Black lives don’t matter to Democrats. Black votes do. And even then, only in election years.

Over the past 80 years, Democrats like Senator Doug Jones have preyed on Black people, disguising themselves as some sort of savior sent to uplift our communities and pull us out of the pits of despair. They visit our churches and vow to invest in our businesses — lying to our faces and making empty promises time and again. Yet, after winning an election because of Black people, they cannot be bothered to reinvest in Black businesses, Black banks, nor Black livelihood. They can’t be bothered to actually give a damn about the people that got them there.

Even Alabama’s very own Democratic senator, Doug Jones, is a walking contradiction. After receiving 96% of the Black vote in 2017, claiming to be progressive and for Black people, Jones has failed to put his money where his mouth is and give back to the people who handed him the job in the first place. Jones is quick to commend Alabama’s Black voters and attribute his success to our critical vote, but in this cycle, Jones’ campaign has allocated over $7,824,539.36 to more than 450 entities and only 0.1% of that went to Black-owned businesses.

Small businesses in Alabama, specifically Black-owned businesses, have faced unprecedented challenges as a result of a nation-wide shutdown brought on by COVID-19. Yet, all Jones has done is release a tone-deaf, “we shall overcome” letter stating the obvious. Alabama is home to some of the best Black political talent, but Jones insists on outsourcing his business to Washington, D.C. rather than putting his dollars and cents back into the state he represents.

If Democrats like Doug Jones want to continue feeling entitled to the Black vote, they should feel just as compelled to conduct business with Black businesses. Maybe then, their so-called “dedication” to uplifting the Black community won’t be perceived as such a joke.

CJ Pearson is a freshman at The University of Alabama and president of the Free Thinker Project