The author is a political commentator and former journalist, who served as deputy director of Public Information under Mayor Coleman A. Young from 1984-1991. He is the co-host of the podcast, Detroit in Black and White.
By Adolph Mongo
“Payback is a mutha.” That is the rallying cry on the mean streets of many Black urban neighborhoods.
Abdul El-Sayed
I am constantly thinking about that message while I observe and dissect some of Michigan’s most important political races — elections in November that could change the face of the state.
One particular race that stands out is the Democratic one for U.S. Senate. State Sen. Mallory McMorrow, Congresswoman Haley Stevens and Abdul El-Sayed are running neck and neck. Depending on what poll you believe, all three candidates have a chance to move on to November and face the Republican nominee, likely Mike Rogers.
All three candidates are jockeying for support from elected officials to community and block club groups in cities including Detroit, Flint, Saginaw and Pontiac. Stevens recently received the endorsement of retired Sen. Debbie Stabenow, and El-Sayed got the official backing of the Black Slate, the political arm of the Shrine of the Black Madonna.
The Black Slate has a long history of getting Black candidates elected to office in Wayne County. It played an important role in Coleman Young’s mayoral victory in 1973.
In this case, the Black Slate is endorsing El-Sayed, which I think is a bad choice. Not that El-Sayed, a progressive Democrat, isn’t qualified to be a U.S. senator.
In this case, it’s not about qualifications.
To me, it is about payback — payback for the way Arab Americans have treated Black voters and Black consumers. We have overwhelmingly supported Arab American candidates and businesses while being mistreated and taken for granted. Rightly or wrongly, that’s the prevailing perception in the Black community.
Rep. Rashida Tlaib
We supported Arab American candidate Rashida Tlaib for two terms in the 13th Congressional District. But once she got to Congress, many Blacks in the community felt she ignored their priorities.
Tlaib’s agenda is the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, which isn’t a top priority in the Black community. It’s not that we don’t care; it’s just that there are so many pressing issues back home that desperately need addressing.
Simply put: Black voters feel their priorities take a back seat.
Another thing that makes El-Sayed and Tlaib undeserving of the Black vote is that they railed against Democrats in the 2024 presidential primary, leading the charge for the “Uncommitted Movement” and ultimately helping Donald Trump win Michigan.
First off, Tlaib refused to endorse Kamala Harris, America’s first Black female presidential candidate, in the general election. And El-Sayed begrudgingly backed the Black presidential candidate in the general election with an endorsement so tepid, so meek, that it sent a message to the Arab American community that it was OK to vote for Trump or some third-party candidate.
In Dearborn, voters got the memo, with a majority of residents voting for Trump.
They couldn't possibly have thought Trump would be better for America or for Blacks or Arab Americans. If so, I've got a pair of Trump gym shoes or a signed Bible I'd like to sell them.
They apparently weren't alone.
Donald Trump and Mayor Amer Ghalib during the 2024 campaign.
Two prominent Arab American politicians in Metro Detroit — Hamtramck Mayor Amer Ghalib and Dearborn Heights Mayor Bill Bazzi — also refused to back the Black presidential candidate, instead opting to sell their souls and campaign for Trump in exchange for a big payoff. Bazzi, who blamed the Biden administration for starting wars and referred to Trump as “a man of peace,” became Trump’s ambassador to Tunisia.
Ghalib’s prize for pimping for Trump was that he was nominated as U.S. ambassador to Kuwait. Unfortunately for him, he encountered too much resistance during the Senate confirmation hearing from both Democrats and Republicans.
Trump expended no political capital to save his nomination, but got him a consolation prize as a senior adviser for strategic partnerships at AmeriCorps in Washington, a federal agency.
And hey, how did that victory for Trump work out for America, for Blacks, for Arab Americans?
Trump again implemented his bigoted Muslim travel ban, advocated removing all Palestinians from Gaza to build a resort, reduced benefits for the poor, started an optional war with Iran that created havoc in the Middle East, and made life more expensive for everyone, including those in urban areas where poverty among Black people is disproportionately high.
And, oh yes, let’s not forget the out-of-control ICE agents who have targeted immigrants — some who are here legally — from what Trump calls “shithole” countries.
Thank you, Rashida Tlaib. Thank you, Abdul El-Sayed.
But no thank you.
It’s time for payback. Black consumers have put millions of dollars into the pockets of Middle Eastern business owners in Metro Detroit. We buy their gasoline, patronize their grocery stores and coffee shops in the Black community. We vote for their candidates.
It's time for payback. El-Sayed and other Arab American candidates running in state, county and local races need to earn our vote. They need to show we really matter.
Until then, we need to think twice about who we back.
The Black Slate should rescind its endorsement of El-Sayed and send a message that “Payback is a mutha.”
