The Ghosts of Midterms Past

Midterm elections are critical junctures for Black America, moments in time that have transformed the wellbeing of the community — for better or worse.

In 1962, the Democrats’ strong showing helped pave the way for the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Backlash to President Clinton brought the Republican Revolution of 1994, which led to the Welfare Reform Act of 1996. And in 2010, President Obama lost control of Congress, essentially halting major legislative progress for the rest of his presidency. 

On this episode of Into America, Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, a Democrat from Texas, recounts what it was like being elected in 1994, and surviving the red wave of 2010 — two elections she says had disastrous consequences for her Black constituents. 

And according to Ted Johnson, an expert in the Black electorate at the Brennan Center for Justice, 2022 is shaping up to be another crucial year. Columbia University professor Fredrick Harris put it this way: “History does not repeat itself,” he told us, “but it sure does rhyme.”

For a transcript, please visit msnbc.com/intoamerica. 

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For More:

• NBC: Plan Your Vote 2022 Midterm Elections
• The Power of the Black Vote: Creating a New South
• The Gen Z Midterm Test

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