Black Women are constantly rescuing Americans. From Mahalia Jackson shouting to Martin Luther King, Jr. "tell 'em about the dream" when his speech was becoming awkward, to Aibeleen and Minny "helping" Skeeter get a good job, to Beyoncé buoying Eminem's latest single, Black Women lift others. Black Women, in their knowledge, courage, and solidarity, are magic. Last night in Alabama's special senatorial election, Black Women did it again, with 98% voting in favor of Democrat Doug Jones. Essence.com did an awesome job capturing this glorious moment. Warning, there are numbers ahead.
Doug Jones - 49.9%
Roy Moore - 48.4%
Black Women were 17% of the vote which means Jones only received around 33% of the entire voting bloc outside of Black Women. Doug Jones' campaign got virtually ALL of black women votes. Not only Black educated Women or Black Women who watched The Real or Black Women who rode horses (yes, I know I'm being petty). Black Women didn't vote against their own interests or against one another in the voting booth (looking at you 2016 white women voters). But Black Women, in a near unanimous decision, pointed their finger toward the white guy in the blue tie and said "we want that one" and Alabama took him off the shelf.
The moral and spiritual repugnancy is that Black Women continue to HAVE to save the rest of us from ourselves. True, this time Black men voters listened to their nanas, mothers, sisters, and lovers, voting overwhelmingly for Jones too, but the overall race was this close for an alleged pedohile? A xenophobe? As a warm-blooded, medulla oblongata-having mammal, if eight women said they were abused by someone, that person would immediately become disqualified as a candidate. A company wouldn't hire a CEO with those kind of accusations. A PTA wouldn't let that person bring paper plates. Yet, 48% of Alabama voters chose him to be the CEO and paper plate-bringer of their state. We can't forget whiteness, sexism, homophobia, Islamophobia and more are still at their American best.
This highlights the more salvific nature of Black Women. They continue to keep rescuing us. It was Black Women who voted overwhelmingly against this current president. A Black Woman risked her career without a hashtag movement behind her to tell us sexual harassment in the workplace was real (#AnitaHill). In this Advent season I'm also reminded that a woman of color first received the word from the angel that the messiah was on the way - through her.
Now, it's time to vote for THEM. To put up Black Women candidates and give them the kind of support that Black Women have often given to others. Hopefully, we are ready to listen. Ashley Gilmore, another notable Black Woman who I am grateful to be married to, said it to me this way today, “Listen to Black Women. It will save your life.”
The moral and spiritual repugnancy is that Black Women continue to HAVE to save the rest of us from ourselves. True, this time Black men voters listened to their nanas, mothers, sisters, and lovers, voting overwhelmingly for Jones too, but the overall race was this close for an alleged pedohile? A xenophobe? As a warm-blooded, medulla oblongata-having mammal, if eight women said they were abused by someone, that person would immediately become disqualified as a candidate. A company wouldn't hire a CEO with those kind of accusations. A PTA wouldn't let that person bring paper plates. Yet, 48% of Alabama voters chose him to be the CEO and paper plate-bringer of their state. We can't forget whiteness, sexism, homophobia, Islamophobia and more are still at their American best.
This highlights the more salvific nature of Black Women. They continue to keep rescuing us. It was Black Women who voted overwhelmingly against this current president. A Black Woman risked her career without a hashtag movement behind her to tell us sexual harassment in the workplace was real (#AnitaHill). In this Advent season I'm also reminded that a woman of color first received the word from the angel that the messiah was on the way - through her.
Now, it's time to vote for THEM. To put up Black Women candidates and give them the kind of support that Black Women have often given to others. Hopefully, we are ready to listen. Ashley Gilmore, another notable Black Woman who I am grateful to be married to, said it to me this way today, “Listen to Black Women. It will save your life.”
