Black Women Lead Kansas City Biden Voters

An important local perspective and further examination of election returns . . .

Shirley's Kitchen Cabinet Statement on President and Vice President Election Results

Kansas City, Mo. – Shirley’s Kitchen Cabinet (Shirley’s KC) - a nonpartisan, nonprofit dedicated to amplifying the voices and power of Black women on the issues that matter most to them and the communities they serve - celebrates the historic election of Vice President-Elect Kamala Harris, who will be the nation’s first Black woman elected Vice President of the United States. We also congratulate President-Elect Joe Biden, who will be the 46th President and former 47th Vice President of the United States.  

Early data indicates that the turnout of Black women voting the Biden-Harris ticket exceeds 90%, with total Black voter support at 87%. The historic significance of this election underscores the political might, resilience and power of Black women across this nation. But Black women’s overwhelming support of the Biden-Harris ticket is greater than partisan politics and party loyalty.

The election of Vice President-Elect Harris is the fruit of Black women’s labor over the last century. From march for women’s rights at the 1848 Seneca Falls Convention, the creation of the Mississippi Freedom Party by Fannie Lou Hamer, to Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm being  the first Black woman to run for president on a major party ticket, Black women that came before us tilled the soil of American democracy so that those who would come after them could plant the seeds.

Black women strategist, organizers and activists gave the best of themselves at the expense of health and wealth to mobilize communities to make what at times seemed an unimaginable reality. From the 2017 Senate special election in Alabama, the 2018 midterm elections, rural and urban organizing efforts in Georgia, Michigan and Wisconsin to statewide voter registration efforts right here in Missouri, Black women put into motion the historic moment we are celebrating today.

Black women’s overwhelming support of the Biden-Harris ticket is the embodiment of moral fortitude in the face of an international pandemic, social unrest, unprecedented unemployment and overwhelming health disparities that have led to the disproportionate deaths of so many Black Americans. It’s a rebuke of the injustice, racism, misogyny that nearly half of Americans were willing to overlook when voting on Tuesday November 3rd. It is a major victory in the battle to save the rotting soul of a nation, so that the souls of Black folks could find a moment of relief.

It is only fitting that a Black woman be positioned to be the second-highest officer in the executive branch at the nation’s highest level of government. However; this moment in history cannot blind us to the challenges that still exist. The darkness brought to the light over the last four years will not simply disappear and cannot be ignored. We must face our country’s deep-seated issues and pull these weeds from the garden that Black women have cultivated.

And Shirley’s KC is ready to continue to position Black women at seats at decision making tables in business, public office, non-profit organizations, political campaigns, boards and commission, educational institutions, health care facilities, media and so many other spaces where Black women’s voices and power are absent. We will continue to amplify the voices and power of Black women through education and advocacy so they can be effective advocates on the issues that are important to them and the communities they serve.

Because when Black women win, we all win.

For more information about Shirley’s Kitchen Cabinet, please visit www.ShirleysKitchenCabinet.org

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