Black women have long been regarded as the electoral backbone of the Democratic Party, but political analysts say Black men, the party’s second-most loyal voting bloc, don’t always receive the same level of attention.
That’s a dynamic Keisha Lance Bottoms appears determined to change. Her “Mandate” campaign event Monday night at the Gathering Spot was one of at least two outings addressing Black male voter issues since winning the Democratic primary in May.
Providing free pathways to technical and community college programs and increasing support for Black-owned small businesses are two of the ways the Democratic gubernatorial nominee plans to improve the lives of Black men across Georgia.
“The policies I’m talking about apply not just to Black men, but to people across the board,” Bottoms told Capital B Atlanta on Monday. “When our men are stronger, our communities are stronger.”
Polls show the former mayor of Atlanta has a strong chance of becoming the first Black woman governor in U.S. history in November. But analysts predict she’ll need significant turnout from Black male voters to make it happen.
Her Republican opponent, billionaire Rick Jackson, has made maintaining the marginal gains in Black voter support that President Donald Trump has received a central part of his bid to become Georgia’s next chief executive.
Bottoms told an audience of more than 200 people that conversations with Black men across Georgia, including her three sons help her maintain a sense of the issues most important to Black men.
“They’re concerned that there won’t be any jobs, that even their college degrees aren’t worth the paper that they’re printed on,” Bottoms told Gathering Spot co-founder and CEO Ryan Wilson, who moderated the event’s Q&A. “They’re concerned about interaction with public safety. They are concerned about whether or not they’ll be able to afford a home. … I know, as a mother of Black sons, and as a wife, that it hits differently.”
Bottoms said she wants to create a prison-to-work pipeline for justice impacted, nonviolent offenders, and increase capital support for Black entrepreneurs.
Her Georgia Housing Fast Track Initiative aims to expand downpayment and renter assistance and create an affordable housing trust fund to help the disproportionate share of Black men experiencing homelessness and housing insecurity.
“Housing’s a really big one [that] applies to Black men, applies to people across the state, who are saying, ‘I can’t afford to live in dignity,’” Bottoms said.
Her remarks impressed attendees who spoke with Capital B Atlanta after the event, including Atlanta resident Bobby Mardis. The director said he’s supporting Bottoms because he wants to ensure Black creatives receive a larger share of the billions spent on film and TV production in Georgia every year.
“A lot of that money doesn’t trickle down to Black vendors and Black filmmakers,” Mardis told Capital B Atlanta on Tuesday. “If she could solve that little puzzle, it would be great for not just filmmakers, but for everyone.”
Sandy Springs resident Carlos Scott said he believes Bottoms will win in November as long as Black men show up at the polls and don’t believe misinformation they receive on social media.
“We support our sisters, and at the end of the day, a vote for her is a vote for everybody,” he said.
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