Black Women Are Torn Between Gender and Color For SC's Democratic Primary

Prelude to the Democratic primary in South Carolina, black female voters are faced with a difficult choice. Black women are estimate to make one-third of all Democratic voters in South Carolina. They are torn between voting color or gender.

In a salon called Anjay’s Salon in Charleston, South Carolina, political opinions run louder than the hair dryer. The owner, Angela Jackson is outnumbered as she is the only one supporting Senator Hillary Clinton in the primary this Saturday. “When you apply for a job, they ask you, do you have experience? They hire you based on experience. Hillary’s been in office how long?” Angela Jackson asks. But Carol Singleton, a customer responded: “For me, Hillary, yes, she was a wife of a president, but she was not a president, so she doesn’t earn credit for more experience than Obama. To me they’re equal.” Shanese Jones, a stylist added: “I just feel like it’s his time. I think he’s ready.” All three say they’re still undecided. The rest of the women in the salon plan to vote for Barack Obama on Saturday. According to analysts, black women this year have never been more engaged in a political campaign. The analysts also say that they never held such power in determining the Democratic nominee. The recently conducted polls reveal that black women are expected to make one third of all Democratic voters at the South Carolina primary. As a result, they have a strong dilemma: vote their race or their gender? So far, no other voting bloc in this country faces this tough decision. Jehmu Greene, a Democratic analyst says: “We’ve all wanted the day to come where there was a black person in the White House, where there was going to be a woman in the White House. I don’t think we imagined it would be having to decide one or the other.” According to Greene, those who support Clinton have been seen as sellouts. Shontell Horlback, a hairdresser said: “It’s not like I’m selling out, not that I’m not keeping it real ‘cause I am, but keeping it real is actually the best candidate for the job.” Jackson said she did not care what others thing and responded: “They don’t pay my bills. And they’re not attacked to my belly. Nobody is attached to my belly but me. They don’t feed me, clothe me. I don’t care what they think. … She’s a woman, I’m a woman.” Salons have turned into mini-caucuses as a result. “I make the decision because with Hillary, so many Republicans and independents hate her so much that if she was to become president, I think she would get nothing done because there is so much hate for her,” said Toni Dawson. She adds: “With Obama, he’s a fresh face. I think he can unite everybody.” For many black women in South Carolina, it’s experience versus the energy and excitement of grass-roots. Greene says: “Black women are really politically savvy, and the question of experience is weighing heavy on their mind. Maybe race does trump gender as they’re looking at this decision, but I think they also put a very high premium on experience, and that in itself is the real dilemma they are facing.”