{"id":16884,"date":"2025-08-14T23:09:37","date_gmt":"2025-08-14T23:09:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/?p=16884"},"modified":"2025-08-14T23:09:37","modified_gmt":"2025-08-14T23:09:37","slug":"black-women-are-leading-cities-and-shaping-the-future-of-democracy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/2025\/08\/14\/black-women-are-leading-cities-and-shaping-the-future-of-democracy\/","title":{"rendered":"Black Women Are Leading Cities and Shaping the Future of Democracy"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Glynda C. Carr
\n<\/strong>Guest Column<\/strong><\/p>\n

In 2014, when Higher Heights for America and the Center for American Women in Politics released our first report on the status of Black women in American politics, the data confirmed what we already knew: Black women were underrepresented at every level of government. But we were also organizing, running, and winning , often without the institutional support our leadership deserved.<\/p>\n

More than a decade later, our just-released\u00a02025 Black Women in American Politics Report<\/a>\u00a0shows how far we\u2019ve come. The United States has seen a steady increase in the number of Black women running, winning, and leading in elected representation. As of this year, eight of the 37 women leading America\u2019s 100 largest cities are Black. That\u2019s more than a third of all women mayors in major cities,\u00a0clear evidence of not just progress, but momentum.<\/p>\n

Black women aren\u2019t just running for office; we are building power, transforming institutions, and governing through some of our country\u2019s most complex crises. In Charlotte, New Orleans, and Los Angeles, Black women mayors have led their cities through natural disasters, public health emergencies, and historic uprisings for racial justice \u2014 with calm, competence, and community at the center of their leadership.<\/p>\n

This moment didn\u2019t happen by accident. It is the result of more than a decade of intentional investment in a leadership pipeline designed by and for Black women.<\/p>\n

Many of today\u2019s Black women mayors previously served as city council members, council presidents, or congressional representatives. They now stand poised for higher office, backed by a strong, purpose-built pipeline.<\/p>\n

In Charlotte, Mayor Vi Lyles,\u00a0a former city council president,\u00a0is seeking her third term after decisive re-election victories. In Jersey City, Council President Joyce Waterman is running to become the city\u2019s first Black woman mayor. In Detroit, two Black women, current Council President Mary Sheffield and former Council President Saunteel Jenkins,\u00a0are vying to lead one of the country\u2019s most iconic cities. And in our nation\u2019s capital and the birthplace of American democracy, Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser and Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker both began their political careers on city councils before rising to lead their cities.<\/p>\n

These women are more than candidates; they are crisis-tested leaders who govern at the intersection of policy and lived experience. They center equity, engage communities, and address not just the symptoms but the root causes of systemic injustice.<\/p>\n

Yet despite this progress, the numbers still don\u2019t match the need. Black women make up nearly eight percent of the U.S. population but hold a disproportionately small share of elected offices at every level of government. We are leading in spite of the system, not because of it.<\/p>\n

So we must ask: What more could Black women do if we were fully resourced? Fully supported? Fully believed in?<\/p>\n

The stakes are high. We are at a political crossroads where our democracy demands bold leadership grounded in accountability, justice, and vision. Black women are already doing this work, but we cannot do it alone.<\/p>\n

This is a call to action for political institutions, donors, and voters: Invest in Black women. Not just when we are breaking barriers or making history, but every day in between. Build and sustain the infrastructure that allows us not only to run but to win\u00a0and to govern effectively.<\/p>\n

Because here\u2019s the truth: The future of American leadership is being shaped in city halls across this country by Black women. And if we stay the course,\u00a0if we keep building, supporting, and believing,\u00a0the next decade won\u2019t just be defined by \u201cfirsts.\u201d It will be defined by Black women shaping a democracy as powerful, inclusive, and visionary as we are.<\/p>\n

Higher Heights for America, a 501(c)(4) organization, and its connected federal political action committee, Higher Heights for America PAC, which works to expand Black women\u2019s elected representation and voting participation. Learn more at\u00a0<\/em>https:\/\/www.higherheightsforamerica.org.<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Glynda C. Carr Guest Column In 2014, when Higher Heights for America and the Center for American Women in Politics released our first report on the status of Black women in American politics, the data confirmed what we already knew: Black women were underrepresented at every level of government. But we were also organizing, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":16885,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[252],"tags":[],"wf_post_folders":[306],"class_list":["post-16884","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-politics"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16884","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16884"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16884\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":16886,"href":"http:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16884\/revisions\/16886"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/16885"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16884"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16884"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16884"},{"taxonomy":"wf_post_folders","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/wf_post_folders?post=16884"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}