The lead-up to the midterms makes it clear women are powerful, but they aren’t protected economically or socially. That lack of protection shows up in political representation, especially among black women.
Black women comprised 6.6 percent of the country’s population – 6.5 percent of the voting-age population in 2016 – but accounted for 3.1 percent of federal and state elected officials.
Building upon black women’s recent political gains, the Brookings Institution and Higher Heights Leadership Fund created a road map for black women’s success, which identifies places they can increase representation and get the protection they deserve.
– Dr. Andre Perry, David M. Rubenstein Fellow, Brookings Institution