Supporters of former US president and 2024 presidential hopeful Donald Trump at a rally in Pickens, South Carolina, 1 July 2023
Logan Cyrus · AFP · Getty
Long Department Baptist Church in Greenville, South Carolina’s fourth-largest city space, was packed on the final Sunday of October final yr. Pastor Sean Dogan, in a darkish swimsuit, white shirt and pink tie, mounted the dais, the place a choir of six and three musicians had been already in place. He known as a consultant of the Nationwide Council of Negro Ladies (NCNW) to the entrance. ‘We’re a nationwide organisation making an attempt to advertise schooling, entrepreneurship and financial stability,’ she stated. ‘Proper now, we’re campaigning to get individuals registered to vote.’
She requested the congregation what number of of them had registered. The overwhelming majority of the 402 congregants (400 Black, two white) raised their arms. ‘Nice! Now, who’s planning to vote?’ This elicited an analogous response. ‘That’s what we prefer to see. Come see us, speak about it with these round you. Make your voice heard in November!’ Earlier than returning to her seat, she gave the pastor a cheque for church funds. The voter registration drive was happening a yr earlier than this November’s normal election, which seems more likely to be a rematch between Joe Biden and Donald Trump.
South Carolina is predominantly Baptist, however Baptist church buildings are likely to divide alongside racial strains. Most white Baptists vote Republican; nearly all Black ones vote Democrat. In church buildings like Lengthy Department, the emphasis is on dealing with injustice, adopting an excellent way of life and the necessity to retain hope. At 26%, South Carolina has the sixth highest proportion of Black residents within the US. In 2020 Biden secured the backing of the NAACP (Nationwide Affiliation for the Development of Coloured Individuals), the well-known civil rights organisation.
Regardless of its giant, Democrat-voting Black inhabitants (99% backed Barack Obama in 2008), the Palmetto state, because it’s nicknamed after its state tree, is an nearly impregnable rightwing stronghold. Obama was roundly defeated right here in 2008 and 2012; Trump gained 55% of the vote in 2020. That yr, buoyed by wins in New Hampshire and Iowa, (…)
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