20 African-American leaders in Michigan endorse Slotkin for U.S. Senate • Michigan Advance

U.S. Congresswoman Elissa Slotkin (D-Holly) on Friday released a list of 20 African-American elected officials and community leaders from across Michigan who have endorsed her candidacy for U.S. Senate.

The list of new approvals follows an event that was held last week in Grand Rapidsin which she further discussed her story Opportunity agenda, which was originally rolled out in March, to remove barriers to economic opportunity in Michigan’s urban communities.

Those who support Slotkin are:

State Rep. Kristian Grant (D-Grand Rapids)
State Rep. Amos O’Neal (D-Saginaw)
Jackson Mayor Daniel Mahoney
Saginaw Mayor Brenda Moore
Former Detroit Police Chief Ike McKinnon
Genesee County Commission Chairman James Avery
Genesee County Commissioner Beverly Brown
Kent County Commissioner Michelle McCloud
Kent County Commissioner Monica Sparks
Kalamazoo County Commissioner Monteze Morales
Former Kent County Commissioner Robert S. Womack
Lisa Knight, Grand Rapids City Commissioner
Former Grand Rapids City Commissioner Reverend Joe Jones
Terae King, Flint Board of Education Member
Tanya Powell-May, Kentwood Board of Education Member
Madison Heights Councilmember Quinn Wright
Company Director Khary Bridgewater
Community leader George Bayard
Community Leader Deborah Bayard
Community Leader Victor Holt

According to a campaign press release, Slotkin’s Opportunity Agenda was the result of “dozens of meetings and conversations with leaders from communities of color across Michigan over the past year.”

During these meetings, various policy proposals were developed, including:

Reducing health disparities by improving access to quality health care and nutritious food, and addressing long-term problems such as infant mortality and black maternal health;
Expanding early childhood development programs that have been proven to work, including Head Start, the expanded child tax credit, and the child care and dependent care tax credit, to support parents and families;
Expanding access to capital and federal contracting opportunities for minority-owned businesses, and increasing accountability of lenders; and
Reforming the filibuster in the U.S. Senate, which is crucial for voting on major legislation like the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, which Slotkin co-sponsored in Congress.

The latest list of Slotkin’s approvals are among more than 40 community leaders and elected officials in Detroit, and more than 200 elected officials, community leaders and representatives of religious organizations from across Michigan, who supported her in the race for U.S. Senate.

The release also follows Thursday’s Zoom press call from her Democratic opponent in the Aug. 6 primary, Detroit actor Hill Harper, in which Wayne County Commission Chair Alisha Bell accused Slotkin of being ‘radio silent’ at the request of her and other black elected leaders that a debate since cancelled “excludes black women from a seat at the table” because of the lack of an “African American female journalist.”

Slotkin’s campaign said she had “seriously prepared” for the debate, but planned to “instead continue to reach out directly to voters in Detroit and across the state.”

Republicans running for the nomination on August 6 are former U.S. Congressman Mike Rogers (R-White Lake), former U.S. Congressman Justin Amash (I-Cascade Twp.) and Dr. Sherry O’Donnell.