NEW YORK — A political action committee that works to elect Black women hailed the elections of Keisha Lance Bottoms and Stacey Plaskett as governors in the Nov. 3 elections, calling Bottoms the first Black woman elected governor of a U.S. state.
Glynda C. Carr, president and CEO of Higher Heights for America, said in a statement released on election night that Bottoms, a former Atlanta mayor, “has shattered one of the highest glass ceilings in American politics.” Carr also congratulated Plaskett on her election as governor of the U.S. Virgin Islands, which she called “another extraordinary milestone for Black women’s political leadership.”
“Two extraordinary Black women. Two historic victories. One powerful reminder that Black women are not waiting for history to be made. We are making it,” Carr said.
The group said it has supported Bottoms since her first campaign for mayor of Atlanta and has championed Plaskett’s leadership. Plaskett has represented the Virgin Islands as its nonvoting delegate in the U.S. House.
“It took 250 years of American history to elect the first Black woman governor of a state. But we are not waiting another 250 years for progress,” Carr said. “Black women are not simply making history. We are the architects of the new democracy we intend to build over the next 250 years.”
Carr said the victories “reminded the next generation of Black girls that there is no office beyond their reach.”
“Tonight, we celebrate. Tomorrow, we continue the work of building a democracy that fully reflects the leadership, voices, and power of Black women,” she said.
Higher Heights for America PAC describes its mission as building Black women’s political leadership pipeline at all levels and strengthening their civic participation beyond Election Day. The group has also been active in New Jersey, where it endorsed Jersey City Council President Joyce E. Watterman for mayor of Jersey City.
This report is based on information from Higher Heights for America PAC.
Source: Higher Heights for America PAC
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