Why Your Vote in 2020 is Critical to the Black Arts?
By: Rodney J. Sanders
Tags: Racial Justice, Biden, Trump, Election 2020, Black Art

Black art is inherently political.

It rests at the intersection of the Black struggle for justice and the artistic struggle for expression. It is powerful and personal. It challenges us to do the difficult work of interrogating the subtle biases and deep beliefs that shape our world, so we can change it for the better.

More than ever, we need the Black arts. It is arguably the most powerful instrument to illuminate current social ills, while offering a lens into what is possible. Who would have ever thought that we would be in the middle of a global pandemic? More troubling is the fact that the simple act of wearing a face mask to protect the health of one’s self and others during such a pandemic has become so politicized.

Moreover, who would have ever thought that taking the life of a defenseless Black woman in the middle of the night while she slept innocently in her bed would be matter of moral and judicial ambiguity?

At this perilous junction, Black art plays the critical role of helping to make sense of moments that cannot be adequately grasped. For me, re-visiting musical soundtracks and books have helped to quiet the noise and calm anxieties.

But as we face two simultaneous pandemics- Covid-19 and racial inequality- we have an administration that’s actively attempting to reduce funding to the arts. It has explicitly described activities funded by the National Endowment for the Arts in its 2021 proposed budget as “wasteful and unnecessary spending.”

If it succeeds in implementing its myopic plan, it would mean reduced funding for arts education, new productions by artists of color, and social justice initiatives.

Furthermore, the current administration’s haphazard response to the pandemic threatens to prolong the crisis facing many arts institutions.

Will Broadway re-open in 2021 if Covid-19 infection rates continue to rise? Will regional arts organizations receive the necessary financial support from a federal government that doesn’t recognize the inherent value of the arts? Finally, will Black artists and institutions be able to sustain the weight of rapidly evaporating audiences and finance support?

In addition, can we ever achieve racial harmony with an administration that embraces white supremacist groups and spews rhetoric that fuels racial division?

It may all seem dire; and in reality, given how the future unfolds, there is indeed reason for concern. However, this is why your vote is important. Your vote determines the future path of this nation. It can dictate which voices are heard. It can decide who participates in and possibly leads the creative process in television, cinema, and art houses across the country.

Yes, it may all seem overwhelming and even scary. Zora Neale Hurston once said that fear is the greatest emotion. But fear is not the purpose of my call to action.

In response to Hurston, Sonia Sanchez famously rebutted, “Fear will make us move to save our own skins. But LOVE also makes us save ourselves, and it will make us move to save others as well.”

Black art embraces the hope that Sanchez describes. It is the glue that can hold communities together when policy and protest are not enough. It is a movement dedicated to bridging relationships.

Voting is the most basic act of social activism. Black art is an extension of that activism, but it needs your support to sufficiently thrive. In this important election cycle, think about your unique opportunity to dismantle oppression, bridge the racial divide, and forge a new destiny for this country through your vote.

And no matter what happens today or over the next few weeks, continue to champion the Black arts. It will remain a psychological refuge, a balm for racial healing, and the engine for sustaining movements and elevating voices across this country and the world.