The unpaid work of Black women is the foundation of this country’s economic and political structures. Despite the significance of our contributions, our work must be more consistently valued and equitably paid. It is a tradition that we must be intentional about how Black women are honored, celebrated, supported and protected.
During Trevor Noah’s sign-off from “The Daily Show” on December 8, 2022, after a seven-year sent, he gave a special shout-out to Black women, saying that “if you truly want to learn about America, talk to Black women ’cause, unlike everybody else, Blackwomen can’t afford to fxck around and find out.”
He went on to encourage viewers/listeners that if “you truly want to know what to do or how to do it or maybe the best way or the most equitable way, talk (and listen) to Black women.”
What had been lost over the last several years in these viral moments of #ThankBlackWomen and #MeToo is the in-depth analysis and discussion about the inaccurate generalization about Black women’s homogeneity with respect to our needs and experience(s).
Not all Black women have the same reality. In fact, there is significant variation in our experiences based on our choices—rational or circumstantial—regarding the issues that are important to us, to our families and to our community.
However, energizing and motivating Black women to continue to make gains in companies, politics, institutions, communities, etc., is grounded in a common reality that both racial and economic justices are integral priorities for us all.
Black women are capable of leading in all spaces well into the future. Our power is in our unique lived experiences, the diversity of perspectives and our tradition of leading successful fights for justice.
It is the challenge of the workplaces, political institutions and communities at large to stop underusing us as leaders. It is our challenge to refrain from growing silent in the face of opposition or becoming complacent with personal success.
We must continue to speak up about the ways that racism and sexism affect the lives of all working people and remain vigilant in holding the feet of movements, organizations, politicians, etc., to the fire to eradicate these issues.
To that end, many organizations, institutions and political spaces have been taking on new projects and conducting experiments for the development of an evidence-based framework to build Black women’s power.
By shaping a racial and economic justice analysis and agenda, organizations have aimed to ensure that Black women are no longer left behind in organizations, our communities or the nation.
Here are some of the major highlights from 2022.
- Ketanji Onyika Brown Jackson is a Black woman and American jurist who serves as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. Jackson was nominated to the Supreme Court by President Joe Biden on February 25, 2022. She was confirmed by the United States Senate on April 7, 2022, and sworn into office on June 30, 2022.
- Claudine Gay, a Black woman, was elected President of Harvard University, on December 15, 2022, and will take office on July 1, 2023.
Black women were among the most effective, whether they won or lost, in standing up against Trumpism and extremism, and were, more than other candidates, targeted with an onslaught of dark money attacks during the 2022 midterms:
- Summer Lee became the first Black woman elected to Congress from Pennsylvania.
- Emilia Sykes is the third Black woman to represent Ohio’s House delegation. Sykes’s win in Ohio’s 13th Congressional District now means that three Black women will be serving in the state’s U.S. House delegation (along with U.S. Reps. Joyce Beatty and Shontel Brown).
- Andrea Campbell was elected as the state of Massachusetts’ first Black female attorney general and the first Black woman ever elected to statewide office.
- California’s Malia Cohen was elected as the new state’s controller, a position that oversees the world’s fourth-largest economy.
A number of Black female members of Congress were elected for another two years—something that should not be overlooked this election cycle. Black women were pivotal and remain pivotal as leaders who are affecting the balance of power between Republicans and Democrats:
- Ayanna Pressley in Massachusetts
- Lisa Blunt Rochester in Delaware
- Jahana Hayes in Connecticut
- Lauren Underwood in Illinois
While Val Demings, Cheri Beasleys and Stacey Abrams lost their races, it would be a mistake for anyone of any party to write off these powerful Black women. They have a tremendous amount of support, and they’ve done it by actually meeting people in the streets, meeting them where they are, understanding their problems and bringing solutions.
Continued investment, partnerships and grants to support Black women and girls and Black women-led organizations were seen from:
- Goldman Sachs
- Black Girls Freedom Fund
- Black Girl Ventures
When we fight to raise the economic conditions and strengthen the workplace protections afforded to Black women, we improve outcomes for Black families, Black communities and everyone else, too. As a result, we improve our chances of having fully realized the American dream. If Black women don’t get justice, then it will remain elusive for all.
Dr. Kerry Mitchell Brown is an Equity Strategist and scholar-practitioner who holds a PhD in Organizations and Management, an MBA, and a BSBA in Finance, and is a Gestalt OSD Certified Practitioner.
For more than 20 years, Brown has facilitated discussions and group learning in progressive, social justice, nonprofit, higher education and Fortune 100 organizations about sensitive topics, such as the intersections of race/racism, gender/sexism and privilege/class, as well as politics, democracy and other social justice issues.