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Our Portfolio: Black Voters & The EconomyLast month our Senior Analyst, Drew Williams, spoke to several young Black men about the economy in focus groups across the country. |
| | Many participants shared their economic anxieties, feeling displaced by the job market and unable to keep up with the rising cost of living. For the past year, Drew’s team has spoken with Black voters through surveys and focus groups, revealing the sentiment that their votes are taken for granted by Democrats and that the appeals from policy makers consistently ignore the day-to-day issues such as housing affordability, low wages, and cost of basic necessities like groceries and healthcare. |
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| These firsthand accounts and conversations allow HIT to craft the right messaging and policy frameworks for multiple clients to advocate and organize. This work was built on research conducted throughout the 2024 election cycle where Drew and his team led research on two key areas for Democrats: economic messaging and political attitudes of Black voters. While this research started as election strategy work, it has shifted into a broader conversation about meeting the evolving policy needs of everyday Americans who feel left behind by our policy makers. |
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Client Spotlight:African-American Policy Forum |
| Last election cycle, HIT Strategies partnered with the African American Policy Forum (AAPF) to understand how to better reach Black voters in election battleground states. Based on research and the political landscape, HIT recommended AAPF pursue three key areas: a revamped strategy to achieve racial justice in their communities; a deeper look at the harms promised by the Republicans’ Project 2025 playbook; and economic policymaking addressing the rising costs of everyday goods and helping people build more wealth.
As part of this project, HIT cohosted an online seminar with AAPF, where more than 100 local organizers attended and listened to HIT Senior Research Manager, Joshua Doss, share out actionable findings and messaging recommendations. The key takeaway? While national media discourse focused on headlines about Black voters turning to Trump, local efforts showed how prioritizing Black voters ultimately resulted in overwhelming support for Vice President Kamala Harris on election day. |
| | | | | • Joshua Doss, Senior Research Manager at HIT Strategies, joined NTD News to discuss President Trump’s recent executive orders aimed at expanding nuclear energy.
• Our Senior Research Manager, Dr. Brandale Mills Cox, was recently featured in Malindi Press’s Rooted in Purpose series.
“I have always wanted to be a voice for the Black community… Public service, elevating our experiences, and telling our story in a way that’s true and authentic to our lived experiences. That has kind of carried me throughout my professional journey, and hopefully it will continue to carry me.” Read the Full Feature HERE |
| | EPC Quarterly Poll Briefing HIT’s Senior Manager, Courtney Kronenberg, is joining the Environmental Polling Consortium’s public webinar on June 24 at 1 PM ET to present new findings on public perceptions of the Trump administration’s energy agenda. The briefing will also feature research from Sierra Club and Potential Energy on climate messaging, clean energy, and more. |
| | Organizing Young Women to Shift Power in 2026 On Wednesday, June 25 at 3:00 PM ET, Supermajority and Beto O’Rourke with host a conversation that will explore strategies to mobilize young women voters ahead of the 2026 elections and the barriers we must urgently address.
We’re proud to support clients leading the charge on civic engagement and voter turnout. |
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| | Last month, Senior Manager, Courtney Kronenberg joined RISE Together to present key findings from a powerful community engagement effort in Franklin County, Ohio. RISE Together and HIT Strategies surveyed local residents to better understand lived experiences and perceptions around racism and poverty. The session offered space to unpack assumptions, reflect on local truths, and share tools that help reshape public narratives. |
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| “Most people in Franklin County (and across the country) think that people fall into poverty because they experience an unexpected crisis out of their control, and they are demanding that leaders take initiative to address this issue. By lowering the cost of housing, raising wages, and making corporations pay their fair share, we can come together to ensure that everyone has the chance to be economically free.” |
| HIT is proud to support this work as part of our commitment to community-centered research that informs both policy and public understanding. |
| | Voices of HIT: Immigration & Me |
| In her personal essay, Mirna Aguilar, HIT’s Marketing & Sales Coordinator, shares her family’s immigration story and experience growing up in South Texas as the daughter of an undocumented parent. From translating legal documents as a child to graduating college as a first-generation student, Mirna reflects on the nation-wide ICE raids and what it means to belong.
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| At HIT, we know that uplifting LGBTQ+ communities means understanding the full story. That’s why we turn to data to uncover where inclusion is working and where it’s falling short. |
| Trans Rights Under Attack:What HIT’s Research Conveys
Last week, the U.S. Supreme Court allowed a controversial law to stand that denies gender-affirming care to transgender minors. This move deeply undermines both public health and personal freedom. It’s the latest blow in a wave of anti-LGBTQ+ legislation, despite growing calls for empathy, education and inclusion. We recently partnered with Equality Florida to understand how Black Americans are navigating conversations around identity, education, and acceptance. What we found challenges the dominant narrative: 81% of Black adults are either supportive or neutral toward greater transgender acceptance in society.
Most respondents believe students should be allowed to learn about sensitive topics with the guidance of highly trained educators, even when parents disagree.
63% of Black Americans say we can show compassion for someone else’s identity—even if we don’t fully understand it—and still protect their right to live freely.
Why this matters: Public opinion, especially within historically marginalized communities, is more open, empathetic, and freedom-forward than extremist headlines and legal rulings suggest. Our findings reveal a clear gap between what people believe and what lawmakers are trying to legislate.
We continue to remain committed to lifting up these findings and making sure research reflects real people, no political agendas.
Read the Full Findings from HIT + Equality Florida
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| Tracking What Matters Most Pulse by HIT Strategies Stakeholder Tracking & Engagement |
| With HIT’s Pulse Stakeholder Tracking, your team doesn’t just measure sentiment, you monitor what moves people to act. This tool helps you stay ahead of shifting sentiments and deepens alignment with the people you serve through quarterly insights that are always on time and on point. 88% of members feel MORE engaged when they receive consistent feedback. Whether you’re engaging members, donors, voters, or communities, Pulse delivers actionable data to power decisions and build trust. (Source: Data-Driven Paths to Higher Donor Survey Response Rates)
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| | Meet the Newest Members of Team HIT |
| Welcoming Talent That Elevate Our Mission We’re thrilled to welcome four new hires to HIT Strategies, each bringing a fresh perspective and deep expertise to HIT: |
| | | Our new colleagues strengthen our commitment to delivering research that is rigorous, representative, and real. |
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| Want to Stay Connected? Follow us or reach out directly to learn more about our services and impact. |
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