We are always aware that squandering the opportunity for an education would be disrespectful to those who never got that chance.
Something you may not know is that professional Black women are hyper focused on qualification.
We are told young that there will be no leg-up for us, and that we MUST excel academically.
We work hard, compete & get into college.
For many of us, our whole family is counting
We are always aware that squandering the opportunity for an education would be disrespectful to those who never got that chance.
There is no hiding or blending in. All your professors are zeroed in on you, trying to ascertain if you can compete. When you produce the goods, they are delighted,
When we ascend into corporate environments, we are again closely scrutinized, not just for competence, but for “fit.”
Our bosses will test us again and again to make sure the “angry black
The onus is always on us to make those around us comfortable, never the other way around.
Once we put our colleagues at ease, things are fine.... until we start getting close to the power echelon.
Then things get dicey.
At base, many many people who are not racist in the sense of
So the Black woman who was all-of-that as a mid-level or even senior manager, is all wrong when it comes to being an executive.
The
Don’t bother with shaking the tree because the coconuts will fall on YOU!
So, when we go through all of that, to whatever degree of success, it is an act of EXTREME audacity to decide to run for public office.
Many are just compelled to do it because we don’t see anyone fighting for our community, or the issues we all face with the passion and focus that we do.
We care very deeply for others,
As we contemplate running for office we know that the decision will have monumental consequences on our lives.
Most of us are the bread
We know the kind of strain running will put on our families, and most of all, we contemplate the kind of hate we will receive for having the nerve to step into the political arena.
We know what’s coming when
So we step out and we run. And we are told in every conceivable way, from every conceivable quarter (even well intentioned Black people) that our talent,
What matters is our “viability,” which is code for money.
Donors give to “viable” candidates, but you can’t get to “viability” unless people are willing to give. So major endorsements are super important to establishing your merit as a
Only, major endorsements are very hard to come by if you haven’t yet raised much money. And so it swirls in a vortex.
For many talented, excellent Black women candidates, their political ambitions die in the “viability vortex” that they can’t break through.
It is the VERY rare Black woman candidate, in the exact right circumstance, who emerges & makes it into national
And when they do, America, all of a sudden, “discovers” a super star!
That’s why there are NO black women losers or slouches who hold major public office.
NONE!
They are all smart, strong, polished, savvy & passionate. ALL. OF. THEM!
There are ZERO Black women
The system would NEVER allow a Black woman who was that trashy
or stupid to get anywhere near power.
So when you consider Stacey Abrams, Cori Bush, Ayanna Pressley, Stacey Plaskett, Kamala Harris, Val Demings, Tish James, Keisha Lance
And perhaps, in 2022, make a special
