Welcome back to Chester's news wrap.
A recent poll shows President biden support among
black americans is slowly declining from a high
of 66% to the current 48% earlier I
sat down with congresswoman Ayanna Pressley of massachusetts,
who shared her many ideas on how the biden
administration can improve its stance on racial equality efforts.
Take a listen.
We've just entered into a black history month,
although I think that's certainly more than than one month.
You know, black history is american history, that's every day.
But in terms of the official recognition of black history month, the best way um,
that we, we can
support black America
is by restoring voting rights,
is bypassing the build back. Better act
is by canceling a student debt is by addressing the black maternal morbidity crisis
is through reparations.
Uh and so as I say so often policy is my love language because it is policy,
it is in our lawmaking that we've codified racial injustice.
And so we must be just as precise and intentional
in undoing the harm of of generations really centuries.
And so one of the things that we have to
do is deliver and in a meaningful and impactful way.
And I think canceling a student debt broad
based student debt at $50,000 which President biden has
the authority to do through the higher education act
um is a step in the right direction.
Black students borrow 85% borrowed because we don't
Have generational wealth because of discriminatory policies like redlining
and were five times more likely to default.
This is a nearly $2 trillion 2 3rd of that debt is borne by women,
20% black women carry 20% more student debt than our white counterparts.
So this is a racial justice issue and economic justice issue.
And President biden has the authority and the power to alleviate this burden,
which would also help in closing the racial wealth gap
and he can do it by executive action with the stroke
of a pen and it doesn't require one vote from Congress.
So, uh,
the biden administration just needs to to deliver to black
America in a in a tangible and impactful way.
My next question, I want to preface with no demographic as monolithic.
I say this all the time.
But what does declining support among black voters mean for democrats,
as we go into the midterm elections right around the corner?
Well, I mean, that's true.
No community is a monolith and I,
but I think at the end of the day
whether you're talking about the black maternal morbidity crisis,
whether you're talking about racial debt,
whether you're talking about dismantling mass incarceration, um,
you know, any of these issues, just for health outcomes,
impact of the pandemic supporting black owned small businesses.
The point is that the impact just must be felt um that we address the basic needs
and address the hurt that has been caused to black americans from every walk of life.
People need to see and feel tangibly of the
impact of government being responsive to their needs.
We find ourselves in an unprecedented moment of unprecedented hardship
that we must meet with unprecedented leadership and legislating.
And again,
a one example of something that can be done that
would be impactful and meaningful help to close the racial
wealth gap and address the disparate burden of student debt
carried by black americans is to cancel student debt,
broad based executive action,
$50,000 with the stroke of a pen um that will lift
the burden for 80% of those in the lowest socioeconomic bracket.
Where does voting rights legislation stand right now in massachusetts?
Can you talk to me about the advancements in the right direction that
have been made and what you hope to see in the future congresswoman?
Well,
I so appreciate your asking about massachusetts
because I think people think that our
work when it comes to voting rights is limited to addressing these very targeted,
precise attacks happening in red states.
Um but but access to the ballot in Franchising
um every single person who calls this country home,
that's just fundamental to our democracy.
And so in massachusetts, uh more recently,
we've made some great strides in terms of um
jail based voting uh in terms of mail in voting,
there was a bill that just passed the massachusetts legislature there,
which makes some important strides and enfranchising more people,
but I was very disappointed that what was
not included was the same day registration,
which we know has been proven to really grow turnout in the
black community uh and uh in low income communities and again,
your vote is your voice.
And in my own congressional campaign, my first run in 2000 and 18,
we expanded the electorate.
Um we grew with the black vote by some
26%, the student vote by 400%.
Um and you know,
it's important that we have more people engaged in
our democracy and participating and wherever there are barriers,
we must dismantle them.
So that work is not just in the red states.
Um that work is not just to be done in Washington,
although we do need to grow our majority in the Senate so that we can repeal
the filibuster and we can restore voting rights
and pass other critical pieces of legislation.
Uh speaking about black America everything from
the emmett till anti lynching bill,
um to um gun reform, to meaningful immigration reform.
There's so much work that has been bottleneck.
Um but the work that needs to be done is not just what we do federally,
it's also what we do in our states.
And I also just want to add that I want the Department of Justice,
in light of the fact that progress on voting
rights has been obstructed here in the Senate.
We do need this department of Justice
to ensure that wherever we see voter suppression
um that we are using our our constitutional authority and the
full weight of the Department of Justice to challenge those aims.
Can I talk to you about redistricting redistricting here? Congresswoman A U. S.
Court rejected Alabama's redistricting redistricting
as violating black voting rights.
How does that impact black voters moving forward?
Yeah,
well, you know, again,
it is uh it is hard to believe that we still find ourselves fighting this fight.
You know, efforts to suppress the vote are coordinated, precise and rampant.
It's very demoralizing
um and we certainly cannot be expected uh those on the frontlines
of organizing and doing everything possible
to ensure that more people participate
in our democracy and vote to expect them to out organize um this voter suppression,
but all that being said
Um in 2000 and uh you know, just a little over a year ago,
in order to deliver this decisive democratic majority in the house,
the Senate and the White House Black Americans and other marginalized
groups mobilized and at the moment for a record turnout.
And the response to that historic record turnout is the
suppression that we see taking place in these states.
You know, 19 states have passed voter suppression laws.
49 states have introduced a new laws.
And so again, I think it's important that our department of justice be vigilant
in their role and wherever we see these efforts
to to challenge them
uh and to seek to upend and dismantle those laws that were recently passed as well.
And it was also the congresswoman's birthday today.
Happy birthday to the congresswoman.
We appreciate her time, congresswoman Ayanna Pressley of massachusetts.