Program Success 2 Holiday 2022
Black Elected Officials and the Nuanced Issue of Expectations
They ’ re criticized for failing to solve every problem that affects their constituents . But the discrimination and racism they face must be factored in , and they lack access to institutions that could strengthen their hand .
Recently I had a heated exchange with a former journalist for a major newspaper about whether Black elected officials had fulfilled the promise of elected office . She was speaking about mayors and city council members as well as state and national elected officials . The journalist maintained they had not fulfilled that promise . Should African American constituents expect Black public officials , once in office , to do more to address issues like generational poverty and health disparities than other public officials do ?
I explained to the journalist that the issue is complicated , nuanced and not a black and white issue , figuratively or literally . It does raise important questions : Is there a critical mass of Black elected officials sufficient to have an impact ? And are there institutional and structural barriers that limit what African American officials — or any public officials , for that matter — can realistically be expected to accomplish given the limits of politics ?
Let me say from the beginning , I believe that all elected officials should do everything within their power to deliver efficient services and good government to all of their constituents . And all of those constituents should hold high expectations for every public official . Have there been some Black public officials who , as with all groups , sought elected office only as a stepping stone to to somewhere else or as a means of empowering or enriching themselves ? Of course . But we need to acknowledge that Black elected leaders who are genuinely dedicated to serving the public still face mountains of discrimination and racism , and this must be factored in when assessing their efficacy .
The number of Black elected officials has risen significantly in most categories since the 1960s . According to the National Conference of Black Mayors , for example , there are now more than 640 black mayors representing 48 million citizens across the nation . While the total numbers of Black state and local elected officials nationwide vary from report to report , according to PolitiFact as far back as the year 2000 four southern states collectively had elected nearly 2,000 Black officials : Alabama had 498 in state and local offices ; Georgia , 452 ; Louisiana , 467 ; and Mississippi , 530 .
Even though the numbers of Black elected officials have grown since then , the economic and social conditions of African Americans versus white Americans have not improved significantly . In some areas they have worsened . The National Urban League ’ s State of Black America report for 2021 reports that median family income for Blacks was about $ 40,000 per year and net worth was $ 20,000 .