Tag: Kimberly Peeler-Allen

(CNN)In her speech after winning the Democratic primary Tuesday night, Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams expressed a bone-deep understanding of the political moment that so many black women have already grasped -- first in private conversations between one another and now, increasingly, with the Democratic power structure that has struggled to see black women as the capable, ready leaders they are. "And now is a time to defend our values and protect the vulnerable -- to stand in the gap and lead the way." Fifty years after Shirley Chisholm's historic run -- and win -- as the first black woman elected to Congress, Abrams, who received 76% of the Democratic primary vote, is now positioned potentially to become the first black woman to serve as a US governor. Abrams' victory -- as stunning as it may appear to some -- was wholly predictable and part of an emerging pattern: Black women are seizing on this shift and delivering critical wins to progressives as organizers and voters in states such as Virginia and Alabama -- and now as candidates in places such as Georgia and Illinois. Lucy McBath, an activist who lost her son to gun violence, will be on the ballot. McBath came in first in a crowded field, but she will have to face a primary runoff in July. If she wins, she'll be angling to represent a largely white district. Each of these women has the kind of experience to represent the people effectively, and they are prepared, as Abrams said, to stand in the gap and lead the way. 2018 is shaping up to be the year that black women break through and change the face of political leadership in this country. Black women have proven themselves at the polls, on the trail, in office and behind the scenes of democracy -- now it's time to vote, volunteer and donate to support black women who are prepared to lead this country boldly into the future.