On a significant Sunday evening, Symone Sanders-Townsend unveiled a groundbreaking program on MSNBC “Black Women in America: The Road to 2024”.
Symone rose to prominence in 2016 as the national press secretary for U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders’s then-presidential campaign. She is the co-host of MSNBC’s The Weekend and is a welcomed new face and voice to the television world of pundits. It was excellent, featuring a variety of discussions from Black women in the nail salon, wealthy women and highly educated women living in the suburbs, patrons of Essence Fest in New Orleans, and the national Black women politicos who have elevated through the ranks of politics to the very top from being Chief of Staff for the Vice President, to chair the Democratic Party. All the women in this segment have made historic strides in leadership roles in the Democratic Party.
Minyon Moore, the chair of this year’s Democratic National Convention, made a poignant point in the discussion that captured me and answered many out-loud questions. She said, “We have not seen a woman president. We have to define what that looks like.” Of course, she was speaking of Democratic candidate Kamala Harris.
We still work against the stereotype of women at large and, particularly, the stereotype of a Black woman. Women are still thought to be not challenging enough, not strong enough, and maybe not even intelligent enough to be President. The overall question is, what does a woman in leadership look like? The silent question is, is a woman ready to be the most powerful person on the planet to make war and peace decisions? The question is, is a woman mighty enough to be Commander In Chief? The stereotype is that the little woman is the secretary to the boss and maybe runs a good household or is the assistant. This is the stereotype of women still.
These stereotypes of Black women, deeply ingrained in our society, pose significant challenges. Are we ready for the mainstream? Are we prepared to run the entire company? Are we the diversity fulfillment? Are we a twofer? Will we be fair to men and perform for all of the people? What should she wear? Should she or should she not wear high heels or casual flats?
I found Moore’s question the unanswered question of the campaign, yet it is at the top of the American mind. The honest answer is that the image of Harris is being answered every day right before our eyes. She is winning. She is raising more money than any candidate ever and has mounted a campaign in 90 days. Is she debating? We have never seen anything like this campaign. It is not Obamish. It is different than Hillary. AT best, I saw the energy momentum comparable to the Jesse Jackson campaign 1988. The energy is akin.
The press pressures Kamala for interviews. She picks and choose and continues campaigning with rallies and massive meetings. She wins and will do the sought-after interviews when and if she sees fit. She is in charge of the campaign; the campaign is not in charge of her.
Every day, we witness her redefine the concept of a woman president. She redefines female leadership. As she describes the new role, women rise, demonstrating resilience in the face of these stereotypes.
