Trevor Fitzgibbon
av24.org
Pro-Kennedy SuperPAC Mobilizing Black Voters Nationwide
(Black PR Wire) In the past two weeks, more than 40 Black business and political leaders from Washington, D.C. and New York attended events supporting Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. for President. Dinners at Sfoglina in Washington, DC, and Sei Less in New York City were organized by American Values 2024 (AV24), the SuperPAC supporting Kennedy's presidential campaign. Of the guests, nine people have officially endorsed Kennedy for his presidential campaign.
Crypto professional John Slade exclaimed, "My grandfather, John D. Slade, endorsed John F. Kennedy, Jr. in 1960. My dad, Kenyatta Slade, endorsed Ted Kennedy in 1980, and here I am endorsing Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. in 2023."
Among the dinner hosts was local business owner and AV24 leader Justin Faust, who was eager to know why attendees supported Kennedy. One endorsement came from lobbyist Joshua Lopez, who commented, "I am here supporting Kennedy 2024. I believe in democracy. I believe in free speech. I'm glad Mr. Kennedy is running. We need a competitive primary in the Democratic Party. We need people to compete for ideas that compete for votes. Kennedy 2024."
Before each dinner commenced, attendees and representatives from AV24 discussed Kennedy's platform, including his tentative reparations plan and prison and police reform policies, key issues in which guests were interested.
This point was exemplified by political analyst Clay D'Souza, who expressed, "The reason I'm supporting RFK, Jr. is that I do feel that the Democratic Party needs to have another alternative compared to Joe Biden, as we need more diverse options in this particular election coming up in 2024. I definitely favor RFK Jr.'s reparations plan, which I clearly see is absent from the Biden campaign as we speak."
Other important issues to guests were health equity and medical freedom regarding people of color. Jo Saint George, Esq., a trailblazing attorney who represents clients in these areas, was very vocal about her endorsement of Kennedy, expressing:
"I'm a 30-year attorney and Founder of the Women of Color for Kennedy 2024. I have been practicing law and, specifically, as a trial lawyer in healthcare. And for me, the most valuable aspect of Kennedy's campaign is his work in health care, specifically in medical freedom. I represent over 150 individuals in New York and around the country who've been fighting for their medical and religious liberties to choose what goes in their bodies. And Kennedy has fought for decades for that right. Not only that but also for environmental rights for African Americans, environmental equity and protections are critical for our community; health equity and being able to make the right choices for each family is the number one quintessential value in our community. Why? Because we are impacted disproportionately by chronic disease. And, so for me, as a lawyer who watched Mr. Kennedy for decades from afar, advocating for myself and the community at large on those two key issues is why I'm supporting him."
A theme throughout the dinner in Washington, D.C., was that attendees wanted to have the right to make choices related to their bodies. Don Ross, Pastor of Liberty Mission Church, who also endorsed Kennedy, summarized the sentiments of the evening, "As a pastor, I care about people and their ability to be able to make choices because God, in his dealing with mankind, gives us choices all the time. Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. gives us the right to choose what goes into our bodies. He gives us the right not to have harmful vaccines going into our bodies, which means a lot to me. And that resonates with me as a pastor because that's what Jesus came to do to give us the freedom of choice to keep our bodies healthy."
The backing of these prominent Black leaders was just the beginning. Political consultant Alpheaus Marcus supports Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. because "I believe strongly that some of the things he is saying about in the urban community are essential talk in the presidential race. I think that we need to get behind him because it's a change. And he brings common sense to the table."
Kennedy strives to uplift Black voices through actions and not just words. It is crucial that people of color, especially the Black vote, truly understand Kennedy's plan to effectuate racial healing, and their support truly underpins the campaign's core values of inclusivity, equality, and a vision for a more united, healed America.