The Black Women's Agenda is America's Agenda, As Stacey Abrams Has Reminded Us

When it you’re voting in the next election, think about who has your best interest at heart, who really has America’s best interest at heart and vote accordingly.

The fact of the matter is, the Black women’s agenda is America’s agenda, as Stacey Abrams, Georgia’s 2018 gubernatorial candidate so aptly put it who is well on her way to become the first black female Governor in America (let’s speak life into this.)

“The reality is if we want to live a Black women’s agenda then we have to elect people who live the Black women’s agenda. And as everyone in this room knows the Black women’s agenda is America’s agenda. It’s about educating our children from cradle to career,” Abrams said while speaking at the Black Women’s Agenda, Inc. Awards Luncheon where she was honored on Friday.   “It’s about making sure that access to healthcare is not an argument, it is a right.”

Abrams made her remarks while accepting the “Women on the Rise” Award, as was most fitting.

Other astounding black women were honored at the luncheon including:

Dr. Helene D. Gayle –  President and CEO of The Chicago Community Trust, one of the nation’s leading community foundations. The Trust works with donors, nonprofits, community leaders and residents to lead and inspire philanthropic efforts that improve the quality of life in the Chicago area. Dr. Gayle serves on public company and non-profit boards including Colgate-Palmolive Company, The Coca-Cola Company, the Rockefeller Foundation, Brookings Institution, the Center for Strategic and International Studies, New America and the ONE Campaign.

Tina Knowles-Lawson – Entrepreneur, designer and managing partner of the House of Deréon and Miss Tina fashion brands. Ms. Knowles-Lawson is also an author, philanthropist, and the mother of Grammy award-winning recording artists Beyoncé and Solange.

Tanya L. Lombard – Head of Multicultural Engagement and Strategic Alliances, AT&T. Lombard’s responsibilities focus on creating, promoting, and managing AT&T’s brand-messaging to minority communities through the development and stewardship of strategic community-based relations and projects.

The Honorable Sheila Y. Oliver – Lieutenant Governor, State of New Jersey – A former member and Speaker of the New Jersey State Assembly, Oliver is one of only three African-American women to hold statewide office.

Dr. Sandye Poitier Johnson – A renowned educator and retired principal widely credited with raising the academic standards and stature of the Thurgood Marshall Academy for Learning and Social Change in Harlem and helping it earn the prestigious designation as an International Baccalaureate World School.

The Honorable Karen W. Weaver – Mayor, City of Flint, Michigan – As mayor, Dr. Weaver declared a state of emergency in connection with the discovery of unsafe levels of lead in the water residents used for cooking, drinking, and bathing. She became a prominent figure as the resulting crisis and ongoing recovery captured national attention.

Eugena King – An Indianapolis, IN resident and matriculating freshman at Gustavus Adolphus College, a liberal arts college in St. Peter, MN, King was honored as the recipient of BWA’s Bright Futures Award and scholarship.

“We can live the black women’s agenda by electing people across this country who reflect our values,” Abrams encouraged, reminding people that mid-term elections are right around the corner and that some of the most impactful change comes from the local, state elections.

Every election is important, a notion that has been decidedly a theme throughout the Congressional Black Caucus Conference.

So really and truly, make sure you are registered to vote (I hope everyone is registered to vote at this point,) and make sure you know where your polling location is. Brush up on the campaign points of your candidates, remember your own agenda, America’s agenda and then vote. The health and the future of our country depend on it.