DETROIT – Community organizers celebrated historic voter turnout in Detroit.
The NAACP issued a statement regarding the election Saturday.
“At this historical moment, the voters have made it clear that they want a country that works for all people. They want a country that is not broken by racism and bigotry," the statement reads in part. "They want leadership that can create opportunities for all Americans to succeed in all aspects of society, without fear of over-policing, discrimination, and destructive policies at our expense.”
As votes continue to be counted, Black voters and civil rights groups are praising the projected results of the 2020 election.
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In Detroit -- where nearly 8 out of 10 people are African American -- and in the surrounding Metro Detroit area, the majority of the vote went to former vice president Joe Biden. 94% of the votes in the city of Detroit went to Biden.
“In Detroit, the voting turnout was tremendous -- 50%. We haven’t done that since 2008,” said Rev. Dr. Wendell Anthony, President of the NAACP Detroit Chapter. “Your vote matters. If you are out there saying it doesn’t matter, ask Mr. Trump if it matters. Ask Joe Biden and Kamala Harris if it matters.”
Beyond the turnout, the projected victory of vice president-elect Harris is monumental. She is projected to become the first woman, the first Black person and the first South Asian person to be elected to the office of vice president -- 100 years after the Nineteenth Amendment gave women the right to vote and almost 60 years since the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
“I have four daughters and the fact that they can see themselves through her is mind boggling,” Anthony said. “It shows that if you believe it, you can achieve it and you’ve got to keep working for it.”
Civil rights groups said their work lobbying the White House isn’t over. For years, activists have warned Democrats have taken their votes for granted. They said a projected Biden-Harris administration needs to start with the number one issue in their communities.
“COVID-19,” Anthony said. “The reason I say that is because unless we check this disease, unless we set a code of standards, then everything is up for grabs.”
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