Black Women in Politics?

Extraordinary

1 Taylor

Tashayla Taylor
Jo Chapman
English 180
November 18, 2015
Black Women in Politics? Extraordinary
Kimberle Williams Crenshaw once said, Its not about supplication, its about power. Its
not about asking, its about demanding. Its not about convincing those who are currently in
power, its about changing the very face of power itself. Dating back to the early birth of the
United States, African-American women have been suppressed in many ways. From laws that
affected people of color such as the Jim Crow Laws to stereotypes formed by society over time,
the Black woman has had to endure and overcome hardships to make progress in America. Now,
in modern day American society, this suppression has continued and displaced Black women into
a category that is often overlooked, especially in the world of politics. Black women running for
public office are not likely to receive considerable recognition in comparison to their fair skinned
opponents.
In October of 2013, Letitia James won the position of public advocate to the city of New
York. Her victory was called a Historic Win by the New Amsterdam newspaper. Public
advocate is second in command to the mayor and many politicians use this position as a
stepping-stone to City Hall. Although regarded as a meaningless position to the one percent of
extremely wealthy New Yorkers, the position of Public Advocate provides a voice for the citizens
of New York that do not have the privilege of having direct contact with high-paid lobbyist or
those already in City Hall. During the race, Letitias opponent, Daniel Squadrant, had the luxury
of having the support of the senate and was typically given more media coverage in mass media
outlets such as The New York Times. Despite being outspent three to one, we won tonight, said

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James. Despite the tabloids going to bat for our opponent we won tonight. This media
coverage was depicted in the outcome of the race. Towns with higher minority populations and
lower wages gave Letitia their vote while towns that were primarily White and wealthy gave
Squadrant their votes. In the end, despite her challenges and lack of support due to her ethnicity
and womanhood, Letitia James saw victory. Historic Win, relays the message that something
extraordinary had happened. The word extraordinary is defined as being something that is not
normal, is infrequent, or happens on rare occasions. Typically throughout the trend of American
history, black women have had to be extraordinary to be given any positions of higher authority.
These were the women, such as Letitia, that had to work harder than most to escape the
stereotype that was already labeled on black women. The fact that something such as a Black
woman winning a relatively small position in the world of politics is considered a Historic Win
shows the detrimental effect that history in terms of Black women has today.
Moving forward, in an articled titled First African American Woman on the MN
Supreme Court, a similar situation to that of Letitia James took place in 2013. Published by The
ReUptake, Judge Wilhelmina M. Wrights accomplishments as a lawyer, judge, and now a judge
of the Supreme Court are outlined. Judge Wright graduated from Yale University with honors
and a bachelors degree in Arts. She then continued her education at Harvard Law School where
she would eventually receive her juris doctorate. As the first African American woman elected to
serve on the Minnesota Supreme Court, Wright has had to prove herself through countless years
of service to the community. After a little more than a century of freedom, and about fifty years
of equal civil rights, the Black community is finally seeing a shift in American society as it
progresses. However, the decision to elect Judge Wright into the Minnesota Supreme Court was
never clear. Governor Mark Dayton, who appointed Judge Wright to the MN Supreme Court

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said, It was a very difficult decision, as there were four superb candidates recommended So
what set Judge Wright apart? Could it just be that the appointing judge was seeking popularity or
recognition for placing a black woman in office? Governor Mark Dayton definitely benefited
from appointing a black woman into office. Governor Mark Dayton first appointment to
Minnesotas Supreme Court is making history, writes Michael Mcintee. Rather than praising or
giving credit to Judge Wright, the Governor is in the limelight. An action like this by mass media
outlets contributes to the undermining of black women in politics. When credit or homage is not
given when due, the cycle will continue and no one will think anything of it.
Going back in time, there are moments in American history that have helped shape the
society we live in today and have provided context for inequality to continue in all aspects of
life. Specifically speaking, following the era of reconstruction, blacks were introduced to a new
society where Jim Crow Law was the law of the land. These set of laws allowed for segregation,
discrimination, inequality, and the overall suppression of Blacks. One aspect of Jim Crow Law
was the need for literacy tests to determine whether or not a black was allowed to vote. Being
that at the time many Blacks had grandparents or parents who were sharecroppers and great
grandparents who could have been slaves, education and literacy were a luxury and not many
experienced it. This made it difficult for blacks to gain their vote even though they were allowed
it under the Constitution. Often times, literate Blacks who could pass the test were still not
allowed to vote primarily because they were black. In Mississippi, fewer than 9,000 of the
147,000 voting-age African Americans were registered, according to the Smithsonian National
museum of American History. The exclusion of African-American from right to vote has
contributed to the lack of recognition that Black women running for public office receive today
because as a whole, blacks and whites were unfamiliar with the idea of blacks voting, and the

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idea of voting for a Black woman was unheard of at the time. Although society has made
progress over the years, it has not been enough to close the gap between the recognition that
Black Women could have received had history played out differently. To see a change in
American society, the Black community must first make a change in its self.
Josie Pickens wrote, Understanding that many atrocities carried out against Black men
are also carries out against Black women means that we need you to use your voices, will and
power to demand justice for us. If Black women are going to seek change in American Society,
it is most important to have their communitys support. By changing the mindset of Blacks
across America and opening their eyes to more than what is covered in the news such as police
brutality, Black woman can start a movement for political equality and opportunity. Using the
strong influence and character of Black men, Black women can make their voices heard. As is
currently seen in the news, rallies against violence and police brutality receive massive attention
because typically the Black males are the leaders and are forcing the world to take notice. If the
same attention is given in order to make progress for Black women in politics, the view that
American society has on Black women that has hindered them from progressing can be
dramatically changed.
Moving forward, with evidence that Black women running for public office are
undermined in American society, the change needs to start now. America is no longer in a time
where the Constitution only gave rights and protections to some but not others. American
minorities have made tremendous progress to gain secure equality for their selves. Now the only
thing hindering further progress is the system upon which it was made okay to stereotype and
make judgments based on the color of someones skin. The system that allows for the
suppression of Blacks and does nothing to uplift people of color or make them equal to Whites.

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The system that only responds when mass movements are held to make a change. If a mass
movement is what is needed for Black women to gain the recognition in politics when running
for public office, then so be it.

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Work Cited
1.)

Johnson, Stephon. "Historic Win." New Amsterdam News, 09 Oct. 2013. Web.
23 Nov. 2015.

2.)

Mcintee, Michael. "First African American Woman On MN Supreme Court."

The UpTake. The UpTake, 20 Aug. 2012. Web. 05 Nov. 2015.

3.)

Harper, Douglas. "Northern Exclusion of Blacks." Northern Exclusion of

4.)

Blacks. N.p., 2003. Web. 30 Nov. 2015.

Pickens, Josie. "Dear Beloved Brothers." Ebony 17 Sept. 2015: n. page.
Ebony. Web. 1 Dec. 2015.