100 Years After the 19th Amendment, Taking Stock of Black Women’s Political Power - Women’s Media Center

  • 📰 womensmediacntr
  • ⏱ Reading Time:
  • 71 sec. here
  • 3 min. at publisher
  • 📊 Qulity Score:
  • News: 32%
  • Publisher: 53%

“ Exercising the right to vote has once again become a matter of life and death, especially for Black and Latinx Americans, whose rates of illness and death from COVID-19 outpace those of Americans generally.”

United States Headlines News

United States Latest News, United States Headlines

Voting rights advocate and National Council of Negro Women founder Mary Mary McLeod Bethune wielded power in the Roosevelt administration. Congresswoman Val Demings cites the fellow Floridian as an inspiration in her political career. Vanguard: How Black Women Broke Barriers, Won the Vote, and Insisted on Equality for AllIt’s a broad swath of time, and still I often get asked whether anything has changed for Black women in politics since the 1920 ratification of the 19th Amendment.

The parallels between the voter suppression of the 1920s and that of today are important. In 2020, some state lawmakers have re-enacted voter suppression laws that are neutral on their face, but discriminatory in their effect. Voter ID requirements, the purging of voter rolls, and the shuttering of polling places all are imposed through the discretion of state and local officials who disadvantage voters of color, including Black women.

Black women in Congress were but a dream in 1920. At that time, too many white Americans remained committed to defending a white man and woman’s republic, one in which Black Americans were relegated to the margins of politics if not excluded altogether. That scheme was thwarted only by Black women who turned out at the polls in states like California, Illinois, and New York even before 1920, proving their commitment to influencing parties and elections.

Today, Black women in politics stand upon the shoulders of these early voting rights champions. They drive the outcomes of critically tight races such as that in 2017 Alabama. There, 98% of Black women voters turned out to cast their ballots for U.S. Senate candidate Doug Jones, making the difference in a contest that flipped that seat from red to blue. Those vying for public office were put on notice: Black women will organize to vote as a bloc and then turn out on Election Day.

We have summarized this news so that you can read it quickly. If you are interested in the news, you can read the full text here. Read more:

 /  🏆 397. in US
 

Thank you for your comment. Your comment will be published after being reviewed.
Please try again later.

No ma’am you’re lying. Why don’t you work hard in black history telling these stories

RepValDemings I'm still voting in person. Wear a mask.

Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.

Why Meghan Markle wanted to interview The 19th*'s Emily RamshawOne of the first public appearances by Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, since stepping back from the British royal family in January will be as an interviewer Good for the homewrecker. Whos paying the security bill Who cares
Source: CNN - 🏆 4. / 95 Read more »

This CBD Company Was Founded by 3 Black Women, and They're Transforming the Industry.BROWNGIRLjane is a CBD collection centering women of color helping them find wholeness and wellness in every aspect of life.
Source: POPSUGAR Fitness - 🏆 401. / 53 Read more »

Black Women's Equal Pay Day: Black women won't reach equal pay with white men until 2130, report findsBlack women will not achieve equal pay with white men for at least another century, according to a report. lol ...so how did Oprah Winfrey get so RICH ?! 8( $$$$$$$$$__ Cannon Hinnant.
Source: ABC - 🏆 471. / 51 Read more »

Black Women's Equal Pay Day highlights how black women lose nearly $1M over their careersThursday, Aug. 13, marks how far into the year Black women working full time need to work to earn what their white male counterparts earned in 2019. But the study was done by women so.... I call 🐂💩. ppl still believe in the wage gap yikes
Source: USATODAY - 🏆 100. / 63 Read more »

Beyond BurnoutWe spoke to five Black women about the jobs that were burning them out, what their bodies were telling them about the stress they were under, and how they coped Is it only Black women who are under stress?
Source: NYMag - 🏆 111. / 63 Read more »

Black women were already dealing with a wide wage gap. Then came the pandemic and recession.Today is Black Women's Equal Pay Day. Here's how the recession will affect the pay gap even further. Black lives matter🙏 NBC in case you did not know it the pandemic will affect all people for years to come.......not just black women.......
Source: NBCNews - 🏆 10. / 86 Read more »