Tuesday, October 15, 2024
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A View From the Ground
News and information about politics, government, civic participation and engagement from URL Media's network of Black and Brown publishers.
Good evening. We’re covering news about a groundbreaking poll that centers on the needs of women of color in this election, the surge in anti-South Asian hate, the federal government’s response to Hurricane Milton and more.
Plus, URL Media has been at the forefront of issues affecting Black and Brown voters this election season all year, and we continue to closely follow matters related to the big election, just three weeks away. If you’re looking to better understand policy issues or how to cast your vote (on Election Day and before), we have a dedicated section on our homepage and Instagram to help you navigate this current election season.
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Harris has plans for Black men: While a recent mid-September poll has shown that Black voters support Harris, it also found that they are less certain of whether she would set the country on a better trajectory, as only half of those polled said they believe Harris would "change the country for the better."
In recent weeks, including a speech delivered by former President Obama on the campaign trail, Black men have been put in the spotlight, with news organizations reporting that they are showing more favor for Trump this time around than for Biden. When asked about this voting bloc during last month's interview with the Philadelphia Association of Black Journalists, Harris stated that she doesn't take the votes of Black men for granted and is working to earn them.
In the clearest effort targeted toward Black male voters, the Harris for President campaign introduced a comprehensive “Opportunity Agenda for Black Men" proposal addressing pressing economic and social challenges faced by this constituency.URL Media partners Watch The Yard and TANTV have outlined key components of the agenda, including her plans to provide 1 million forgivable loans of up to $20,000 each for Black entrepreneurs, enhancing funding and health resources on diseases disproportionately affecting Black men, and regulating cryptocurrency to protect investors. More: The Vice President will sit with radio star and host of The Breakfast Club, Charlamagne Tha God, while campaigning in Detroit today, which we will cover on our Instagram Threads this week. Follow us here to stay tuned.
Should VP Harris lean into her identity to motivate more women of color?: Some of the 1,500 women of color who were nationally polled by She the People and the 2040 Strategy Group think so. Aimee Allison, Founder and President of She the People, discusses the first poll of its kind for the 2024 U.S. Presidential Election with host Jenn Taylor Skinner. The poll encompasses women of color — or Black, Latina, Asian American and Pacific Islander women.
“Polling and data is the lifeblood of political power, so if you’re not being measured at all, it’s like you don’t exist,” says Allison.
The poll also explores legislative priorities, why some women remain undecided, and what they need to hear from the Democratic presidential candidate in the campaign's final weeks.
Study finds election-inspired spike in anti-South Asian hate: Stop AAPI Hate's latest report, “Empowered/Imperiled: The Rise of South Asian Representation and Anti-South Asian Racism,” reveals a surge in anti-South Asian hate across the U.S., linking incidents to the rise of Kamala Harris, Usha Vance (wife of GOP Vice Presidential Candidate J.D. Vance), and other South Asian political figures this year.“Language that comes up in the reports that we’ve received and the online spaces is, ‘go back to India, go back to your country, terrorists,’” says Kulkarni.
Manjusha Kulkarni, Executive Director of the AAPI Equity Alliance, noted that this spike comes at a time when 43% of South Asians already faced hate, which includes verbal attacks, threats, and physical violence. The report found that 93% of South Asians surveyed experienced harassment, 29% experienced harm to property and 20% experienced physical harm.
Plus: Harris launches new ads for AAPI voters in battleground states (AsAmNews)
The Federal government’s response to Hurricane Milton: For the millions of families and individuals whose homes and businesses were ravaged by Hurricane Milton, resulting in multiple deaths and power outages across Central Florida last week, Michael Hart of FEMA joined WURD Radio to set the record straight about misinformation surrounding the Category 3 hurricane. The hurricane was the third to hit the state this season, reported Capital B, drawing attention to Black Floridians who are more likely to live in flood zones and experience prolonged power outages.
Hart addressed listeners and shared that the agency has “enough funds to make sure the communities are restored and help these residents get back on their feet as quickly as possible.”
Hart also pointed to an unsubstantiated claim made by former President Trump that the government is only giving $750 to people who have lost their homes.
Hart stressed that $750 is not all that residents will be able to receive.
“The $750 is what they can get in their pockets relatively quickly for items such as food, water, diapers, baby formula, or things for their car,” he said while waiting for more emergency funds to reach them.Listen to the interview on WURD Radio 🎧 →
Op-ed: How then peace for Black communities? (Black Voice News)
Project 2025 – What’s at stake for Immigrants & Americans? (India Currents)
Check out our Currency of Impact dashboard, a new tool designed to revolutionize media buying conversations and put community impact on the foreground. Dive into our impact tracker and case studies highlighting demonstrated impact across the URL Media network. This project was co-produced with the Reynolds Journalism Institute. Visit it here.
