In Pittsburgh, Barack Obama campaigned for Kamala Harris, whose candidacy is struggling to attract support among black men. Obama admonished these voters, suggesting that their lagging support stemmed from misogyny.

Obama’s rebuke highlighted the sense of Democratic entitlement to the votes of people of color. Sadly, it also showed just how central skin color remains to politics of America’s first black president. Ironically, had the majority of Americans voted in accordance with Obama’s views on racial solidarity, he’d have never been president.

But then something heartening happened. There was a backlash. Many black men asserted their right to vote for whomever they please, based on their economic interests and issues of personal concern—rather than race.

A mere four years after “black lives matter,” change is afoot. Voters are putting policy before skin color —and they’re being vocal about it. That’s real progress.