Weaponising Blackness in Elections is Wrong

Both the Republicans and the Democrats understand the importance of winning over Black people in the race for US president.

However, many of our people have long found common cause with Palestinians. We see the 11-month-long Israeli military onslaught in Gaza not just as a modern attack but also in the historical context of Zi*nists driving 750,000 Palestinians off their land. We feel for the Palestinians as people whose ancestors underwent and continue to live through slavery, segregation, oppression and dehumanisation. This shared historical experience has created a division within the Democratic Party, which has traditionally enjoyed strong Black support.

However, in this viral clip, Green Party vice-presidential nominee Butch Ware argued on 'The Breakfast Club' that it would be a betrayal to our ancestors and ourselves if we allowed politicians to weaponise our collective blackness to continue arming Israel.

Indeed, a CBS poll in June showed that 61 per cent of Americans, including 77 per cent of Democrats and 38 per cent of Republicans, want the US to stop arming Israel.

However, Black politicians who've listened to the people have seen the door. For instance, a pro-Israel contender, Wesley Bell, used more than $8 million from the pro-Israel lobby group American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) to beat Cori Bush, a Black pro-Palestine Democratic congress member. Similarly, Jamaal Bowman lost his seat to an AIPAC-backed candidate.

Do you agree with Ware's assessment? Let us know in the comments.

Video Credit: Breakfast Club Power 105.1 FM (@breakfastclubam)