Giving Compass' Take:

• Andre Perry examines the representation (or lack thereof) of Black women elected to higher office, and how their candidacy works to raise awareness of the issues of Black women in America. 

• How is your philanthropy aimed at empowering Black women in politics? 

• Read about the essential impact of Black nationalist women. 

This piece is adapted from a chapter in Perry’s new book “Know Your Price: Valuing Black Lives and Property in America’s Black Cities” (Brookings Press, 2020). It also draws from research conducted with the Higher Heights Leadership Fund.

Recently, across the county, we have seen a new generation of Black political leaders do just that, while a legion of vital Black women voters pushes for long-neglected reforms. But Black women are still vastly underrepresented nationally among political candidates, making up only 2% of challengers to incumbents. If we truly want to create a more equitable America and solidify Black women’s seat at the table, we must bring Chisholm’s folding chair all the way to the White House—with a Black woman vice presidential candidate in 2020.

Representation matters to our political mental health. The fact that all but one president (and every vice president) in the history of the United States has been a white man would be completely unbelievable if the American psyche didn’t see leadership as equating to that one demographic. Today, Black women elected officials—Chisholm’s spiritual children—are not only representing people but also remedying the sick American psyche with every chair they bring to the table.

In recent years, America has seen an unmistakable rise in the power of Black women—but that rise is still accompanied by the old burdens of racism and racial inequity.
Between 2009 and 2012, a higher proportion of Black women enrolled in college (9.7%) than Asian American women (8.7%), white women (7.1%), and even white men (6.1%).1 But the route to a postsecondary degree is still beset with harassment. Schools fail to intervene, contributing to girls’ insecurity. Nationally, Black girls accounted for 45% of all girls who were suspended and 42% of girls expelled from K-12 public schools between 2011 and 2012, the highest among all racial and ethnic groups, according to one University of Pennsylvania study.

In a democracy, having the ability to legislate, run governments, and shape public policy is the primary way to gain protection, not only for Black women but the country as a whole. For Black lives to matter, Black women must be represented in legislative halls at every level in the United States. Fortunately, across the country, Black women are running for higher office—and winning.

Read the full article about electing Black women by Andre M. Perry at Brookings.