What A Difference A Day Makes

However we feel in this moment, we are not powerless

By Sara M. Lomax
President and CEO of WURD Radio

This is a gut punch. Trump didn’t just win in a squeaker. It was a landslide. The people have spoken. More accurately, the white people have spoken. While Donald Trump increased his support from Latino men, Black men and many other groups, the majority of his support still resides squarely with white men and women. Conversely, once again, we did what we had to do. Black people overwhelmingly showed up and showed out for Kamala Harris. According to an NBC News exit poll, over 91% of Black women and 77% of Black men supported the Harris/Walz ticket. We supported a vision for this country that centered diversity, equity and inclusion; one that prioritized the possibility of a new American dream. We fought so hard because we know how evil and destructive unchecked white supremacy can be. Our ancestors have given us a roadmap to survive American horror. They endured chattel slavery, Jim Crow, lynchings, torture, church bombings, massacres, dogs and fire hoses. Even in the face of ongoing police brutality and mass incarceration, we are a strong and mighty people. But damn it’s exhausting.

At WURD, we worked tirelessly to cover this historic election reporting live from the DNC convention, hosting countless election-related live broadcasts, airing voter education vignettes, and conducting scores of interviews with political experts, historians, legal scholars, celebrity surrogates and the candidates. We told the truth about Donald Trump’s ambitions to erase Black history, eliminate the Department of Education, empower the billionaire class, stack the federal judiciary with right-wing activists, control women’s reproductive rights – all of it. 

I am so proud of this work and our team. We did what we had to do. No other demographic represented stronger than Black folks in support of Kamala Harris and her agenda of unity, progress and freedom. But we are only about 13% of this racist, sexist nation. And yet, our strength, power and advocacy has always had an outsized impact relative to our demographic reality.

While we are a minority in this country, we are a significant plurality in Philly. We have an unapologetically Black woman mayor who stands proudly beside her people while serving all of Philadelphia. We have leaders in local and state politics whose influence we can and should leverage. It is in our power to work with them, to collaborate but also to hold them accountable. Economic power is paramount – we need financial and organizational resources to be able to help each other. We have community power through churches, mosques, fraternities, sororities, organizations and community events. And of course we have the power of the first amendment and independent Black media like WURD Radio. Let’s not lose sight of the power we already have – and let’s be clear, smart and strategic about how to hold, grow and use that power. 

And as angry as we are that so many voted for Trump, if we are going to see radical transformation, we need to build coalitions in order to shift the course of this nation. To be clear, whatever coalitions or resistance movements are built, they need to be Black-centered and led.

As the presidential election frenzy dies down and we lick our wounds, we have to get back to business. We need to refocus on the home front. What’s in the best interests of Black Americans? How do we improve our public schools? How do we end the cycles of generational poverty that have kept Philadelphia the poorest big city for decades? How do we create more Black businesses that are thriving and not just surviving? How do we address the persistent health disparities that have African Americans dying earlier and more frequently? When we solve for these inequities facing Black folks, the broader community inevitably benefits.

Here are my post-election takeaways:

• We’re not in this alone. Almost 50% of the American public voted for Kamala Harris. There are many powerful, well-resourced individuals and organizations that need to mobilize for the fight ahead. 

• There are also global dimensions to this fight. Authoritarianism is rising around the world.

• We need to be intentional about cross-generational dialogue and engagement. There are many in our community who are ignorant or numb to our history of struggle and survival.

• Kamala Harris is extraordinary. In 107 days she mounted a campaign that energized a deflated and desperate party after Joe BIden’s dismal debate performance. Regardless of all the finger pointing happening now, she represented the strength, courage and brilliance embodied in Black women.

• Misogyny is a powerful drug. Two vastly superior female presidential candidates – Hillary Clinton and Kamala Harris – couldn’t win against Trump, a convicted felon, sex offender and serial cheater.

• Self care is essential at this moment. Lean into whatever feeds and fuels you – prayer, meditation, movement, community. We need to fortify our mind, body, spirit and heart so we have the energy for the fight ahead.

• Our work is more important than ever. WURD will continue to provide trusted information and resources and most critically a space where we can come together to talk, grieve, strategize, mobilize and build on behalf of our community. The bottom line, however we feel this week, we will survive and persevere.

Stay tuned. OnWURD.