“

We asked policy experts, legal scholars and political pundits, all of whom were black, to help us devised a policy matrix. Then we graded each plan on a scale of 1 to 10 using the following criteria:

Economics: Reparations, economic inequality, employment and housing are just a few of the issues we will examine.

Criminal Justice: How do they handle the war on drugs, mass incarceration, bail reform, police brutality and sentencing disparities?

Education: HBCU funding, student debt, K-12 funding, etc.

Politics: Does it address issues of voting rights, gerrymandering and other political issues?

Comprehensiveness: How detailed is it? Does it contain specific policy proposals?

Blind spots: Are there important areas that aren’t addressed?

Feasibility: What are the chances of the policies being enacted by legislation, executive action or internal policy? Does the candidate have the political skill to make their plan come true?

History: What is the candidate’s history of dealing with black people? Has the candidate has displayed a willingness to address issues of race and inequality?

Intentionality: Do we believe them or do they need more people? Can we objectively believe that the candidate will work for Black America? Is he or she pandering or do they have really have the will to make this a priority?

Impact: If implemented, what impact would these policies have? How would the plan affect the problems it attempts to address?

If the candidate’s campaign literature doesn’t include a specific “black plan,” we examined their individual policy proposals to see what effect their plan would have on black America.“

Read Harriot’s full (and comprehensive) article at The Root ….