Black Suffrage

The White House grey-colored sandstone walls have actually been white since reconstructed after the British fires.

In 1791, the first U.S. President George Washington, reputed as a slave’s sexual predator by some, selected the site, and the design immediately called for a lime-based whitewash.

On February 3, 1870, 'The 15th Amendment' to the U.S. Constitution, ratified by Congress, prohibited states from denying a male citizen the right to vote based on “race, color or previous condition of servitude." Black men in the United States did not gain the right to vote until after the Civil War.

In 1901, President Theodore Roosevelt, officially named the Mansion the “White House”. Before that, the White House had been called several names, including the “President’s House”, and the “Executive Mansion”. President Roosevelt, a celebrated white supremacist by some, believed the name “White House” would distinguish it as the official residence of the President of the United States.

On August 18, 1920, 'The 19th Amendment' was ratified, technically granting women the right to vote. However, it did not initially extend to women of African American, Asian American, Hispanic American and American Indian heritage because of widespread voter suppression enacted against Black women and other women of color.

It wasn't until August 6, 1965, nearly a half century later, that 'The Voting Rights Act' was passed, whereby, Black women were in-practice able to exercise their right to vote.

For many years, Black voters were the largest non-White racial or ethnic segment of the country’s electorate, but for the first time in this year’s presidential election they're outnumbered by Hispanic eligible voters, at 32 million.

A recent 'Pew Research Center' survey found that 63% of Black registered voters are extremely motivated to vote. Furthermore, among those who support Joe Biden, over a third (35%) said that they casted their vote by absentee or mail-in ballot.

Key facts about Black eligible voters in 2020 battleground states: The number of Black Americans eligible to vote for President has reached a record 30 million in 2020, with more than one-third living in nine of the nation’s most competitive states – Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Michigan, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin – a higher share than the 29% of all U.S. eligible voters who live in these states. Nationwide, Black eligible voters now make up 12.5% of the U.S. electorate, up from 11.5% in 2000.

The Democratic Party has maintained a strong advantage among Black voters, according to over two decades of Center polling. Black voters have also recorded comparatively high turnout rates relative to other major racial and ethnic groups in recent elections – their levels closely matching White voter turnout rates in 2008 and 2012.

Yet Black eligible voters are by no means monolithic in their views or demographics. In the six states with competitive races for president, Black eligible voters have varied levels of educational attainment, income and immigrant populations. Thus, Republicans and Democrats have pulled out all the stops to win over Black voters in the 2020 election...

Food for thought!