It’s not a secret that the Democratic Party has long relied on the black vote to get into and stay in power. In fact, every single democratic president since 1869 has won more than 80% of the black vote. But after over 20 years of failed promises, such as increased mass incarceration rates, poor economic conditions for black Americans, and grossly inadequate action on police brutality against unarmed blacks – many black voters are saying goodbye to their political home.

One of those who is saying goodbye is former slave Frederick Douglass’s great-great-grandson, Christopher Waller, who told Politico “I’ve grown up with Democrats being in charge … but I feel like at this point they just don’t care about people. I think it’s a huge mistake to vote for the Democrats.”

A recent Gallup poll found that just 39% of black voters identify as Democrats, while another survey by Harvard University and the Harris Poll found that only 17% of all respondents believe people who look like them have access to good-paying jobs.

In addition to not caring about black Americans, many black voters say they feel more comfortable voting Republican because in their opinion the GOP is more interested in policy issues rather than just reaching symbolic goals such as having a black president. Yet, the very same arguments used by Republicans to defend their record in government regarding jobs and education fail in comparison with Democratic policies.

According to CNBC contributor Stacey Abrams, who is African-American and was Georgia’s Democratic nominee for governor in 2018, she believes that “the Democratic Party has not done enough for black America.” She points to several factors including systemic racism in their voting districts which have been implemented through voter intimidation tactics that have been proven to skew minority votes; institutional racism enacted by Democrats at every level of government; and the idea promoted by Democrats that voting as a minority is equivalent to discrimination.

But if black Americans are tired of the Democratic Party and are voting for Republicans, then why are black voters turning out in numbers higher than white voters in some of the most liberal states in America? The answer is as simple as looking at the facts.

In 2010, 37% of African-American voters cast their votes for President Barack Obama while only 10% voted for Republican challenger Mitt Romney. In 2012, even though blacks voted overwhelmingly for Democrats, the party still won control of the Senate with Democrats taking 51% of the black vote to 47% for Republicans. During this time both parties portrayed themselves as more friendly towards blacks but the evidence proved that not everything was as it seemed.

Beware of the Democratic Party.