Since the dawn of time, black women, despite our circumstances, have fought to save this country from its patriarchal, white supremacist ways. And yet, despite our best efforts, we are continually left behind when it comes to representation in political offices.

According to The Chisholm Effect: Black Women in American Politics 2018, written by Higher Heights Leadership Fund, despite being 7.3% of the population in the United States, only 3.7% of the 7,383 our state legislators are Black women. No black woman has ever been elected governor in this country. In Florida, there are only 9 Black women legislators in a legislature of 160 people (who, of course, are predominantly white or white-passing men). And to top it all off, in states like Alaska, Hawaii, Montana, North and South Dakota, Nebraska, and Wyoming there are no black women represented in their state legislature.

Despite these glaring inequities, black women have consistently shown up at the polls as the most reliable voters, voting at the highest rate of any other racial or demographic group. And more often than not, we show up to support progressive candidates. For example, In Alabama, black women at the polls saved the state from a pedophile in power. And in Florida, black women showed up to carry the weight of not electing a sexual assailant xenophobe as President.

So how long will it take people to trust the leadership of black women? How many more centuries will we have to prove that we are beyond capable of leading in ways that impact everyone for the better?

And let’s be clear, like Zora Neale Hurston so poignantly said, “All my skinfolk ain’t kinfolk.” In other words: we already know that not all black women will have our best interest at the forefront… but for the most part, we seem to be doing the damn thang. The progressive, civically engaged, doing the most for the most people damn thang.

Kilan Bishop, a black woman, and local South Florida political operative said, “We aren’t considered universally strong candidates, especially here in South Florida. We are relegated to certain neighborhoods, districts, municipalities, basically wherever black people live is where we are expected to run… As black women, we also have very little room for imperfection in these spaces, we are not privileged to commit any impropriety without risking our seat at the table.” She went on to say, "Politics is a game of access and resources… we need to establish what the f*ck we want, and when the f*ck we want it and hold people to that… Most black women, due to lived experience, can and should be a moral compass in a moral void… We can and should raise the black girls of today to be the free black women of tomorrow, unapologetically leveraging our political power to improve our condition and the conditions of others."

Rich white “heterosexual” men dominating government just won’t cut it anymore. They are not the barometer for the needs of the many and have clearly proven themselves as slaves to the few. We need more representation in race, gender, sexuality, sexual expression, class, ability, and religion. Could you imagine having bodies of government that actually represented the interests of the people they serve?? A group of representatives that knew what it was to be homeless, hungry, poor, Black, trans, woman?

Daily, black women and girls are fighting an infinite battle against racism, sexism, capitalism, and patriarchy. In 2018 and beyond, we cannot yield and we must unapologetically flex our power to change the outcomes for the women and girls that hold this country together. Our Black girls deserve dignity in the public school system. Our poor black elders deserve affordable housing. Our pregnant black mothers deserve dignity in their choices regarding their wombs. Our queer and trans black women deserve to exist free from harassment and discrimination. Domestic workers deserve protection for their wages.

In South Florida, we are training up a new generation of voters and strategists that are willing and ready to say no more attacks on our bodies, our homes, and our families. We are here to push a “Femme Agenda.” An agenda that knows that by centering the stories, the struggle, the power of black women and girls, we will find our way to freedom in this lifetime.

The work of black women is life-giving and sustaining for generations. History has shown us that when we win, everyone wins.

Florida, are you ready for the explosive power of Black women? If so, then join us at “Here Comes the Boom: An Assembly for Black Women and Girls” on June 22-23 at the Miami-Dade College Wolfson Campus.

Jasmen Rogers

Writing since June 2018 · 1 story contributed