Nick Brown was elected attorney general in Washington, D.C., and made history as the first black American to carry executive office. Brown easily defeated his Republican opponent, Pete Serrano.

Brown led his campaign on tackling issues like gun violence, substance abuse and crime by tackling their root causes, including expanding access to gainful employment, housing, education and mental health support. The attorney general position can be Brown’s first job in an elected office.

The 47-year-old Democrat served in the U.S. Army, worked as a federal prosecutor and was a top adviser to Washington Gov. Jay Inslee.

Brown said he hopes to “use” the power of the attorney general’s office to offer access to marginalized communities and serve as an “advisory forum” for them. He also focused his candidacy on issues such as defending abortion rights, protecting against climate change and protecting democracy. In a campaign ad, he vowed to defend the civil rights of each Washington resident.

Policy

“We are historically a very white city and state, and our politics have certainly been dominated by white people,” said Brown, who grew up in Seattle. “I like the idea of ​​making history. “Not only to be the first, but to bring a black man’s perspective to the office to try to improve the way we administer justice in this state.”

While the overwhelmingly blue state of Washington doesn’t have a big Black population (lower than 5%), the Democratic candidate noted that the state is very diverse when including its Latino, Asian, Indian and Native American communities. However, despite its diversity, Washington has historically handled the same issues that many other states experience regarding racial inequality and the criminal justice system.

“We have a long way to go … to fully include and fully include people’s voices and make sure that we are not ignoring people who have been ignored for generations,” Brown said.

Before starting his legal profession, Brown competed on the reality competition show “Survivor” greater than 20 years ago. Considered a physical threat on the series, Brown finished in the top seven.

The progressive lawyer said “Survivor” was his first exposure to a public figure.

“Luckily, when I was on the show, social media didn’t really exist, so I wasn’t too caught up in all the craziness that went with it,” he explained. “But I think it’s a bit of a testament to my personality that I like adventure… I’m not afraid to change course and make big decisions.”

Brown blamed former President Donald Trump, the 2024 Republican presidential candidate, for the fury spreading across the country about race in America.

“I think former President Trump has further empowered people to be blatantly racist, to be driven by their own grievances or fears or hatred of other people,” he said. “But it’s not just him. This is the whole party that has changed in this direction in recent years.”

Brown argued that the country is commonly “distracted” or “too focused” on the presidency and what’s happening in Washington, D.C., but voters should actually listen to who holds public office down the ballot.

“The more we can turn to state and local efforts, the more successful we will be because most of the things that I think we care about as Black Americans or any American are really decided (there),” he said. he argued.

“We will not protect and amplify our history and our voice in America as Black Americans or any other racial minority if we are not willing to participate,” Brown said. “Unless we are willing to educate and demand that elected leaders actually listen to us. If we stay on the sidelines, decisions will be made for us.”

Our country elected a convicted criminal perpetrator of sexual violence who tried to invalidate the elections and caused an rebellionwas disrespectful our Constitution, has proudly stripped women of their reproductive rights and expressed disinterest in maintaining our democracy with the intention to change into president. Again.

We have been here before, but this time is different because now we all know indisputably who this man is. But it wasn’t enough. I still cannot find the words to precise the depth of this broken heart. But first, I can confidently say that we – Black women – have done our job. From stepping up on a historic Zoom fundraising call, to campaigning tirelessly and, in fact, showing up at the polls and voting for Harris, we did every thing we could. We needs to be proud.

Nevertheless, the next 4 years can be difficult, to say the least. We’ve already lived through the Trump presidency once, and while we’re still struggling with it, we are able to pass though it again. As we’ve done throughout history, for generations and under terrible conditions, we’ll adapt and resolve this case. This will not be the end. We can feel despair, but we cannot accept defeat.

Here are the cards we received.

Healthcare

A Trump presidency could significantly disrupt access to health care, especially for Black Americans, by targeting core programs which have reduced racial disparities in health care. There was lots of speak about Trump repeal Or exchange The Affordable Care Act (ACA) despite its success in reducing coverage gap between black and white adults. In doing so, Trump risks reversing the gains made in health care affordability, exposing tens of millions of individuals to higher costs and lack of insurance.

Then there’s medical debt. About 41 percent Americans have this type of debt, which disproportionately affects Black Americans – based on NPR56% of black adults owe money for treatment or dentistry, in comparison with 37% of white adults. Project 2025 presents a plan to make this possible withdraw a recent law against surprise billing and stuffing cut Medicaid, which can likely have a devastating impact on low-income families and communities of color, as about half people enrolled in Medicaid are black or Latino. Black Americans already struggle with disparities in health outcomes, so cuts to Medicaid coupled with efforts to remove protections like the recent ban on surprise medical bills will likely worsen these inequities. Limited access to reasonably priced health care can result in a rise in untreated disease and financial hardship, placing additional burdens on Black communities who depend on these programs to administer and finance their care.

