We need Black women in office, now more than ever

Juneteenth is a time to rejoice Black freedom across America and a reminder that freedom have to be continually earned. It was a Black woman, Opal Lee, who organized June 16 as a federal holiday. You may not know her name or the story that, on the age of 89, she walked across 14 states – 2,500 km – from her home in Fort Worth, Texas, to Washington, D.C., advocating for June 16 to be a national holiday. Carrying out work while remaining unrecognized is a well-known challenge for Black women in America.

Every election we hear that Black women are the “backbone of the Democratic Party,” its most loyal voting group, having polled with higher turnout than every other group over the past five presidential election cycles.

In 2020, Black women voters pushed President Joe Biden into the White House. In fact, 90% black women voted for the Democratic presidential candidate, giving him ultimate victory over Donald Trump, especially in key battleground states like Georgia and Pennsylvania.

However, our voting power has not translated into our own electoral success and we remain significantly underrepresented in elected office.

Even as Black women gained representation and Kamala Harris became the primary Black vp of the United States in 2020, America lost its only Black female senator on her option to higher office. When Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson was confirmed to the Supreme Court in 2022, there have been still no Black women in the Senate. Laphonza Butler has since been appointed to switch the late Dianne Feinstein in California, making her only the third black woman to ever serve in the upper legislative house.

June

Although record numbers of Black women now hold congressional, statewide and legislative positions, they proceed to enrich less than 6% of elected offices though it comprises 7.8% of the US population. The disparities are most dramatic in states like Mississippi, where Black people make up the biggest share of the population in any state – 38% – say Black women only 10 of the 174 seats in the state legislature — still less than 6%.

It’s time to make Black women the face of the Democratic Party, not only its backbone. We deserve the tools and resources we need to not only win, but thrive.

This yr, Black women have candidates on the ballot to make that occur. Everyone must do the whole lot they’ll to support and support them.

Just take a look at Angela Alsobrooks in Maryland and Lisa Blunt Rochester in Delaware, who’re on the verge of becoming the primary two black women to serve concurrently in the U.S. Senate.

Look at Lateefah Simon, who ran in nine primaries with 56% of the vote in her bid to switch Rep. Barbara Lee in California’s twelfth Congressional District (she’s going to face one other Democrat in November). AND Janelle Bynumwho won the first as a candidate endorsed by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and sought to flip Oregon’s Fifth Congressional District from red to blue.

Advancing Black women in political office is at the guts of Emerge’s work as we head into the warmth of the 2024 election. Our Sitting Together program is the nation’s first advanced leadership candidate program designed specifically for Black women who aspire to pursue higher-level positions.

And it really works in any respect levels of presidency. Cohort members have already been successful in the rise of Ohio Rep. Emilia Sykes to Congress, currently representing Ohio-13, Pennsylvania Rep. Joanna McClinton to Speaker of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, and Tennessee Rep. London Lamar to the Tennessee Senate.

Research shows that when black women run for office, they win at a better level than their white and/or male counterparts. I imagine it’s because they not only understand the problems facing on a regular basis Americans from all walks of life, but they live these issues – from economic insecurity, access to health care, and problems with equity and equality.

Therefore, we would not have to sacrifice progress for excellence if the appropriate candidates are on the ballot. While the presidential races will get essentially the most attention, the races for local mayors, state legislatures, governors and congresses can have a much greater impact on Americans’ day by day lives – that is where Black women candidates are working to generate energy and a spotlight.

That’s why I take a look at November with such optimism. I even have seen the keenness and influence of Black women leaders who’ve been lifted up by our organization and pushed to turn out to be a part of the American political system. This inspires me and I hope it inspires more women of color to vote or run for office themselves.

As we rejoice Black resilience and achievements this June, we must move the fight into November and vote for candidates who will defend equality and freedom for all people.