With the 2024 election coming up fast, young Black voters are feeling hopeful yet doubtful.
They care about important issues like student debt, climate change, fair wages, and police reform, but many feel like their voices aren’t being heard or acted upon.
They’re a generation that wants change, but after years of promises with little to show, many wonder if their vote matters.
Back in 2008, young Black Americans showed up to vote in record numbers, full of excitement about Barack Obama becoming the first Black president.
For many, it felt like real change was within reach.
Now, the Democrats hope Kamala Harris will inspire that same excitement, as she could become the first woman of color to be president.
But this time around, things feel different.
Young Black voters aren’t sure they can trust the government to bring real change on the issues they care about, and they’re not as eager to show up for a candidate just because of their background.
In fact, surveys show that many young voters might not vote at all this year.
A study from the Berkeley Institute for Young Americans found that many young people feel “fatalistic”—like big events, even elections, are mostly out of their control.
And this is something Zolanni Warren, a college sophomore from Newark, understands well.
She feels like the Electoral College, not individual votes, usually decides the presidency, which makes her question whether voting even matters.
Although she plans to vote, she doesn’t feel strongly connected to either candidate.
She wanted the debates to focus on real issues and policies, but instead, she says, it was more about taking jabs at each other.
And Warren’s not alone in feeling this way.
Allegresse Hungoni, another sophomore from Jersey City, is also unsure about voting.
She sees it as picking between “the lesser of two evils.”
Neither candidate fully represents her views, and she even thinks that not voting is a form of choosing.
In her family, voting isn’t a priority, and that’s shaped her feelings, though she’s starting to think more about making her voice heard.
Hungoni and Warren say that Harris’s identity as a Black woman isn’t enough to sway them—they want to see a leader who will really focus on their issues.
For Warren, it’s frustrating that many politicians try to connect with young Black voters in ways that feel out of touch.
She recalls a “Hotties for Harris” event with Megan Thee Stallion, which struck her as superficial.
To her, it felt like the campaign was trying too hard to seem cool instead of addressing real concerns, as if young Black voters care only about music and celebrity, not real change.
In New Jersey, community leaders are doing what they can to keep young Black voters engaged.
On October 9, several Black leaders and faith groups gathered at a Trenton church to discuss the election and encourage voting.
Racquel Romans-Henry, policy director at Salvation and Social Justice, reminded the crowd that young people have always been at the heart of change.
She pointed out that Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X were both young when they led major movements.
Romans-Henry believes that young Black people are anything but apathetic—they feel the effects of political decisions in their daily lives.
Still, they don’t always see the connection between Washington and their world.
Rev. Eric Dobson, another speaker at the event, thinks the Democratic Party has lost touch with young Black voters, who haven’t felt inspired by a candidate since Obama.
Dobson feels that the Democratic Party takes Black voters for granted and doesn’t always listen to what they need.
He remembers how the national party didn’t initially support Obama and believes young people need that kind of inspiration to turn out and vote again.
At the same time, Trump has been gaining support among Black men, while Harris still holds most of the support from Black voters overall.
The economy is the top issue for Black voters, followed by healthcare, crime, and immigration.
Many believe Harris would handle these issues better than Trump, especially healthcare and crime.
Even so, a growing group of Black voters—about 18%—think Trump might be better for the economy.
In New Jersey, a small but vocal group of Black Republicans is starting to question why the Black community overwhelmingly supports the Democratic Party.
Some feel the Democratic focus on social programs has led to reliance on government aid instead of helping people stand on their own.
Atlantic County Commissioner Andrew Parker III argues that the Democrats haven’t delivered real progress for Black communities.
For Parker and others, the Republican message of self-reliance and economic opportunity feels more realistic.
Billy Prempeh, a Republican candidate running for Congress in New Jersey’s 9th District, aligns his beliefs with conservative values like school choice and anti-abortion views.
His parents immigrated from Ghana, and he sees the Republican Party as a better match for his views on personal responsibility and family values.
Prempeh also criticizes Planned Parenthood, claiming it has a history of targeting poor Black communities.
Fellow Republican Darius Mayfield, running in the 12th District, supports school choice as a way to improve schools in Black neighborhoods.
He also backs the “Platinum Plan,” an economic plan Trump introduced in 2020 that aims to increase Black-owned businesses and homeownership.
Although Black Republicans are a small group, their numbers are growing, and they’re speaking out about wanting more options for the Black community.
For people like Parker, the Republican Party’s focus on economic mobility and personal success fits better with their idea of progress.
Parker says he was a Republican before Trump and will remain one after Trump because he believes in self-sufficiency and the “American dream.”
As it turns out, this shift among Black Republicans is part of a bigger story.
Black voters supported the Republican Party heavily after the Civil War, especially during Reconstruction.
However, by the 1960s, most Black voters had moved to the Democratic Party because of its support for civil rights legislation.
Since the 1990s, around 8 in 10 Black voters have identified as Democrats.
Today, about two-thirds of Black voters support Harris over Trump, but among those open to change, there’s a push to focus on policy over party loyalty.
Parker argues that the Republican focus on free markets, lower taxes, and self-reliance could lead to more success for Black communities.
At its core, the story of Black political engagement is deeply rooted in American history.
In New Jersey, free Black people could vote as early as 1776, when voting rights were often tied to property ownership.
Some, like Ephraim Hagerman and Thomas Blue, exercised that right before a law in 1807 took it away.
These stories remind us that Black people have always been part of American democracy, even when they faced unfair restrictions.
Rightfully so, young Black voters today are looking for more than just symbolic representation.
They want leaders who understand their daily struggles—like paying for school without drowning in debt, finding stable work, and having the chance to start families without financial stress.
They’re clear about what they want, and people like Romans-Henry say that politicians already know this but often fail to listen.
These young voters are vocal and are not shy about saying what they need from those in power.
For some, voting still feels like an important step toward being heard, even if they’re unsure about the candidates.
Others are leaning toward different ways to create change, feeling that the traditional two-party system isn’t giving them the answers they need.
The big question for 2024 is whether young Black voters feel their vote counts and whether candidates can deliver on the promises that matter most to them.