(BALTIMORE – February 19, 2025) – The President of the Edmondson Village Community Association said it last week. So did Edmondson Village community advocate David Smallwood. The reason Lakesha Brown Wright-El did not vote for Malcolm Ruff was more troubling than many had hoped.

Wright-El has remained silent on why she flipped her vote from Delegate Malcolm Ruff (D-Baltimore City) to then-Delegate Dalya Attar (D-Baltimore City) for the state Senate seat. However, sources suggest her decision was part of a calculated political maneuver to secure support for her own bid to become a delegate in the 41st District.

Now, Wright-El is officially listed as a candidate for the House of Delegates seat vacated by Attar’s Senate ascension. Attar, who is Jewish, is the first Jewish senator from the 41st since Barbara Hoffman. Hoffman lost to Lisa Gladden, a Black woman, who was later succeeded by Jill Carter, daughter of renowned civil rights leader Walter P. Carter.

My late father used to say, “White people vote white when given a choice.” His point: Black people must stick together, as other groups tend to do. Though America has since elected a Black president, the current political climate serves as a reminder that some white Americans remain deeply unsettled by Black leadership. The racial hostility on display today mirrors an era many thought was long past—an era of open, unabashed discrimination. And despite resistance from figures like Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett, the racial tensions exacerbated by the current occupant of the Oval Office are undeniable.

We live in a time where racial divisions feel sharper than ever. Meanwhile, regretful voters are voicing their frustrations online. I recently saw a video of a Venezuelan woman in Florida, once a staunch Trump supporter, admitting, “Mr. Trump lied to us.” Another clip featured white farmers who now regret voting for him. In yet another video, a white woman in Florida lamented that her business is on the verge of collapse because the Latino workers she relied on refuse to show up.

No, Black people are not monolithic—except when it comes to racism. The reality is that we are all affected by it. Perhaps that explains my father’s insistence on Black unity. After the last presidential election, Black women sent a clear message: if Kamala Harris wasn’t elected, then don’t expect their support for any cause. Their collective response was one of disappointment, frustration, and resolve.

Apparently, that message didn’t make it to the 41st District.

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