POLITICS + RACISM

Are Black People Capable of Becoming Full Blown Americans?

McConnell doesn't think so. A Freudian slip exposed the GOP's perspective on Black voters. Let's unpack this.

Dr. Allison Wiltz
GEN
Published in
5 min readJan 21, 2022

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A seated black soldier, frock coat, gloves | Photo Credit | Library of Congress

Black men and women built America from the ground up. There was never a time when America existed without Black people. "Africans were brought to the Americas' specifically for their labor,' and their descendants remain 'the most exploited and unequal component of the emerging modern capitalist labor force.' Black people are as American as apple pie. They've fought in every single war, since the beginning, and even thanklessly gave their lives to make America the superpower it has become today. So, why does Mitch McConnell, the Senate's minority leader, think that Americans are somehow separate from Black People?

A reporter asked minority leader Mitch McConnell, whose family enslaved people, what he would say to Black people concerned about access to the ballot box during the midterms. Mcconnell responded that "their concern is misplaced because, if you look at the statistics, Black voters are voting at the same percentage as Americans." Some called his statement a Freudian slip, but activist and radio show host Egberto Willies said, "sometimes a slip of the tongue actually tells you…

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Published in GEN

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Dr. Allison Wiltz
Dr. Allison Wiltz

Written by Dr. Allison Wiltz

Black womanist scholar and doctoral candidate from New Orleans, LA with bylines @ Momentum, Oprah Daily, ZORA, Cultured #WEOC Founder. allisonthedailywriter.com