More Black women are enjoying a record-breaking herstory of representation in statehouses.
According to the Center for American Women and Politics (CAWP), there are 2,412 women state legislators, which represents 32.7% of 7,383 seats. These numbers indicate a notable rise in the representation of women. And Black women, who are determined to bring their prowess to state legislature, have not only smashed records but also maintained the second group to secure the most seats.
Located at New Jersey’s Rutgers University, CAWP has collected data on the women serving in state legislatures according to their race and ethnicity. Statehouses are comprised of 372 Black women; 367 are Democrats, three are Republicans, and two are independents. White women, on the other hand, make up 1,728 seats. In addition, 190 Latinas hold seats in the state legislature as well as 36 Native American women.
In 2022, Black women’s previous record was 368 before the election. Today, we are witnessing the most Black women ever to have served in America’s statehouses, which are still heavily represented by white men.
Kelly Dittmar, director of research and scholar at CAWP, says the increase may be attributed to “self-selection” as well as “recruitment and targeted efforts to encourage these women to run” for office, The 19th News reported.
However, such gains are not evident in all states, including South Carolina. The Palmetto State saw a decline in Black women state legislators when the number went from 13 Democrats to six Democrats and one independent, per the news outlet.
Moreover, Black women are still underrepresented in states where they represent a larger proportion of the population. In Mississippi, for instance, Black women make up just over 19.3% of the population but about 7.4% of the state legislature. A whopping 16.8% of Black women in Louisiana make up about 5.5% of the state legislature.
In 2021, Krystal Leaphart, operations and policy associate for NOBEL Women, opined that the previous ascension of Black women in statehouses was “woefully inadequate,” telling The 19th News that the underrepresentation directly affected “what policy proposals actually advance in areas, including healthcare, the economy, and issues that intersect with social justice.”
In a previous story, BLACK ENTERPRISE reported that Black women hit records as candidates for the U.S. House, U.S. Senate, and governorships in the 2022 midterm elections. There was an all-time high of at least 134 Black women major-party candidates for the U.S. House of Representatives. Of them, 105 were Democrats and 29 were Republicans.
And yet no Black woman has ever been elected governor, and no Black women are serving in the U.S. Senate after Kamala Harris vacated her seat to become vice president. Politico remains hopeful that Democrats have a chance to send more Black women to the Senate in 2024 than have ever served in the chamber in its 234-year history.
Former Sen. Carol Moseley Braun (D-Ill.), the first of only two Black women elected to the Senate, has a challenge for the Democratic Party so that it may avoid the “pitfalls of last cycle.”
“The Democratic Party has got to come to Jesus, if you will, and figure out what they really stand for. They talk about Black women being the base. It’s one thing to talk about somebody being your base and then turn around and not return the favor when Black women are trying to get elected,” she told Politico.
Black women who run for statewide office face unique challenges. They are tainted with the perception that they can’t win or serve Republican states, so they typically run as Democratic candidates. And in addition to the traditional obstacles, such as difficulties in fundraising and gaining support from party leaders, they also contend with persistent racism and sexism. But at least for now, they are gaining in power and influence.