As Black women hold significant spending and political influence today, we remain under-represented in key leadership positions in corporate and political organizations. According to a report released in June 2014 entitled, Status of Black Women in American Politics, we drive spending of 85 cents to every dollar in the Black community; we are 58.6% of the voters in Black communities. However, we aren’t leading and shaping the discourse in these areas.
The study found Black women are underrepresented at all levels of political office.
Source: Executive Summary
Despite surpassing all race and gender subgroups in voter turnout in 2008 and 2012, Black women are building it, but we are not running it.
The report concludes, there is a dire need to recruit, support, and elect Black women. Moreover, there’s a need to prepare Black Women with the proper training and support to increase representation in many fields of leadership. Experts concluded that race and gender combined with the additional inter-sectionally, of the two, create challenging circumstances for Black Women. Specially, stereotypes. Consequentially, peers are less likely to view Black women as competent.
Read the full report.
Photo Credit: Shirley Chisholm, PBS.org
