Federal Reserve Board Governor Lisa Cook, who for several days has been targeted by Donald Trump, is just one Black woman on his hit list.
Cook is the first Black woman to serve on this distinguished board and the president, in a single letter denounced her, claiming that she has engaged in “criminal conduct” of mortgage fraud, which like so many of his allegations is baseless, and Cook has not been charged or convicted.
Of course, for Trump the accusations alone are enough to hold her accountable in his invidious universe. Cook is just the most recognized Black woman he is currently demeaning, mainly in a vain attempt to pressure the board to cut interest rates at its scheduled meeting later this month.
How many of you remember Fani Willis, the Fulton County District Attorney, who was targeted by Trump after she brought a racketeering indictment against him? As part of his vengeance, Trump said she had an affair with a gang member with no iota of validity.
There was also zero credibility to his attacks on Kamala Harris, Federal Judge Tanya Chutkan, Attorney General Letitia James, Mayor Karen Bass of Los Angeles, and Mayor Muriel Bowser of Washington, D.C.
For the most part, these are merely smear tactics, and even if they have no basis in reality, he has tarred them with his deceitful brush. There are other Black women elected officials who by now should be warned of his methods to impugn them, so take heed Mayor Barbara Lee of Oakland, he came perilously close with the deployment of National Guard troops in Los Angeles, and beware Mary Sheffield, who could possibly be the first Black woman mayor of Detroit.
As Shakespeare’s King Henry IV said, “Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown.” Even so, try not to worry or be dismayed. Remember Harriet Tubman, SoJourner Truth, Anna Julia Cooper, Shirley Chisholm, Mary McLeod Bethune, and Dorothy Height —- you come from a long line of courage, resolve, and resilience.