KJZZ: Arizona's Black voters are more energized thanks to Kamala Harris, organizer says
July 25, 2024
Just a few weeks ago, progressive group Our Voice, Our Vote launched an ambitious ground campaign aimed at getting the Biden-Harris ticket elected in Arizona in November — plus Democrat Ruben Gallego for Senate. They did it at the Eastlake Park Community Center, in one of a few traditionally Black neighborhoods in Phoenix.
The group says it will knock on one million doors and organize in Black communities to turn out the vote for progressive candidates. And now, their leader tells The Show, that message may hit home even more.
President Biden has stepped aside, clearing the way for his Vice President, Kamala Harris, to take the reins. She is a Black and South Asian woman, and Our Voice, Our Vote executive director Sena Mohammed says that makes a difference with the so-called “new American majority.” She spoke more about it with The Show's cohost Lauren Gilger.
SENA MOHAMMED: The new American majority, what we consider the new American majority, used to be young people, unmarried women and people of color. We actually make up 64% of the voting bloc in the state. And so for us, there’s no denying that we have the power to be able to determine the future of our state.
In 2020, presidential election was decided by fewer than 11,000 votes. And the attorney general race was also decided by fewer than 300 votes. So we really want to make sure that the new American majority is turning out to vote this year.
LAUREN GILGER: So we talk a lot about Latino and Latinx voters in Arizona, right? But Black voters are not a huge part of the electorate here. You’re arguing they can make a big difference. Why do you think that is? Because the margins will be so tight?
MOHAMMED: Absolutely. We win by small margins. Black voters in Arizona make up roughly 6% of the population, which to some sounds small only in the abstract. For us, we know that the politicians underestimate our community at their own risk. Black Arizonans will wield a lot of power, and it’s up to politicians to earn our votes.
GILGER: Talk a little bit about what those efforts look like on the ground. When you talk about knocking on a million doors, focusing on communities of color, where do you focus your efforts here in the Valley, for example?
MOHAMMED: We are all across the state. We’re in Maricopa County, Pima County and Pinal County on the ground. Digitally, we’re all across the state. And when we talk about 1 million doors, we are knocking on literally a million doors. We just got done registering over 8,000 voters, and we are investing six-figure investments into digital ad campaigns to elect progressive candidates, including presidential candidates as well.
And we’re texting, and we are organizing our community this year. The stakes are really high, and we have to try every tactic and strategy to ensure that we’re reaching people wherever they’re at.
GILGER: So let’s talk about the monumental shift we just saw in this race. With President Biden dropping out, throwing his support behind Vice President Kamala Harris, who is a Black woman and a South Asian woman. What are you hearing from voters of color, from young voters so far about this change? Is this energizing?
MOHAMMED: Absolutely. The Black voters that we speak to at the doors every day, on Sunday we got feedback about just folks being excited about this new candidate and being more open to even hearing from us at the doors. Ultimately, they’re worried about what could happen to our communities if we lose this election.
GILGER: What about issues here, when you’re talking to voters, knocking on doors, talking to this demographic of voters in particular? What are the big issues they’re concerned about that go kind of beyond whoever’s name ends up on the ballot?
MOHAMMED: That is the focus that our work is all about. Our community cares about reproductive rights. We care about immigration. We care about affordable housing and fair economy that gives us all really a fighting chance. And so, all of these issues are on the ballot this year, and so much is at stake in Arizona, federally and locally.
GILGER: Let me ask you about your own story and how you got into this work. You are a refugee from Ethiopia, is that right?
MOHAMMED: That is right. I got into this work, about ten years now since I’ve started doing this work in the movement space. For me, I come from a family of fighters and advocates who really were pushed out of our home country. And so for us, democracy is a right and a privilege at the same time. And it’s really important to me that I exercise that every single day and I ensure that my communities’ voices are heard and centered.
I’ve done a lot of work ensuring that Black immigrants in the state of Arizona are organized and are able to see themselves as folks who are powerful enough to be able to create change and make an impact. For me as a black woman, all my life I have dreamed of a day that a woman like me does become president of the United States. And with Kamala Harris' nomination, that day is really starting to feel closer than ever before.
GILGER: So this means something personally to you as well?
MOHAMMED: Totally. I mean, she’s a woman of color. She’s obviously younger and really fits in with the new American majority but also is showing resilience. And that’s something that I, as a Black woman, have dealt with for many, many years. And her family comes from an immigrant background, which also really resonates with me. So making sure that we elect President Kamala Harris is going to be a top priority for me.
