I am always on alert for stories about black women defying the odds. So, when the alert came from Cosmopolitan magazine… yeah, I was a bit intrigued. Like, are they about to piss me off with an article about “boxer braids” or some other form of cultural appropriation and try to pass it off as an in-depth perspective of black female life? I’m sorry but I see it so often so I was a bit hesitant. The headline grabbed my attention immediately “The U.S. Has Never Had A Black Female As Governor…” I didn’t need to the read any further than that.
The article goes on to introduce me to Stacey Abrams, Georgia politician making a run for Governor in 2018. The sister is ambitious, blatantly and I love it. After all, why not? In the article, she talks about ambition being used to undermine black women, “When people use the phrase ‘media darling’ as a pejorative, what they’re saying is I’ve done a good job of making people pay attention to a state they did not think they needed to pay attention to.”
Seeing black women on political stages is always a cause for celebration. And seeing a black woman achieve a historical appointment is just the nail needed to break the glass ceiling. What I love most about her is that her aspirations and ambitions are no different than that of any man. Yet, when it is that of a woman. A black woman at that, it is seemingly “out of the norm”. She is showing young black girls to have a “why not” attitude when it comes to reaching these seemingly unattainable goals. And for that, I have to say, “I Hear That Girl!”
Read more about Stacey Abrams and her candidacy by visiting her website, www.staceyabrams.com.
