Last week revealed both progress and paradox in American politics.
In Virginia and New Jersey, women made history — both Democrats, Abigail Spanberger became the Commonwealth’s first female governor, and Mikie Sherrill broke barriers in the Garden State. Yet, as these victories were celebrated, Nancy Pelosi — arguably the most powerful woman in American political history — announced she would not seek re-election in 2026.
The contrast couldn’t be more apparent: while new glass ceilings are being shattered, the nation’s most lasting one — its refusal to elect a Black woman president — remains firmly in place.
Black women have served as the moral backbone of American democracy for generations, from Fannie Lou Hamer’s fearless organizing to Shirley Chisholm’s historic 1968 run for Congress and her 1972 presidential bid. Chisholm once said, “I’ve always met more discrimination being a woman than being Black. When I ran for Congress, when I ran for president, I met more discrimination as a woman.”
More than 50 years later, former Vice President Kamala Harris would confront the same harsh crossroads — judged not by her record, but through the skewed lens of race and gender.
Despite her experience as a prosecutor, senator, and vice president, Harris’s 2024 loss in the presidential election highlighted what Chisholm pointed out decades ago: that America still judges women — especially Black women — by standards it refuses to use for men.
Meanwhile, countries across Africa have demonstrated what gender equality in leadership looks like. Liberia elected Ellen Johnson Sirleaf nearly 20 years ago. Tanzania’s Samia Suluhu Hassan and Namibia’s Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah now lead with vision and stability.
If the world’s oldest democracy still cannot trust a Black woman with its highest office, what does that say about us? The wins in Virginia and New Jersey matter. However, until America elects a Black woman president, its promise of equality remains unfinished business.