C4 Claims Black Americans "Disenfranchised"

I hope you don't think I have nothing better to do than to complain to the BBC or C4, but this really cried out for comment.  Kylie Morris, reporting from Ferguson, concluded her report by saying that the subjects of the riots and unrest were "disenfranchised."  I'm pretty sure that all American citizens can vote, regardless of their ethnicity, so I took C4 to task for their use of the word "disenfranchised."  This was their preposterous reply:

"Thank you for contacting Channel 4 News regarding Kylie Morris' recent report on the shooting in Ferguson.

We are sorry to read that you feel the language used by Kylie was inappropriate, given the context of the piece the term disenfranchised referred to a general feeling of disconnection with the government, state or political process. "

Call me old-fashioned, but I rather like to stick with the accepted definition of words because it tends to avoid misunderstanding.  If the pompous Kylie Morris really wanted us to know that there was a general feeling of disconnection with the government, state or political process, then why on earth did she not say so?  Instead, she claims that some people in Ferguson are denied the vote!  Words fail me!