ATLANTA (AP) — Every Monday night, the basement of the Andrew and Walter Young Family YMCA becomes a sanctuary for men who, local leaders say, have too often been denied access.
The Black Man Lab, which has sought to create a “safe, sacred and healing space” for black men in the Atlanta metropolitan area for nearly a decade, regularly gathers more than 100 men each week to pray, meditate and talk about the challenges and triumphs they face and to learn from peers and elders.
“It’s almost a communion,” said Carttrell Coleman, a visual artist from South Fulton, Georgia, who has attended the weekly meetings for seven years. “It’s an opportunity for us to share our voices and get resources. Networking is always a good thing. It’s a kind of community.”
A meeting held immediately after President Joe Biden suspended his re-election campaign took on particular significance as participants considered the prospect of a Black woman winning the presidential election. Vice President Kamala Harris’s candidacy has renewed attention on Black men, a demographic Democrats and Republicans consider persuadable but whose diverse experiences and policy preferences are often left out of public debate.
Harris’ campaign has also reignited the debate among black men about their influence on this election.
“Black men are the target, and we hold the keys to the kingdom in our hands. This is our moment,” said Lance Robertson, executive director of the Black City Councilmen of Georgia, during the meeting. “The black man built America. Now it’s time for the black man to save America.”
Black male voters have traditionally been one of the demographics most inclined toward Democrats. This year, however, both major parties view black men, particularly those under 40, as accessible voters. Whether black men turn out in immense numbers and the extent to which they maintain their classic support for Democratic candidates could prove critical in November.
“To be honest, I think that at the beginning of this process, many black men were very skeptical and fearful about this election,” said Bishop Reginald Jackson, who presides over all 534 African Methodist Episcopal churches in Georgia. “But since the change on the Democratic ticket, there has been a turnaround. I think they feel like they have something they can support. I think a lot of the issues that made many of them skeptical are being addressed.”
At the Black Man Lab event, men came from all walks of life. Attendees ranged in age from 8 to 86, and several sets of fathers, grandfathers and grandchildren told the group about the unique circumstances each generation of black men in America faces.
Black voters have historically valued policies related to civil rights and economic mobility, leading to overwhelming support for Democrats.
But the way those concerns translate into policy preferences has changed as classic ties to institutions like the black church have crumbled among some younger black Americans. “The black church has been a turn-off for the black man in many ways, and we’re only now working to address and fix that problem,” Jackson said.
For many younger black men, the activists emphasized, issues such as wealth creation, entrepreneurship, police reform and anti-discrimination measures in the workplace are of paramount importance.
“We want jobs and opportunities for black men more than anything else,” said Andre Greenwood, president of the YMCA, which is hosting the Black Man Lab event. Greenwood, who is supporting Harris, said economic messages are most crucial to black male voters.
Harris’ entry into the presidential race has sparked a flurry of organizing initiatives among her Black male allies. A day after Biden dropped out of the race and endorsed Harris, a virtual conference tailored specifically to Black men gathered over 53,000 attendees and raised over $1.3 million. The event, organized by Win With Black Men, a collective of Black male groups, has since held regular meetings each week to include organizers who target Black men.
“Until now, these people haven’t really been involved in the campaign, let alone volunteering for outside organizations. I think what we’re seeing now is a tremendous level of organic energy that you can’t deny,” said Quentin James, founder of the Collective PAC, a Democratic political action committee that supports black candidates.
Win With Black Men said it will direct the funds raised to organizations nationwide that work to advance black men. More than 150 groups have applied for support. James stressed that while the recent fundraising windfall is notable, the Harris campaign’s efforts to advance black men may not be enough if they are not combined with well-funded outside groups that have long enjoyed the trust of local communities.
Harris has also renewed her appeal to black men, which the campaign believes has a compelling message for black male priorities.
“It’s about prosperity and health,” Democratic strategist Antjuan Seawright said of the message.
Seawright is leading the Democratic National Committee’s “Chop It Up” town hall meetings for black men this year at barbershops and other venues in swing states. He noted that black men are “not a monolithic entity,” adding that it is a mistake for campaign teams to assume “we’re only concerned with criminal justice reform.”
The effort also aims to address the long-standing skepticism many black men have toward the political system, which they see as discriminatory and insensitive to their interests. Others have addressed men’s potential reluctance to elect a woman to the highest office in the land.
Republicans also see these long-standing frustrations as an opportunity to gain traction among black men. Donald Trump often talks about his interest in gaining more support among black voters. Black Republicans, including Representatives Byron Donalds of Florida and Wesley Hunt of Texas, have hosted a series of events in cities like Atlanta, Philadelphia and Milwaukee under the slogan “Congress, Cognac and Cigars.”
“Black men have been taken for granted by the Democratic Party for years, but President Trump’s message is resonating on a historic level because he is doing the work that needs to be done,” said Janiyah Thomas, black media director for the Trump campaign.
Marcus Robinson, a senior spokesman for the Democratic National Committee, called the Republican strategy for appealing to voters “hot air, racially charged rhetoric and offensive stereotypes, from questioning the identity of Vice President Harris to claiming that black voters should identify with Trump because he is a convicted felon.”
For many Black Man Lab participants, the reinvigorated presidential campaign is an opportunity to ensure their interests are considered at the highest levels of government.
“I was out on the streets doing wild stuff and it saved my life,” said Damon Bod, an Atlanta field house technician, of his experience at the Black Man Lab event. Bod said he lost his entire immediate family to violence and the event gave him advice and a community.
He said he would support Harris in the election because the men who supported him believed she would represent the interests of black men.
“I’ve looked into it and I hope she will do something good. My brothers, people who know me, have said she will. But only God knows,” Bod said.
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