Op-ed: Reclaiming My Time: Why We Need to Address The Systemic Barriers Faced By Black Women In Politics

RepresentWomen's Marvelous Maeze, Reclaiming My Time: Why We Need to Address The Systemic Barriers Faced By Black Women In Politics by RepresentWomen's Marvelous Maeze was published by Ms. magazine on May 28, 2024. Read an excerpt below:

As a Black woman, witnessing other Black women in elected roles is not only significant, but powerful. Signifying transformative progress, it goes beyond mere resemblance: it’s a recognition of our challenges, our resilience and our capacity to drive successful outcomes in this nation.

Throughout history, Black women have faced marginalization, dismissal and underestimation. We’ve had to fight twice as hard to gain half as much recognition, to be viewed as capable leaders, and to have our voices heard in decision-making forums. When I witness Black women breaking through these barriers to assume positions of influence in government, it reaffirms our determination and strength.

My work as a research associate with RepresentWomen has been conflicting at times. Often, tried and true methodologies have had the unintended outcome of being biased, exclusionary or reductive. This starts at the educational level. The way that we learn about politics excludes Black women. If we are included, we are lumped together with all women of color. So, it’s no wonder we take a monolithic approach to researching non-white women in politics. However, to effectuate meaningful change, we must employ a nuanced approach that focuses exclusively on the barriers that Black women candidates face. From this, we can suggest actionable solutions to increase the representation of Black women in U.S. politics.

Read the complete article here.

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