Exclusive: Black Men Explain Why so Many of Them Are Disengaged from Politics

Concerns of disengaged Black male voters were at an all-time high during the 2024 presidential election. And while more than 80 percent of them chose former Vice President Kamala Harris over President Donald Trump, their votes were not enough to get her past the finish line. Now, all eyes are once again on Black men as future elections inch closer.

A growing disconnect between the needs of the Black community and promises made by both the Democrats and the Republicans was the focus of a group of eight Black men, organized by Navigator Research. The Root spoke to several participants, who voiced deep concerns about the evaporation of their rights and whether voting even matters.

“We’ve just not had anybody that inspired everybody,” one 49-year-old participant from Snellville, Georgia, told us in a separate interview. “That would motivate me to be a little bit more engaged in it. We just need new leaders.”

The 49-year-old caterer has been especially hit by inflation and attacks on voting rights. Still, he said, exercising his right to vote isn’t a question.

“When you can’t change what you can’t change, you just have to keep throwing energy out there,” he said. The Georgia man comes from a long line of Black men and women whose right to vote was cramped by Jim Crow. To honor them, he continues to use his political power, even when voting feels more like a chore than a civic duty during local elections.

“It wasn’t until [former Georgia Rep.] David Scott passed that I became a little bit more engaged,” he said. We previously told you Scott, 80, represented Georgia’s 13th District before he died last month. While some praised the Democrat as a reliable candidate, others like the Snellville man grew tired of seeing his name on the ballot for years.

“I just felt like he never loses,” the Georgia man told us. In Scott’s place, Jasmine Clark just secured the Democratic nomination. This, according to the focus group participant, is a small but promising sign of a “fresh” wave of politics—one that can reengage Black male voters.

Another participant, a 54-year-old Black man from Cincinnati, Ohio, voted for Harris in 2024 after doing extensive research. Still, his vote was not enough to secure her win.

“For certain positions, they don’t mind a woman being in control and being in power. But the office of the presidency, that’s one that’s been a tough battle for women over the years, of all races,” he said. The service worker has partially lost hope in the political system, agreeing that the country needs a new leader.

“We need someone that’s more passionate, that cares,” he said, criticizing President Trump. “Someone that’s not a bully.”

The Ohio man wasn’t the only participant who described Trump as a “bully.” For one 56-year-old man from East Texas, he did not become engaged until Trump’s second term because he doesn’t “like bullies.”

“I strongly feel that the racial undertones of the current administration is unacceptable,” he told us. In hindsight, he admitted he regretted not voting for Harris.

When asked what inspired the change, he cited a “blatant disrespect for the Constitution” perpetuated by the current administration.

“I just can’t sit idly by and let that kind of stuff go on,” he added. The Texas retiree has been especially hit hard by the administration’s attacks on healthcare. “One of the reasons that I am retired is because I’m disabled. So I rely on Medicare because of my disability,” he said.

For the Texas man, skyrocketing costs of Medicare premiums just don’t make sense, and he blames Trump’s greater plan to disenfranchise elderly and poor communities. “Why would anyone in America, in their right mind, attack those types of programs that assist the elderly and disabled?,” he asked.

Across the focus group, concerns of healthcare, affordability and civil rights all rang out the loudest. They mostly accused the president of effectively flipping democracy on its head. But by 2028, America will be ready to pick a new leader, and the 56-year-old called on Black men to vote.

“Black men are not powerful enough in this country,” he argued. “If you haven’t been paying attention, start now.”