black women in politics
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#BlackGirlMagic: A Black Woman’s Set to Make History Today By Being Elected Mayor of Chicago
No matter which way the wind blows in Chicago today, voters will make history by electing a black woman mayor. Lori Lightfoot, a former federal prosecutor, and Toni Preckwinkle, president of the Cook County Board, face off at the polls in a runoff after being the top two finishers in a contest of 14 contenders…
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What Tennessee—and the Country—Can Learn from London Lamar, the State's Youngest Black Woman Lawmaker
By the time Tennessee representative London Lamar tells me she’s “a softy and a sweet person,” she had already removed all doubt. The ambitious lawmaker—the youngest black woman in the Tennessee state House by more than 30 years—has a demeanor that reminds me of spiced honey: sweet and soothing, but not afraid to kick. She’s…
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Taking the Seat and the Table, Too: What Valuing Black Women in Politics Looks Like
In a posh ballroom overlooking Central Park on Manhattan’s Upper West Side, a hushed roomful of state and local elected officials from across the country gathered for a 9 a.m. Sunday session. It was the sort of weekend conference that routinely fills banquet rooms across the country, but it was remarkable for one simple fact:…
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What It Means That a Black Woman Is Leading Julián Castro’s Campaign for President
WASHINGTON, D.C.—When Maya Rupert walked into then-Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julián Castro’s office with a tricky problem to solve, she expected some resistance. It was November 2015, and the agency had long been mulling a rule that would require HUD-funded shelters to accept transgender people under their proper genders, not the ones they were…
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Black Hair Matters: The Affirmative Power of Politicians Like Ayanna Pressley and Stacey Abrams
When Ayanna Pressley got her Senegalese twists done for the first time about three years ago, it was a moment of affirmation and recognition. “I just really loved it,” she told The Glow Up. “I felt my most authentic and powerful self.” Speaking over the phone this past September, Pressley explained that when she was…
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Grown-ish Is Cute, But Yara Shahidi Wants You to Get Politically Involved
Don’t ask Yara Shahidi to choose between being an ingenue and a serious intellectual; the 18-year-old is already one of several young black actresses breaking the mold when it comes to young Hollywood talent—not only for being non-messy, but for being socially conscious and civically-minded. In a cover story for the August 8 issue of…
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Having Our Say and Reclaiming Our Time: What Social Media Has to Say About Black Women's Equal Pay Day
As part of the recognition of Black Women’s Equal Pay Day 2018, a social media storm is planned for 2 p.m. EDT today, August 7. But in advance of us breaking the internet raising our voices in protest of this deeply intersectional inequality, The Glow Up—which is for, by and about black women—thought we’d take…
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Is America Ready to Recognize Black Women's Transformational Power?
Black women, as a political force, as cultural drivers and influencers, have arguably never been more visible in American political culture. They helped Doug Jones win a Senate seat over Republican judge (and accused pedophile) Roy Moore. They are among the left’s most reliable voting blocs and will be key to Democrats’ hopes this November.…
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Glamour Magazine Shines the Spotlight on the Historic Number of Black Women Who Are Candidates in Alabama
Sisters are doin’ it for themselves, y’all. To date, approximately 603 black women are currently running for political office in the United States; in Alabama, a record 70 of the state’s 2018 candidates are black women (only two of which are Republican). Glamour magazine is featuring 18 of these hopefuls in its June/July issue, due…