical questions must be asked to understand the structures at play. In a period of increased racial consciousness and a solid class structure of those on the top and those on the bottom - with a measurable missing middle, why did a large segment of the Black electorate, especially Black men, fail to coalesce around a candidate capable of yielding an evolving definition of representation at the highest level? Perhaps the answer is contingent upon the examination of Black human capital through structures of class and culture.

Black elites' rise has been hailed and challenged over the last decades. The breaking of glass ceilings in politics, business, and culture has created unprecedented symbols of possibility for such individuals. But still, the phenomenal rise of those into the stratosphere has not really affected holistic empowerment in the wider Black community. It has only stretched the chasm in growth realities for Black elites, Black middle-class families, and the bottom one-third of our community's tension and distrust. Theoretically, grassroots interests are consistently abandoned as the upper classes of Black America press for access and legitimacy within mainstream institutions.

Meanwhile, the squeezed Black middle income, referred to as the backbone of the community itself, was wrung dry from economic burdens and systemic injustices. The most vulnerable one-third of the population of Blacks still remains plagued by issues related to poverty, underemployment, and systemic neglect that the elites are frequently accused of sidelining. It is this election that brought these divisions to the fore. While the candidate represented progress, he might have come across as aloof or even too close to the elites among the middle and lower classes. The "shared struggle" narrative does not come across quite as emphatically when policy or rhetoric fails to account for the lived experiences of many in favor of the selected few. It is a salutary wake-up call for the Democratic Party. The assumption that Black voters-especially younger and working-class voters-would reflexively rally to a historic candidacy proved misguided. Rather, it reaffirms that coalition-building must reach out beyond identity politics to address the structural chasm between us.

What follows is a daunting challenge but absolutely necessary: Black elites will have to balance privilege with the responsibility to advocate for the lagging behind; middle-class families will have to work out the connection between upward mobility and the spirit of cohesion with those most in need. And the Democratic Party will have to seriously rethink its approach toward Black voters, for a symbolic win means nothing without actual change.

In mulling over the post-election aftermath, the query isn't solely whether Black elites hijacked this opportunity but if the collective structures of our community can readjust so that this kind of opportunity will never again be blown. History demands it; the future depends on it.