What a week! And please forgive me in advance, today’s newsletter is going to be overly US-centric and overly sentimental. But America may get a Black Girl president, which I never thought would happen in my lifetime, so bear with me.
Since Sunday, when Joe Biden dropped out of the US presidential race, and Kamala Harris took the top spot on the Democratic ticket, I have felt many emotions. From elation that a Black woman is a serious contender for POTUS—when in the past, that identity alone would have automatically disqualified her—to anxiety about the misogynoir so many of us have experienced and that Harris will inevitably be subjected to before a worldwide audience. I’ve also felt trepidation that this nomination is a treacherous glass cliff that is setting Harris up to do an impossible job—singlehandedly “fix” the US; to pride and joy as I shared virtual space with 44,000 other Black women on a Sunday night Zoom call. Together, under the auspices of Win With Black Women, we raised over $1.5 million dollars for a candidate whose leadership struggles we can intimately relate to.
But most of all, since Sunday, I’ve thought of Shirley Chisholm and been reminded that all of our efforts count, no matter the outcome.
In 1972, Chisholm became the first Black woman to seek the presidential nomination of a major political party in the US. This was a bold move, considering that it was only four years earlier, in 1986, that she became the first Black woman ever elected to Congress. Running under the slogan, “Unbought, Unbossed,” some might consider Chisholm’s candidacy a failure…she came nowhere near the White House. But she did expand the bounds of possibility and inspired others, from Jesse Jackson to Barack Obama and now Kamala Harris, to vie for the Oval Office. Not only that, she mentored legendary lawmakers like Barbara Lee and endowed us with wisdom in the form of adages like, “Be as bold as the first man or woman to eat an oyster.”
Most of us will never consider a presidential bid or running for office of any sort. But that doesn’t mean we can’t make a contribution to changing the status quo. How do we do that? The job that others may think you’re unqualified for, apply. The person you’re scared to put forward because they’re an “unusual suspect,” nominate them. The truth you’re embarrassed to share because of where you come from and who your people are, tell it. Because in daring to be ambitious, authentic, and our full selves, we inspire others to do the same. We may not win today, but we can enable someone to win tomorrow.
First name / Friend, I’m under no illusions that electing one person is a panacea for what ails us. I disagree with more than one of Harris’s policy propositions, and there are systemic issues that having a Black woman leader will not resolve. But with Harris’s candidacy and hopefully victory, I do think our collective vision of what leadership looks like, sounds like, and where it comes from will be expanded, which would be a win for us all.
If you’d like support on your leadership journey, consider coaching, book a discovery call today.
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