If you follow U.S. elections, you know that Democrat Doug Jones won the Senate seat in Alabama yesterday, largely due to the turnout of Black voters. CNN reported that 98% of Black women and more than 90% of Black men voted for Jones.

So, why did college-educated white women (and men!) mostly vote for Republican candidate Roy Moore? Moore has been accused of sexual encounters with teenage girls and has romanticized the times before slavery was abolished.
If you are a women, know a woman, or have any female members of your family, it does not make sense to support Moore. If you are in favor of Black people having equal rights, it does not make sense to support Moore. What is the explanation for his popularity among the majority of white Alabama voters?
- Many educated white women and men still believe it is okay for men to sexually assault girls and women.
- Many educated white women and men still believe it is okay to discriminate against Black people.
As a friend on Twitter said last night, while the election results were being reported, “Privilege is a powerful drug.”
If you are reading this and you are a white person, thinking, “But I’m not like that!” then take concrete steps to disprove the statistics. Support organizations, businesses, and political candidates who stand for values that support all people, regardless of race or gender.

Here’s a list to get you started:
- Kamala Harris – U.S. Senator for California
- Stacey Abrams – running for Governor of Georgia
- Project South – advocates for immigrants, refugees, young Black people
- Ella Baker Center For Human Rights – shifting away from incarceration and toward helping low-income communities
- Sankofa.org – social justice, initiated by Harry Belafonte
- Advancement Project – civil rights organization working to affect positive policy change
- Power U Center – working for social change and unity
- Justice League NYC – reforming the criminal and justice system in NY and NYC
- Every Child Matters – works to make children’s issues a national priority
- BlackTradeLines – promoting Black-owned businesses
Well said!