In the few weeks that President Joe Biden announced the end to his campaign and confirmed Vice President Kamala Harris as his clear choice to run, the organizing might of Black women was on full display. They are raising unprecedented funds, organizing national conversations to energize voters, and providing a template that other communities have quickly followed to support Harris’s campaign.
Black women leaders know the urgency of this political moment from the release of the SCOTUS immunity decision, wide sweeping human rights violations and violence burdening the most vulnerable including the people of Palestine, Haiti and the Congo, increasing climate change disasters, a racial justice crisis that maintains rare to zero accountability of police officers who harm or murder Black people, state laws that are handcuffing basic reproductive rights and targeting Trans children from basic healthcare, and once again, a cultural and political backlash to opportunity policies like diversity, equity and inclusion programs meant to safeguard habitually discriminated against communities from having to contend with unfair economic, educational, workforce, and housing practices by holding accountable institutions and leaders that perpetuate such practices.
What Black women know is that the issues of our nation’s time hit hard Black communities and families with a vengeance and damage control and harm reduction is a must. Facing the bullies, misogynists, racists, and homophobes working quickly to turn back hard-fought civil rights isn’t new to Black women called to lead. It is simply the modern iteration of these efforts. And just like work of great leaders, now ancestors, Dr. Bernice Johnson Reagan and Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, we will continue to move the culture forward by building power to protect our communities and advance the kinds of public policies that are fitting for our current and future nation. This is what it is about, and not just “saving democracy.”
However there are those who would shade our influence with misinformation like attempting to reinforce a notion that building a coalition with effective political power is not on our side. Or hesitation to support our leadership by delaying key funding for our efforts when urgent and transformative investment is needed. Yet, we continue to prove otherwise on the local and national levels that we can be key change makers. While the transformation we seek cannot be accomplished at the ballot box alone in November, voting is a muscle that must be exercised for the strength of the democracy and to reduce political harm. Since we won the right to vote, we have often had to vote for self preservation and the maintenance of the basic rights promised by this nation to our families and communities. At the polls, the socio-political and economic stakes are often so high that we cast our vote as an act of harm reduction and 2024 is no different.
Women Engaged volunteers doing voter education
Still, Black women have proven that our progressive vision can shake established political players especially when backed by a sizable inclusive coalition. In 2018, the significance of Stacey Abrams' voter mobilization summoned a diverse range of voters, especially communities of color, to the polls across voting districts in record numbers. Despite facing suppression laws, intimidation tactics, bans on collective bargaining, Georgia voters persisted, culminating in a tight 2020 run-off election, and in the 2022 midterms we mobilized early voters.
More recently Black women have experienced historic public leadership gains. And while
representation certainly matters it alone is not enough. Nor, do I believe it to be the sole reason leading Black women voters to the polls. As Co-founder and CEO of Women Engaged, a non-partisan civic engagement organization that builds Black women’s political power through conversations and leadership development, I know, over the decade I’ve worked on democracy issues, that our views and values are as diverse as any other community. However issues such as accessible healthcare including high quality and culturally competent reproductive and maternal healthcare, racial justice, and affordable childcare and housing resonate among the many Black women I’ve talked to over the years. In other words, Black women seek public leadership who care about the issues they care about.
Remember, the current conservative Right is thirsty to actualize a pre- Roe, pre-Affirmative Action, pre-Voting Rights Act and pre-Brown vs. Board-America by normalizing anti-democratic bills that are moving aggressively through state legislatures to cement their power while eroding the social dignity and rights of the rising majority of Black, Indigenous, Latinx, people of color, and queer Americans. November only short-sighted thinking risks our overall democratic goals. In this year’s election cycle, our electability should not be up for referendum. As the election nears, groups led by Black women like Women Engaged will continue to provide voter education and resources but it’s for the broader progressive community to bolster Black, Indigenous/Native Latinx women and gender expansive people of color leadership beyond just voting. Black women as voters, organizers, and leaders deserve a broad coalition of support that mirrors our efforts with strong economic investment in our intellectual and strategic efforts, and respect for our leadership.
In a Progressive democratic movement, Black women are not an elective, our leadership is essential. Therefore interrupting the scapegoating and selective punishment spewed at Black women is everyone’s responsibility to disrupt and end. Where every early dollar, signature, and like or share counts, supporting Black women’s leadership should be the starting line in order to get to the finish line.
Malika Redmond is the CEO and co-founder of Women Engaged, a social justice nonprofit advancing women’s human rights, youth empowerment and civic engagement efforts in Georgia, a proud HBCU graduate of Spelman College, and mom and auntie to amazing young people.
