There’s No Such Thing as an “Off-Year” for Black America
America loves to call this an “off-year” for elections. But when you’re Black in America, democracy never clocks out. There’s no off switch for fighting for your voice, your vote, or your humanity.
This November, voters in Virginia, New Jersey, and cities like New York, Atlanta, and Jersey City will choose new leaders. Texas will hold a special election for its 18th Congressional District. And while pundits might dismiss these as minor political tremors between the presidential earthquakes, the truth is — the ground is already shaking.
Because 2025’s elections are about one question: Who gets to shape the America that’s coming next?
The Ghosts of Virginia
In Virginia, the governor’s race between Abigail Spanberger and Winsome Earle-Sears is being billed as a clash of political opposites. But look closer and you’ll see something deeper: a battle over how race, gender, and power are wielded in a country that still hasn’t atoned for its past.
Virginia isn’t just another state — it’s a mirror. The birthplace of American slavery, the heart of the Confederacy, the testing ground for school desegregation, and now, once again, a stage for America’s contradictions. Whoever wins there won’t just set the tone for Virginia’s politics — they’ll signal what kind of moral leadership this nation rewards.
New Jersey’s “Pocketbook” Politics Miss the Point
Across the Hudson, New Jersey’s governor’s race between Mikie Sherrill and Jack Ciattarelli is framed as a fight over taxes and affordability. But affordability for whom?
Working-class Black and Brown families are being pushed further to the margins — not just economically, but politically. The language of “fiscal responsibility” often becomes a disguise for defunding public education, blocking affordable housing, and shrinking programs that help the poor live with dignity.
If New Jersey is serious about justice, voters need to see through the budget talk and ask the deeper question: Whose comfort is being prioritized, and whose struggle is being ignored?
The Cities That Shape the Culture
In New York City, where culture drives politics as much as policy, the choice between Zohran Mamdani’s progressive push and Andrew Cuomo’s comeback tour is about more than leadership — it’s about identity.
Will the city choose a future built on equity and care, or one that doubles down on corporate interests and carceral control?
And in Atlanta, the soul of the South and cradle of the Civil Rights Movement, the mayoral race will test whether the city still honors that legacy. Will it remain a Black political stronghold that fights for its people — or slide into the same gentrified erasure that’s swallowed so many once-Black spaces across this country?
Local politics might not trend on social media, but they’re where real lives are reshaped. These mayors decide who gets housed, who gets policed, and who gets heard.
Texas: The Battle for Representation
Down in Texas’s 18th Congressional District, voters will replace Rep. Sylvester Turner — a longtime voice for Houston’s Black community. That race isn’t just about who wins; it’s about whether Houston’s Black and Brown residents can still elect leaders who reflect their lives.
With redistricting games and voter suppression laws tightening their grip, this race is a gut check for representation itself. It asks: Are we still free to choose our future — or are those choices being made for us?
Democracy Demands Our Attention
These elections may not make cable news headlines. But make no mistake — what happens in November will shape everything that follows. The policies born from these “off-year” races will determine how communities of color live, learn, breathe, and survive.
As states roll back DEI, dismantle equity offices, and censor the truth of our history, every ballot cast this fall becomes an act of resistance.
So no — this isn’t an off-year.
This is the year we prove that even when democracy tries to take a nap, Black America stays wide awake.
For More Information
https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2025/09/putin-trump-elections-autocrat/684298
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/oct/07/virginia-governor-election-spanberger
