Black Americans Should Vote on Principles, Not Identity | Opinion
"Why haven't you endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris ?"
As the pastor of a Black church in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, I get this question more than any other nowadays. I get it from my congregation. I get it from fellow pastors. I get it from friends across the state and country. They're frustrated that I'm not publicly backing the first Black woman to have a real shot at becoming president, like many other Black pastors have done. (To be clear, I haven't endorsed former president Donald Trump either.)
My answer is simple: Black churches should focus on principled policies, not individual politicians—like the Civil Rights Movement before us.
I was raised on stories of the 1950s and '60s, told to me by my father, who was born in the segregated deep South. He proudly described how Black churches played a leading role in moving our country toward true freedom and equal justice for disenfranchised and marginalized Black people. They demanded real opportunity for Black communities. And they called on Black people to make their voices heard by voting—not for this or that passing candidate, but for the enduring principles at America's core.
There's no better proof than the 1963 March on Washington, where Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.—that civically engaged and charismatic young pastor—famously told America and the world about his dream. The Black churches that helped organize that history-changing rally didn't do so to support any politician or political party. Just the opposite: They wanted to spur leaders in both parties to do the right thing and pass principled policies to end segregation and ensure economic mobility.
The Civil Rights Movement transformed America precisely because it was so much bigger than politics. While some of the movement's leaders certainly endorsed politicians, that was always secondary. Their primary focus was pushing both parties, and the country itself, to make real progress on our national principles.
What was true then should be true now. Black communities don't simply need politicians who look like us. We need politicians who back the principles and policies that matter to us. Especially on the civil rights issue of our time—education freedom.
Sixty years ago, Black America was united in its pursuit of equal treatment and opportunity. In my generation, Black communities have rallied around education as the most important means of providing that opportunity. In my home state of Pennsylvania, a strong majority of Black voters support school-choice policies that give our kids access to schools that better suit their educational needs. Nationally, Black voters back these policies more than any other race . No wonder: We want our kids to have an equal shot at reaching their God-given potential.
But if that's what we want, why on Earth would we stoop to the level of endorsing politicians? Both the Democratic and Republican nominees have neglected to sufficiently address the education crisis we have in America. The Harris platform opposes virtually every kind of school choice. When Black pastors endorse someone who refuses to support or enact school choice, they're all but saying it's okay to ignore the demands of Black voters.
That doesn't mean Black pastors should endorse former president Trump or Republicans . If we did that, we'd be turning Black voters into political pawns, making it more likely that we're ignored on other critical issues. Instead of standing with one politician or political party, we should embody the best of the Civil Rights Movement, educating Black voters on the issues and calling them to demand better from our nation's leaders.
That's what Dr. King and our forebears did. We should do the same, calling on Black voters to look not at the color of politicians' skin, but at the content of their agendas, and their commitment to American principles.
Rev. Joshua C. Robertson is pastor of The Rock Church in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and founder and CEO of Black Pastors United for Education.
The views expressed in this are the writer's own.
