After delivering their vote to former Vice President Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election, Black women have spearheaded the “92 percent” online movement of stepping back from political activism and prioritizing mental well-being.
A Washington Post poll showed that 92 percent of Black women voted for Harris over President Donald Trump, continuing their history as an overwhelmingly Democratic voting bloc.
After the results of the presidential election some Black women took to social media to express their thoughts and feelings, leading to the creation of the 92 percent movement and community.
A post made on “X” by TV personality Jessie Woo, who has since deleted her account, said, “I don’t want to see BLACK WOMEN protesting a damn thing going forward. NOT A THING!”
An illustration by Nikki Free, an Atlanta-based influencer and content creator went viral showing five Black women perched on a ledge draped with an American flag, calmly sipping from their cups as the world burned around them. Two wore afros, two had braids and one, sporting a shortcut and a shirt that read “92%.”
For some, the action of disengaging did not stem directly from Harris’ loss, but from feeling that her political qualifications as former senator and attorney general of California were disregarded. Lijah Beasley, an English major from Dallas, Texas shared this feeling, among others.
“I do not believe the responsibility of the world should fall upon Black Women,” she said. “It’s completely understandable if they don’t want to fight for people who do not want to fight for them.”
However, Beasley noted a small concern with the movement.
“I do not believe in perpetrating that anger on people who can’t fight for themselves, like undocumented immigrants or Palestinians. People who genuinely couldn’t have swayed the vote either way,” she said.
If she won, Harris would have made history as the first Black and Asian woman to serve as a U.S. president. While leading in the polls with Black women, who only make up 7.8 percent of the population, she underperformed with white people and men, according to U.S. News.
As explained by the Associated Press, some Black women feel betrayed that 49.8 percent of voters supported a candidate with a past marked by accusations of racism and misogyny.
Laila Hinton, a senior political science major and women, gender and sexualities studies minor from Chattanooga, Tennessee shared the weight she feels existing as a black woman.
“As a Black woman, I have experienced so much as my whole identity/existence is placed at the bottom of society. I cannot speak for others, but I do think the majority of us did feel heartbroken,” Hinton said.
Many Black women expressed feelings of exhaustion and disappointment on social media regarding the election results.
Last month Woo posted on her Threads account writing, “I find great pleasure in seeing NO BLACK WOMEN at any of these protests all over my timeline. 92% really said find somebody else to do it.”
Trump has enacted several seemingly controversial policies within his first few months in office that could hurt Black women such as the gutting of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs in the federal government and universities.
While Black women are at the center of this movement some allies are also encouraging them to stay on course.
Denver politician Auon’tai Anderson wrote, “A Letter to the 92% of Black Women,” expressing his admiration for the “unwavering commitment” that Black women showed during the election season.
TikTok creator, 2RawTooReal, posted a video ordering Black women to “put their capes back in the closet,” as a way of him begging Black women to stay away from the “front lines” of political discourse.
Copy edited by Aniyah Genama
