African American Women in Politics

In 1969, a little over 50 years ago, Shirley Chisholm was sworn in as the first African American woman to serve in Congress as a congressional representative for Brooklyn, NY. Since that time, African American women have made significant gains in politics. However, even though African American women are being elected in record numbers (at a rate that has outpaced African American men), it is still difficult for African American women to secure high-profile offices at both the state and national level. And while the Black female electorate is recognized as a valuable voting block, many of the issues that are of particular importance to Black women are still the most likely to be overlooked when elected official make policy-making decisions. On this show, we discussed African American women in politics with Chief Justice Cheri Beasley, the first African American woman Chief Justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court; Jessica Holmes, Attorney and Chair, Wake County Board of Commissioners, and a candidate for NC Commissioner of Labor; and Erika Wilson, Law Professor at UNC-Chapel Hill School of Law.