By Pastor J. Edgar Boyd
Long before the United States became a nation, Black people helped build its foundation. Black men and women, some free and many enslaved, cleared land, tilled soil, built roads and bridges, and helped construct the nation’s capital. Yet while Black
labor helped build America, Black Americans were denied full participation in the democracy they helped create.
When Thomas Jefferson wrote in the Declaration of Independence that “all men are created equal,” those words set a promise before the world. For generations, America failed to live up to that promise for Black Americans. Slavery, segregation, discrimination, and violence exposed the gap between the ideals of liberty and the reality faced by Black people in this country.
After the Civil War, the nation moved through emancipation and constitutional reform.
The Emancipation Proclamation began the process of freeing millions of enslaved Black
Americans and paved the way for the 13th Amendment. The 14th Amendment established birthright citizenship and equal protection under the law. In 1870, the 15th Amendment guaranteed Black men the constitutional right to vote.
Still, progress was met with fierce resistance. Southern states responded with poll taxes, literacy tests, intimidation, and violence designed to suppress the Black vote. For generations, Black Americans risked jobs, safety, and even their lives simply to exercise their constitutional rights.
The Civil Rights Movement changed American history. Leaders such as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Rosa Parks, Dorothy Height, Roy Wilkins, Whitney Young, and Fannie Lou Hamer organized, marched, and sacrificed to secure voting protections for Black Americans. Their courage helped win the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which strengthened federal protections against discriminatory voting practices and expanded political
participation for Black people across the nation.
Every gain Black Americans have made from school boards and city halls to Congress and the White House rests on that hard-won right to vote.
Today, the right to vote remains one of the most powerful tools Black Americans possess. But voting alone is not enough. We must educate ourselves, study our ballots, and know the records of those seeking public office. Elections shape policy on jobs,
housing, criminal justice, education, health care, and the future of Black communities.
Here in California, Black voters face decisions that will shape both the state and local neighborhoods. Under California’s top-two primary system, all candidates for voter-
nominated offices appear on the same ballot regardless of party, and only the top two vote-getters advance to the general election.
At this moment, I believe Tom Steyer is the candidate for governor who has presented the clearest and most direct commitment to improving the quality of life for Black Californians. I do not make that judgment lightly. Our history teaches us to look beyond speeches and slogans and ask which candidate is prepared to turn promises into policy.
California’s governor’s race carries enormous weight. As the fourth-largest economy in the world, California plays a major role in setting national political and economic direction. Decisions made in Sacramento ripple into our churches, schools, workplaces, and courts. Black voters in California cannot afford to sit on the sidelines.
Steyer has spoken about closing the racial wealth gap, expanding economic opportunity, and investing in communities that have been ignored for far too long. His platform emphasizes equity in housing, investment in education for under-resourced schools, and support for small businesses and entrepreneurs in underserved neighborhoods.
He has also underscored the need for criminal justice reforms that treat Black lives with dignity and fairness. He has pledged to confront homelessness, expand access to mental health services, and work to ensure that California’s prosperity reaches the people who helped build this state but have not shared equally in its blessings.
Our communities know what it means to be courted in election season and forgotten after Election Day. We have the right and the responsibility to demand more: concrete plans, clear priorities, and accountability. In Tom Steyer, I see a candidate who has put forward a vision that speaks directly to the needs and aspirations of Black Californians.
The larger message remains the same: Black voting power matters. Every generation has had to fight to protect it, defend it, and expand it. The sacrifices made by earlier generations must never be forgotten or taken for granted.
Voting is more than a civic duty. It is a continuation of a long struggle for representation, equality, and justice. In this governor’s race, that means showing up in the primary, studying the candidates, and casting ballots that honor the legacy of those who fought so Black voices could be heard.
Black votes have always had the power to change history. This year, that power must be used—and used well.
Pastor J. Edgar Boyd is retired clergy in the AME Church with 53 years of pastoral experience.
