The New Power In Politics

Black female elected officials change the game and refuse to concede defeat

- Derek T. Dingle

Due to the gender diversity ushered in by the 2018 midterms, a number of pundits have defined the current political season as “The Year of the Woman.” Such a characterization, however, is too small, too confining. The wave of black women elected to office in the last election cycle demonstrates the ongoing evolution of political inclusion, power, and leadership that will be felt for generations. On the following pages, find out some of the national and statewide office holders who are fearless and relentless in reshaping our world today and tomorrow.

SEN. KAMALA HARRIS

(D-Calif.): PURSUING THE WHITE HOUSE

Will Harris be the next president of the United States of America? On MLK Day, she announced her long-anticipated run for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination. True to form for such aspirants, she recently launched a book tour to promote her new memoir, The Truths We Hold: An American Journey (Penguin Random House; $30), to tell her story to the electorate. Having already made history as California’s first black female U. S. senator and attorney general, she represents the smart, charismatic, and progressive politician who can build an election-winning coalition. Along with the other two African Americans in the U.S. Senate, Democrat Cory Booker—another presidential candidate—and Republican Tim Scott, she recently lead the passage of a bill making lynching a hate crime as well as pushed for legislation requiring that an ethnic minority and a woman gain consideration whenever there’s a vacancy for the top position at one of the Federal Reserve’s 12 banks.

STACEY ABRAMS:

HISTORYMAKER