Buttigieg, Klobuchar Speaking Slots At Nevada Black History Month Brunch Draw Groans From Black Activists: ‘Why?’

Adrian CarrasquilloFeb 14th, 2020, 4:37 pm
 

Steve Pope/Stephen Maturen/Getty Images

The Democratic nomination process has moved to Nevada and that means candidates are showing up at community events in the state to share their message in the mad dash for delegates, sometimes with voters or constituencies they haven’t previously engaged with much before.

On Sunday, the Nevada Black Legislative Caucus is holding their Black History Awards Brunch, and Sen. Amy Klobuchar and former South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg have been confirmed as speakers in the last 48 hours, much to the chagrin of African-American activists on the ground who question whether the black community is being used for national press and photo ops, without the chance for further meaningful inclusion in the candidate’s conversations and policies.

“I have a lot of respect for Warren, Bernie, Biden, even Steyer, who spent time visiting neighborhoods and going to black businesses, but for Pete and Amy to wait a week before the caucus, during black history month, to start mixing it up with black folks, it rings hollow and it’s a little bit insulting,” said Laura Martin, the executive director of the Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada (PLAN).

Erika Washington, the executive director of Make It Work Nevada, which advocates for black women, said she needs to feel like African Americans actually matter to the candidates beyond “a conversation about black folks to a room full of black folks” that doesn’t show an interest in bringing those issues to white audiences.

“It’s like if you don’t bring the ugly girl around. You like her and hangout with her on the weekends, but you won’t tell your folks about her,” she continued, adding that she will be at the brunch. “There needs to be allies, that we’re looked at as Americans, and not just a subset when it’s time to vote.”

The Buttigieg and Klobuchar campaigns did not respond to a request for comment before publication. Both candidates were positively received by different key Nevada voter group — the Latino and immigrant community — at a LULAC townhall Thursday night.

While some of the actual black elected officials from the Nevada Black Legislative Caucus may endorse candidates, the goal of the caucus is to stay relatively neutral so that they have a good relationship with whoever wins the February 22 contest and eventual nomination.

Rodney Smith, a longtime community organizer and former congressional candidate, said black people in Las Vegas don’t know who Buttigieg and Klobuchar are, so them coming to share their message is a good thing. But he said neither has thus far animated him in his ultimate quest to find someone who can defeat President Donald Trump.

“They’re at the bottom for me,” he said. “She hasn’t addressed issues associated with black people during her entire campaign and when Buttigieg has, he has fumbled the ball, fumbled the question each time. It’s too late to come to Nevada for a pit stop and say you’re interested in black people and you want our vote.”

The activists said they want to hear Klobuchar and Buttigieg talk about black women’s maternal mortality rate, how to beat Trump and ensure a presidency like his doesn’t happen again, using the education system to combat racism, and reparations, among other issues.

Nevada is not a very reliably polled state, but when it has been, as it was Friday, it has shown Sen. Bernie Sanders and former Vice President Joe Biden as the favorites to win the caucus.

“The reason Biden and Bernie resonate is because we need to know you,” Martin stressed. “It’s not just about appearing somewhere in front of a bunch of black people. It’s insulting to our intelligence.” 

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