New Poll Shows Black Women In The South Say The Country Is Headed In The Wrong Direction, But Many Remain Ready To Vote
A new survey is showing what Black women voters in the South are most concerned about under President Donald Trump, and the findings point to both deep frustration and continued political determination.
The poll, titled Making Joy Possible: Black Women Voters in Mississippi, was conducted by The Highland Project in partnership with brilliant corners Research & Strategies and Springboard to Opportunities. According to the survey, 89 percent of Black women living in the South say the country is heading in the wrong direction. Still, 75 percent said they remain highly motivated to participate in the 2026 midterm elections.
Gabrielle Wyatt, founder of The Highland Project, told theGrio that the findings show Black women are connecting economic hardship, voting rights and structural barriers as part of the same fight.
“What Black women are pointing to in terms of lack of economic mobility, they’re pointing to system failures, structural challenges with voting rights … but it is a sign about knowing that these systems are inextricably linked, that they need to show up and advocate for the vision that they’re seeing,” Wyatt said.
Poll Finds Black History, Health Care And Voting Rights Among Top Concerns
The survey found that the top issue for Black women voters was the erasure of Black history, named by 71 percent of respondents. That concern ranked above the lack of affordable health care at 67 percent, the cost of basic needs at 60 percent and threats to voting rights at 58 percent.
Other major concerns included the war in Iran at 69 percent and ICE or government agents violating rights and due process at 67 percent.
Aisha Nyandoro, founder and CEO of Springboard to Opportunities, said Black women in the South understand the history behind these political fights and the consequences of disengaging.
“What is that anger and that disillusionment going to gain? It won’t do anything,” Nyandoro said. “The beauty of living and growing up in the South is that you have a rich understanding of history, and when you have a rich understanding of history, you also know that you have a rich understanding of your responsibility, and so even though you can be frustrated, you understand what is to be lost.”
Nyandoro said attempts to erase Black history are tied to broader efforts to weaken political power in the South.
“They are working double time to erase that history, to erase that knowing, and to take away our rights,” she said. “They want the South to be disenfranchised because they know if the South is disenfranchised, the path forward for all of us will not be realized.”
Economic Pressure Remains Central For Black Women Voters
The survey also comes as Black women have faced significant economic strain during Trump’s second term. Reports say Black women, 92 percent of whom voted for Kamala Harris over Trump in 2024, have been affected by executive actions targeting DEI, federal workforce cuts, safety net programs, Medicaid, SNAP and access to federal student loans.
Among the Black women surveyed, 38 percent named the lack of a good paying job as a major barrier to mobility. Others pointed to unfair or rigged systems at 32 percent, racism and discrimination at 27 percent and inadequate programs for people living in poverty at 16 percent.
Respondents were also asked how they would use an extra $1,000 a month. Many said the money would go toward immediate needs, including housing, food, debt and savings.
Nyandoro said that kind of direct support helps families and local economies. Her organization launched the Magnolia Mother’s Trust, a guaranteed income program for low income residents in Jackson, Mississippi.
“In our research, we show that the individuals within our guaranteed income, that money turns around six times in a community, because on average the radius in which they’re traveling to spend their income is about 15 miles,” Nyandoro said. “We are unlocking possibility, because the piece that we don’t talk about with poverty enough, is that poverty is a thief of imagination, and poverty is a thief of time.”
Survey Shows Black Women Are Defining Success Through Joy And Stability
The Highland Project survey also examined how Black women view success compared with joy. The findings showed that many respondents are not only focused on surviving political and economic hardship, but on building lives rooted in peace, faith, family and freedom.
Cornell Belcher, founder of brilliant corners Research & Strategies, said the data showed that financial stability is not only about status or achievement.
“Having enough money to live comfortably, scores higher for joy than it does for success, and that’s, I think, counterintuitive,” Belcher told said. “Money isn’t primarily about status, it’s also about peace of mind and the ability to enjoy life.”
He added, “Joy is important…it’s important to understanding and meeting these women where they are, and giving them what they need.”
Wyatt said respondents described a desire for lives where stability could not easily be taken away.
“They want to live lives where a rug can’t be pulled from underneath them… what they’re naming at the heart of that for them is family, it’s faith. It’s having a job that they enjoy, it’s having access to loving relationships and healthy foods,” Wyatt said.
She said the survey did not show Black women asking for extreme wealth, but rather basic stability and a chance to live freely.
“While money was named as a key factor in stability and in peace, we did not hear Black women name everyone needs to be a billionaire,” Wyatt said. “It was about their well-being, the future’s well-being, their ability to live their lives now freely, to care for their families, to rest.”
Nyandoro said joy should remain part of the political and personal vision for Black Americans, no matter the climate.
“Nobody just wants survival, that’s not what our ancestors died and fought for,” she said.
