Human Interest

You Can Thank Us Now: Black Women Are Trending And It's More Than A Moment

Black women done did it again!

Tuesday, December 12 is the day that Doug Jones defeated Roy Moore in the Alabama election for the Senate seat. For Sparknotes, Roy Moore has been accused of child molestation and sexual assault and yet was nepotistically backed by Trump and accrued 63% of votes from white women.

(Blink if you aren't shocked.)

Jones came through with the win after 98% of black women voted for him, and as a result, Twitter has been in a frenzy. Black women has become the trending topic with tweets ranging from thank you's to congratulatory messages uplifting the supremeness of black womanhood.

Throughout history, black women have always been on the front line: The Civil Rights Movement, suffrage, and now the need for democratic voices in white-supremacist states. Some would say "it is not — and should not — be Black women's responsibility to stamp out white supremacy and misogyny that is so deeply embedded in our country," but rather our responsibility to assert ourselves and demand a reason why white men and women are not doing their part in disassembling institutional racism in our country, or creating a space for Black women to exist. Period.

It's easy for us to say "I told you so" after another victory in the face of white supremacy. We Olivia Pope'd it TF out. So why is it so hard not to play devil's advocate?

With all the above true, I still say that this is a beautiful moment to recognize our strength as Black women, individually and as a collective.

It is not fair that we have to work twice as hard to be noticed, rewarded, or recognized. I am stating this as a realistic truth, but I do believe that there is a power in recognizing this moment as a space for unity.

We know we carry the nation on our back.

Rather than suck our teeth and clapback at the fact that it took them 100+ years to see our magic, it's more important for us to understand our power and continue to push those questions to the same figures who are writing tweets to call out our power that we've had for forever.

Are you going to hire us? Pay us what we deserve? Invest in our ideas? Elect us into leadership positions?

I believe in the hope that this moment holds and the realism that it implies: black women are leaders. Let us lead. Yes, we told you so, but now it's time to embrace the power we hold and use it to our advantage.

Elect us.

Fund us.

Believe us.

Invest in us.

Defend us.

Hire us.

Promote us.

Because you've seen what our magic can do.