What policies do voters expect or hope to see a potential Harris administration pursue to help Black women?

Townsend: Abortion and all things economic. The economy was the throughline for every single conversation we had. It’s at the top of mind for Black women voters for sure.

Melissa Murray: The economy is huge, and they also understand how reproductive rights relate to economic fortunes. I think that may be different from the way it’s articulated in other communities, but for all of the Black women that we spoke to, having reproductive freedom was a kitchen table issue. Having children, being able to care for them when you have them, and not having children—all of those things went directly to their economic well-being. They saw those two issues as inextricably intertwined, and wanted them addressed.

They also were very concerned about police violence, especially the women in in Washington, D.C. I’m not sure exactly how deeply a presidential administration can change the question of police violence, since 18,000 police departments are under local and state control. But that was a place where they felt they were not being heard.

What’s a common theme that you heard during your cross country travels?

Townsend: We asked women in Montgomery County, PA and the younger women we spoke to at the nail shop very directly to respond to this notion that Black women are saviors who are going to [protect] democracy. One of them said, “I can barely hold up my rent—how can I hold up democracy?” They all felt that it was assumed that [Democrats] will have their vote, and that is the wrong assumption. They need to earn their vote.

Melissa Murray: Every single Black woman we talked to was of the view that their votes were being taken for granted and that they were in the bag for the Democratic party. I think it was true in this election, because they understood that this is an existential crisis for democracy. But it was also revealed to us that if the stakes aren’t quite as high, they might not be moved to come out and save democracy another time—unless people start taking them and their votes seriously.