LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Formally a self-described troubled teenager, barbershop owner Darryl Johnson Sr., now 44, grew weary of his decades old criminal record dragging him down.

“I went and got a couple of felonies removed this year. They cleared my record. That made me able to vote this year,” said Johnson, who co-owns Barbers R Us in Louisville.

Johnson quietly whispered to poll workers that he was a first-time voter when he cast his ballot on November 3. After the workers shouted with excitement, he said it made him feel as though he was a part of something greater than himself. A few months ago Johnson recovered from the novel coronavirus.

Like the majority of Black men in America, he voted for President-elect Joe Biden. He says he was motivated to do so after seeing high profile episodes of police violence and feeling as though racism was becoming more pronounced under President Donald Trump.

When asked if he had reservations about Biden’s 1994 Crime Bill and the President-elect’s previous tough-on-crime advocacy, Johnson said, “I know Joe hasn’t been the most perfect candidate. I know he’s been through some things in his lifespan but anyone besides Donald Trump. This election I knew it was really important to get someone in there that cared about us.”

On a Thursday afternoon at the barbershop, that sentiment was echoed by men from chair to chair including Ronnie Merrit, a lifelong Democrat and retired corrections officer who mailed in his ballot.

“I think he can bring some civility back to the country,” said Merrit.

Though much has been made of the estimated 18% of Black men who voted for President Trump this year, an increase from 2016, Black Americans as a whole remain a core and loyal constituency for Democrats. They turned out in urban centers in critical battleground states that helped Biden. Progressives argue mobilizing this constituency in red states could make an electoral difference. In his victory speech, Biden thanked African-Americans for standing up for him and pledged to always have their backs but some say they still feel like they are taken for granted.

“I’m only 36-years-old. I lived through the time of the Black man as president, Barack Obama and you know, I bought into the hope. I was so excited. I remember it all. It was an amazing experience to actually live through that but in the end, it didn’t really satisfy the expectations that I had,” said Clinton Carter Jr. (CJ), who co-owns Barbers R Us with Johnson. 

CJ affectionately describes the barbershop as “the Black man’s country club” and the perfect place to get the pulse of the community. The father of two says he prefers Biden over Trump but felt too disaffected to participate this year and hasn’t voted since 2008 when he supported Barack Obama. An advocate for decriminalizing marijuana, he says he’s being courted by a Republican to get more involved with politics. He has no allegiance to any party but will consider voting in the next election.

“I have no expectations for Joe Biden. I’m hoping they end the war on drugs. I’m hoping they release the individuals who have non-violent criminal drug offenses since people are already out here making money off of legal cannabis. I just hope things turn for us as a whole,” he said.