Biden, the Black Church and the 2024 election
Yes, Biden's fitness is important, but he has to figure out NOW how to appeal to the Democratic party and it's loyal, but dwindling constituency.
Where do candidates go when they need votes?
They go to a Black church. Trump tried this in Detroit a few weeks ago, and didn’t even get enough black people to show up, so he filled the church with white people. Biden, on the other hand, showed up to a Black Pentecostal church in Philadelphia on the church’s anniversary.
President Biden attended service at Mt Airy Church of God in Christ located in Northwest Philadelphia. Met on the tarmac at PHL by the Mayor Cherelle Parker, along with PA Senators Fetterman and Casey, Biden’s welcome was one that was befitting of the President of the United States, but choreographed to show the unity of PA democratic leadership.
Spoiler alert: This isn’t about Biden’s speech. This is about the role of the Black church and the Black community in election cycles, and how politicians use the resonance of the Black community to send out messages to white constituents. The community, however, has more than one voice, and in this case, the Black church might take second place to Black radio in Philadelphia.
Mount Airy church, led by Bishop Louis J. Felton, was the perfect spot for Biden to begin his reboot. The church was celebrating its 58th anniversary today. Bishop Felton knew the assignment by preaching a message that was both pointed, poignant, and proactive. Preaching from John 3:16-17, he spoke about the need for more love, pointed in his criticism of America being the greatest nation in the world, and how the greatest nation should be a servant. His sermon which you can watch here, was a pastiche of praise for Biden’s record, a bit of Christian Nationalism lite, and a please for more understanding and love. His most memorable line was “This president just doesn’t sell bibles, he reads the bible!
President Biden speaks from the lectern on the altar at Mt Airy Church of God in Christ Sunday, July 7, 2024. Tom Gralish / Staff Photographer/Philadelphia Inquirer
Biden went back to the well to help push back against the loud calls for him to step off the Democratic ticket. Going to visit a black church evokes a commitment to maintaining civil rights against a white supremacist campaign led by Donald Trump. But it is much more than that. It is Biden cloaking himself not only in the mantle of civil rights (which he referenced at the start of his speech) but a morality that is afforded to him by association. Morality is not simply about belief or fitness in this instance. It is a way to is a way to reinforce to outsiders, especially white leadership, that he has the support of the Black church and the black community no matter what.
That isn’t the case. There are over 1000 black church leaders who have been critical of Biden because of Israel and Gaza, most notably the AME church, which called for a halt to funding of Israel. Black Pastors have joined with other groups to protest Biden’s handling of Israel-Gaza conflict, and have been especially pained and vocal with the killing of Palestinians, which was mentioned at the service in Philadelphia today.
Bishop Fulton did his best to put Biden in a favorable light by comparing Biden to Joseph in the Hebrew bible, who was reviled, thrown into a pit, but later vindicated. That sermon analogy is not enough to resolve his issues with some voters in the Black community. What it does is give him a good photo op and an encouraging press story. Perhaps it may reassure steadfast black democratic voters. But it isn’t representative of all the Black community.
Case in point. Another issue for the Biden campaign was brewing with the legacy Black Radio Station in Philadelphia WURD, which fired a long time employee, Andrea Lawful Sanders, for holding an interview with President Biden last week, using pre-determined questions proffered by the President’s office. This interview was done according to WURD, without knowledge, collaboration, or consultation with WURD Management. WURD’s statement was clear, concise and biting. “Agreeing to a pre-determined set of questions jeopardizes that trust and is not a practice that WURD Radio engages in or endorses as a matter of practice or official policy.”
A church and a radio station are in no way comparable to each other. Both of these outlets for communication seving the Black community illuminate the issues Biden faces. Prearranged questions and uplifting sermons are not enough. Giving canned responses to an important voting block requires much more.
Debate performance aside, Biden will have a challenge in convincing black voters to come out for him in November. Younger black voters are disillusioned by him and his stances on Israel. Black men are not satisfied with either party. . Even the Black women who are the mainstay of the Democratic party are excited by VP Harris.
Black voters are not a monolith, and it’s time for pundits and journalists to realize there are a plethora of opinions within the Black community about the 2024 elections. It’s time for the Biden campaign to stop chasing its tail, and get back the constituency that put the President in office if they want to save democracy.