AfriKin women are powerhouses in themselves. African American women have an essential role in developing America’s economic, political, and cultural landscape into what it is today. And since 1976, all US presidents have designated February as Black History Month and in March 1987 welcomed International Women History Month to honor the resilience and achievements of the respective communities.
In black history, women of color have faced double discrimination because of their race and gender in politics. Many women politicians have emerged as pioneers in specific fields. The hard-earned glory of some Trailblazing AfriKin Women is listed below.
America – From First Black Woman House of Representative Shirley Chisholm to Vice President Kamala Harris
Shirley Chisholm– Black history will remember the presidential bid of Chisholm for her speech power and her indomitable spirit. Moreover, her brutal honesty about racism, sexist politics, women empowerment, and the state of the country. Senator Kamala Harris becomes her running mate, putting a black woman on the president’s ticket for the first time.
Kamala Harris– was a Democratic presidential nominee before being cast as President Biden’s running mate. She is one of many black women who have sought the highest position in the country, despite their great potential. Black women who followed Chisholm’s footsteps from Congress to the Democratic primary, including Illinois Senator Carol Moseley Braun and Harris herself, saw no further success. Harris was one of the first members to retire in December 2019 in the 2020 Democratic primary. Kamala made history in January 2020 while becoming the first female, black, and Asian vice president in the United States.
Caribbean – From Prime Minister Eugenia Charles of Dominica to Prime Minister of Barbados – Mia Mottley
Eugenia Charles- Charles was the Prime Minister from 1980-1995 of Dominica. She was the first woman to be elected head of government in the United States and created her legacy as the longest-serving female prime minister in the Caribbean and the second longest-serving prime minister. In Dominica, she was also the third longest-lived female prime minister globally. After Indira Gandhi in India and Sirimavo Bandaranaike in Sri Lanka.
Mia Motley– Mia Motley is the Prime Minister of Barbados. She was the leader and parliamentarian of the opposition Barbados Labor Party (BLP) from 2008 to 2010 and 2013 to 2018. From 1994 to 2008, she held various ministers, including Deputy Prime Minister, Attorney General, Interior Minister, Education Minister, and Economic Development Minister. House, a member of the Barbados National Security Council and the Defense Council, led the Youth Entrepreneurship Program and the National Youth Development Program.
Africa – From first woman President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf of Liberia to Newly appointed President of Tanzania – Samia Suluhu
Ellen Johnson Sirleaf- Liberia’s Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, dubbed the “African Iron Lady,” made history. When she became the first female president to be elected on the African continent in 2005. The economist, a former international civil servant, and finance minister, received the second term in 2011. She also received the same year’s Nobel Peace Prize. She resigned in 2018 at the end of her second term.
Sirleaf maintained peace in a West African country devastated by the civil war, but her economic records are weak, and extreme poverty continues. Joyce Banda became Malawi’s first female president in 2012, and she became vice president after the death of Bingu wa Mutharika.
She left the country under the clouds in 2014 after losing the presidential election and facing a cross-examination about a corruption scandal known as the “cash gate.” She later returned to Malawi after four years of asylum. In 2014 Catherine Samba-Panza was elected interim president. When the country was on the verge of civil war and held that position until 2016.
Samia Suluhu– First elected Magufuli’s Vice President in 2015, she was re-elected with him last year and is expected to play a leading role in the remaining five-year term Constitution.
She will be Africa’s only current female national Leader-President Ethiopia is primarily a ceremonial role-and joins a shortlist of women on the continent who led their country.
The 61-year-old is known in Tanzanian culture with her affection as Mama Samia. This reflects respect for her, rather than being limited to gender roles.
Our Hero – Stacey Abrams
Stacey Abrams– U.S. voting rights activist, Democratic Party politician and New York Times bestselling author. She has been nominated for this year’s Nobel Peace Prize for her work to promote nonviolent change via the ballot box. Abrams, whose work was credited with boosting voter turnout last year, helping Joe Biden win the U.S. presidency work follows in Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s footsteps in the fight for equality before the law and for civil rights,” said Lars Haltbrekken, a Socialist Party member of Norway’s parliament.
After serving for eleven years in the Georgia House of Representatives, seven as Democratic Leader, in 2018, Abrams became the Democratic nominee for Governor of Georgia, winning at the time more votes than any other Democrat in the state’s history. Abrams was the first black woman to become the gubernatorial nominee for a major party in the United States, and she was the first black woman and first Georgian to deliver a Response to the State of the Union.
King, a Baptist minister who became a leader of the 1960s civil rights movement, won the Nobel prize in 1964 and remains among its most famous laureates.
The bottom line:
These women are just some of the powers that represent the broader world of AfriKin leadership. Beyond the headlines that present a single version of the entire populace of people of African origin, we need to see leaders in each country making progress in creating prosperity for our AfriKin globally
We have to do better. We need to understand that to truly support the lives of people of African origin and build a just society for all. It also means supporting their aspirations, ambitions, and goals.
Please comment below, I’d love to hear your thoughts.
Written by: A. D. Brooks
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