This fall, the Defender staff debuted its Roundtable panel discussions on the national and local hot topics in the news. Our regular panel features Managing Editor ReShonda Tate, Associate Editor Aswad Walker, Cultural Reporter Laura Onyeneho and Digital Content Manager Terrance Harris, with occasional special guests like commentator Roland Martin. The fast-paced and insightful show held back no punches while debating issues like Black women’s influence in the last presidential election, the perceived disconnect between Black men and Vice President Kamala Harris and the concern Black people should have now that Donald Trump is back in office. Here are our top 10 shows from 2024.
President-elect Donald Trump has not been a friend to Black people and that doesn’t seem like it will change during his upcoming four years in office. Credit: Getty
How concerned should Black America be about Donald Trump?
Should we, as Black Americans, who will undoubtedly be affected by these decisions, be unbothered? Or should we be concerned as President-elect Trump looks to return to the Reconstruction era? Promises of mass deportation of illegal immigrants. Reparations for white people. And then we have some of the most preposterous cabinet selections possible, like troubled Matt Gaetz for attorney general, Fox journalist Pete Hegseth as defense secretary, and Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, who will both oversee the newly created Department of Government Efficiency.
There was the belief that Black men did not support Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris but that proved incorrect. Credit: Getty
What is the problem some Black men seem to have with Kamala Harris?
An all-Black male panel, which included national voice and Houston native Roland Martin, discussed the perceived disconnect Black men had with Vice President Kamala Harris during this election cycle. But were Black men in support of Harris, despite what was being said in the media and the polls?
Latino voters, particularly the men, showed up in surprising support of Donald Trump, who ran on a platform of mass deportation on his first day in office in January. Credit: Getty
The Hispanic culture, particularly Hispanic men, showed up and supported Donald Trump over Kamala Harris for president significantly. The Latino Trump vote was up 8 points from 2020. Many of us wondered how they could vote against what seemed to be their self-interest in returning Trump to the White House. A guest panel consisting of Gabriel Esparza along with Liz and Elliott Rodriguez attempts to answer the why.
Most Black people are disillusioned after Donald Trump made it back into the White House with his oppressive and divisive rhetoric. Credit: Getty
Trump made it back to the White House. Now what?
How did Donald Trump win so big, claiming victories in all key battleground states? Black women upheld their end of the bargain, and Black men showed up in great support despite concerns that wouldn’t be the case. But the letdown came from Hispanic men, white women and white men.
Black women overwhelmingly supported Kamala Harris’ presidential run, but it wasn’t enough. Credit: Getty
Black women have fluctuated from being unbothered to disillusioned after election
Black women delivered in terms of numbers, support, and dollars for the second straight election, giving Vice President Kamala Harris a real chance in a campaign she only jumped into in July. Donald Trump, however, prevailed to reclaim the presidency for a second time. But now that it’s over, what is the role of Black women in what is sure to be a highly charged political environment for at least the next four years? A guest panel of Carla Brailey, Paniel Gaskins and Nettie Jones weighed in on this important topic.
Some questioned if Kamala Harris’ produced her Black agenda too late to gain the needed traction. Credit: Getty
Harris promised a lot on election trail, but Black agenda wasn’t always clear
Vice President Kamala Harris made many promises to many groups when she first hit the election trail this summer, but she left out the plan and agenda for Black people, who had to come out in mass for Harris to make it to the White House. Harris, of course, stepped up her agenda for Black people late. The Defender Roundtable panel discussed what seemed to be an initial oversight by Harris’ campaign.
Dispelling the lies about Harris
During this latest election cycle, Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris was hit with rumors and lies about her character and race almost daily: She is not really Black. All Harris did as a prosecutor was target and imprison Black men in mass. She failed as the border czar. The vice president was a DEI hire. She isn’t qualified to be president. The Defender Roundtable panel attempted to separate reality from myths and untruths about Harris.
Texas is a red state, but the Black vote here still matters: Credit: Getty
Texas is red state, but Black Democratic vote still counts
Swing states like Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, Arizona, Georgia and Nevada may have the biggest say in wins, while states like Texas and California figure to fall in line as strongholds for either party. But voters in Texas should still make sure their voices are heard so that their influence can still be felt.
Lynndell Price, co-founder of the Turkey Leg Hut, has opened a new grilled oyster pop-up called Tigers2Dozen, just across the street from the popular Third Ward restaurant, in the midst of a messy split with his estranged wife Nakia Holmes.
Controversy continued to plague the Turkey Leg Hut. Is it over?
Controversy has plagued the popular eatery almost since its inception. Founder Nakia Price and her now ex-husband Lyndel Price and the Turkey Leg Hut have stayed in the news for all of the wrong reasons, whether it’s been for the fights because of noise and traffic from the surrounding community, the millions in unpaid debts, multiple fires, the couple’s messy divorce and the husband’s ouster from the business.
Despite an overwhelmingly Black and Latino customer base, Walmart announced that it is rolling back its DEI policies. Credit: AP
How do we get our point across to anti-DEI and Project 2025 supporting businesses?
As we face companies, businesses and universities rolling back their DEI policies and businesses and brands that we trust supporting the conservative-led Project 2025, the question is, what recourse do we have as Black people? The answer is in us doing our research and then discontinuing spending our dollars with companies and businesses that work against our interests. Black people are the biggest consumers in the nation, so withholding our dollars will certainly get the attention of this nation.