Reproductive rights

We live in a rustic that has the so-called highest maternal death rate in high-income countries around the world, with the highest amongst black women highest the maternal mortality rate of all women in the US – which makes black American women more more likely to die from pregnancy-related causes than some other group of ladies in the high-income country. With the overturning of Roe v. Wade, thanks largely to Trump, the variety of cases wherein women can, will, and die while pregnant has increased. For women in states that don’t protect a girl’s right to decide on, limit or prohibit abortion, the maternal rate is higher. Black women like Amber Thurman28-yr-old medical student and mother of 1 child, and Candi Millermarried mother of three children, each deceased will be prevented the deaths in Georgia in the wake of Roe’s overturn are only two of the victims of this attack on our rights and bodily autonomy.

It’s possible that as Trump returns to office, he’ll proceed to embolden more states to adopt stringent measures, and his administration may even try and pass a federal abortion ban or severely limit funding for reproductive health care providers. These restrictions will disproportionately affect women of color, especially Black women, which may lead to even higher maternal mortality rates.

Education

A Trump presidency could have a profound impact on education in the United States, especially for Black communities that rely heavily on federal programs to access and afford higher education. Project 2025 proposes elimination Department of Education and end federal education fundingpublic service student loan forgiveness and an income-driven loan repayment program. This will disproportionately impact black Americans – especially black women — because we depend on student loans and are afflicted with student loan debt at levels higher rate than white people.

For many Black students, these changes will severely limit financial support, making it even harder to realize educational and economic progress. Moreover, without federal oversight, public education may change into much more inequitable, and Black and low-income communities are more likely to face more significant financial losses. Removing these resources could worsen existing disparities by undermining educational access, affordability, and mobility for Black Americans.

Economic Justice

While Kamala Harris has expressed plans to support and profit the middle class and on a regular basis Americans, Trump’s economic platform will likely proceed his work to lower taxes for the wealthy. He too expressed as possibly eliminating federal income and payroll taxes, each of which fund Social Security and Medicare. Moreover, Trump has announced that he’ll accomplish that increase trade tariffs and prioritize deregulation that may impact so many areas of our lives, from our water to our food — and each can be felt around the world.

His support for rolling back regulations on industries like health care, education and the environment may lead to higher out-of-pocket costs for families while undermining protections that protect the public good. His potential cuts to social safety nets, including Medicaid and food assistance, would also burden low- and moderate-income households that depend on these programs during times of economic hardship. Ultimately, these policies may deepen economic divisions, making it harder for middle-class families to realize financial stability and upward mobility.

Criminal justice reform

A Trump presidency could seriously undermine social justice and civil rights, especially for Black and brown communities. Trump intends to realize this by supporting Project 2025 increase financing for the police and grant immunity officers accused of inappropriate conduct. He also advocated aggressive and racist tactics like “stop and frisk” which have a documented history of racial bias and harming people of color.

These measures will embolden police departments to act with even less accountability, strengthening systems that disproportionately goal Black communities. His presidency will foster an environment that normalizes injustice against communities of color.

Environmental policy

Trump has consistently advocated for energy independence prolonged fossil fuel production and announced that it was withdrawing from environmental protection. This drive towards fossil fuels not only accelerates climate change, but in addition increases pollution levels, as is commonly the case most serious in Black communities that are already burdened with environmental hazards. He will likely seek to withdraw from climate agreements and ease restrictions on industries that contribute to greenhouse gas emissions. Under a second Trump term, environmental protections would likely weaken further.

Black women, who usually tend to live in urban areas near industrial facilities, face greater exposure to pollutants that exacerbate respiratory diseases, cancer risk and other health problems. Additionally, the effects of climate change similar to extreme heat, floods and storms – which have gotten more intense as greenhouse gas emissions increase – disproportionately harm marginalized communities. A second Trump term could deepen environmental injustice and threaten the health of us all.

Foreign policy

For those of us who’re dissatisfied with the Biden-Harris administration’s response to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the Trump presidency will likely be worse. Now that we’ve a president who doesn’t even see the humanity of the residents of his own country, we’re farther from a ceasefire than we were. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wasted no time in congratulating Trump. “Your historic return to the White House marks a new beginning for America and a powerful recommitment to the grand alliance between Israel and America.” he said Netanyahu.

None of this can be a surprise. Trump told us and showed us who he’s, but tens of millions of Americans elected him anyway. Trump’s opponent was a black woman of South Asian descent, so despite the impressive campaign she ran, this result will not be surprising. It is and all the time has been a deeply racist and misogynistic country, with such a capability for hatred that it has allowed that hatred to forestall it from truly flourishing time after time. Since Trump’s victory in 2016, his supporters have been shown that darkness is rewarded on this country, so here we’re – entering one other 4 years of chaos, division, and very real consequences that may likely change our country in ways we’ve not even noticed yet. dream. Changes that may negatively impact generations of Americans as they grow up in a spot with fewer freedoms than their parents and grandparents had. Once Trump becomes president again, we go backwards. Still, we must discover a technique to move forward.

Harris’ victory didn’t end all our problems. Especially considering that Trump’s presidency in 2016 was already consequential enough and will proceed to influence our lives for a few years to come back. Harris may not have “healed” us, but she can have stopped the bleeding, unlike Trump, who intends to proceed cutting us open. Nevertheless, here we’re. We will carry on as we’ve all the time done.

But today we mourn.