|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Honoring Black Leadership and Building Power Through Research
|
|
|
This Bl ack History Month, we paused to honor the giants that fought for justice and to recommit ourselves to the work they made possible. The recent passing of Rev. Jesse Jackson is a profound reminder of what transformational Black leadership looks like: a life spent organizing, agitating, and refusing to let America look away from its own short comings. From the streets of Selma to the presidential campaign trail, Rev. Jackson didn’t just fight for Black America — he fought for the soul of democracy itself. His legacy is a living charge to all of us who believe that political power must be built, protected, and renewed in every generation.
That charge is why HIT Strategies exists. We were founded on the conviction that the voices and lived experiences of communities of color cannot be an afterthought in research and policy — they must be the starting point. Black History Month is a time of celebration and reflection, but our work is a reminder that honoring Black leadership means more than looking back. It means generating the knowledge, data, and insights that fuel durable Black political power — not just in February, but 365 days a year. This month, we are proud to share riveting new research and a project that carries that mission forward.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The Case for The Black Opps Project.
To Increase Black Voter Participation in the Current Political Climate
In 2020, the resistance was mostly led by young people and people of color. Today, resistance is led by older, college-educated people with the financial security to resist. Recent federal actions represent efforts to roll back these hard-fought gains and deeply paralyze political resistance, including from the Black community, by making dissent dangerous and participation suspect.
In response, Black collective consciousness has shifted toward self-preservation over collective action. Many in the Black community are deferring resistance to those who voted for the current administration—or who stayed home. At this crucial moment, any real voter mobilization effort needs to understand what is holding Black people back from taking action today and how they can rebuild Black political power in 2026.
Since starting in summer of 2025, the Black Opps Coalition has conducted several focus groups, polls, and AI content testing with Black voters to understand the barriers that prevent their resistance, the motivations that would increase their resistance, and the actions that we can mobilize them to take now – to increase the likelihood that they vote later. We have released phase one findings on economic justice and look forward to releasing phase two findings on defend democracy, this summer.
Key Narrative Themes & Takeaways from Phase One:
-
Black voters are engaging in resistance activities — but unevenly, with some Black voters feeling much more urgency to fight back than others.
-
Only 30% of Black voters are highly active in defending economic justice and they are mainly older and educated high earners
-
Thirty-four percent of Black voters can be activated to take more acts of resistance
-
Barriers to resistance that prevent many from engaging in public resistance activities fall into three categories: fear, leadership, and efficacy.
-
Motivations to resist vary by sub-groups, but must be anchored in collective power, action, and impact.
-
Messaging that connects the dots of economic pain; demonstrates proof of progress from previous movements; and has a clear call to action significantly increases Black political behavior.
|
|
|
|
|
Press Coverage of Black Opps
|
|
|
Since Thursday’s public release of Black Opps’ findings, numerous outlets including HuffPost, Forbes and POLITICO have extensively covered our research — and the conversation is just beginning. In the weeks ahead, we will be expanding on our key findings and content, engaging with the discourse this work has sparked, and pressing further into what it will take to mobilize and sustain Black voter engagement under a Trump 2.0 administration. For formal inquiries about Black Opps and what’s to come, fill out this form.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
New Data on Young Men and their Political Attitudes
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Through our ongoing research partnership with Third Way, we are closely tracking how young men are experiencing today’s economic, cultural, and political environment. This work combines rigorous survey research and analysis to better understand what is shaping male attitudes ahead of the 2026 midterms and how political leaders can more effectively engage this group that is often discussed, but not deeply understood.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Jasmine Crockett Heads Into the Primary Stretch
|
|
|
|
|
With the Texas primaries coming up on March 3, the Senate Democratic race is coming into sharper focus. Our client, Representative Jasmine Crockett, holds a lead in the Texas Democratic Senate primary and outpaces her competitor across key groups critical to building a winning coalition. Her position reflects both strength in the race and growing enthusiasm among Democratic voters as Election Day approaches.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
From HIT Strategies’ COO: Updates to our Service Agreements
|
|
|
Orie Ward, Chief Operating Officer & Partner 
As COO, Orie leads the firms business operations division which encompasses accounting, human resources, IT, and contracts. Since 2023, he has been committed to scaling HIT’s offerings, building capacity, and democratizing research by increasing access for those serving the underrepresented. As a partner, he supports business development and sales where he is also a driving force behind the company’s strategy for growth and innovation.
His leadership focuses on balancing organizational discipline with adaptability, collaboration, process improvement, workflow automation, and sustainability. His background in management consulting, executive leadership, social impact investing, and civic service give both him and HIT a unique advantage servicing our clients.
|
|
|
|
|
Strengthening How We Partner & Service
As part of our ongoing efforts to strengthen transparency and collaboration, HIT Strategies recently updated and enhanced our partnership framework and service agreements. These updates reflect our commitment to building strong, transparent partnerships and delivering research that meets the highest standards.
Key Highlights Include:
-
Clearer expectations around use and public release of research.
-
Stronger confidentiality and data protection standards, including safeguards of sensitive information.
-
Clarification of intellectual property boundaries between client results and HIT Strategies’ research methods.
-
Updated billing practices and new incentives to support smoother project execution.
-
Continued use of de-identified learnings to improve our tools and responsibly incorporate AI.
-
More explicit processes around scope, change management, and project governance.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Tune in: Lessons for the 2026 Midterms
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Chief Research Officer, Roshni Nedungadi, joins Atima Omara’s Embracing Your Voice podcast to unpack lessons from the 2024 and 2025 elections and what it will take for Democrats to win back voters of color at a moment when overall trust is at an all-time low and costs are at an all-time high, and voter fatigue is real.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Resuming Substack for 2026
|
|
|
Subscribe, Like & Restack!
Last fall, we launched our Substack — a space for real-time insights and analysis straight from our researchers and partners. From election coverage and the role of religion among Latino voters, to the power of organized boycotts and expanding AAPI research, we hit the ground running. And we’re just getting started!
For 2026, we have a packed lineup of research and analyses spanning voters, elections, AI, economic trends, culture, and media — and we can’t wait to share it with you.
This year promises to be consequential. Stay ahead of it with us.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Partner with HIT.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
HIT Strategies is proud to work with advocacy groups, campaigns, brands, and organizations shaping the future. If your team is looking for reliable, culturally competent insights this year, we’d love to talk.
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
