Prism, July 2025
Who is the Black leader? This is not a question Black people ask among themselves. Rather, it’s a national question that the white power structure wrestles to answer when seeking votes in elections or seeking to quell periods of resistance to racial injustice. It’s also a local question that the white power structure asks when attempting to steal Black-owned property for a financial venture, or to connive their way into taking governance of schools, law enforcement, or any municipal functions where Black people are in the majority.
I am thinking of this question as we near the third Saturday in July, also known as Negro Election Day. Negro Election Day, or Negroes Hallowday, dates back to 1639 in Massachusetts, making it the the earliest known Black voting system in the United States.
