|
March is Women’s History
Month, and this month is the perfect time to lift the Black women’s
organizations that make such an essential difference in our lives.
Last year, both the National Council of Negro Women (NCNW) and the
National Association of Negro Business and Professional Women
(NANBPW) celebrated their 85th anniversaries. Thanks to COVID,
neither organization had the opportunity to celebrate in the way they
had planned; now they are celebrating by Zoom. The differently scaled
celebrations do not diminish the importance that these organizations
have.
When
I think of NCNW, I think of the late Dr. Dorothy Irene Height, who
used to say, “If I tap you with my finger, you may or may not
feel it, but if I combine these five fingers into a fist, you will
definitely feel it.” Dr. Height was not a pugilistic woman, but
she was a fervent believer in the power of the collective. And NCNW,
an “organization of organizations,” certainly fits that
bill. Too many times, in modern history, NCNW, the collective, has
been present. Many of us, for example, attended Labor Secretary
Alexis Herman’s confirmation hearings, many wearing the crimson
and cream colors of Delta Sigma Theta sorority, Ms. Herman’s
sorority (and also mine). Deltas were not the only people in the
house. Other Divine Nine sisters joined us, Alpha Kappa Alpha, Zeta
Phi Beta, and Sigma Gamma Rho. We made an impression, and those
senators prepared to grill Herman had to think twice because we were
there.
Black
women had a tremendous impact on this current election. I think of
LaTosha Brown, a Black Votes Matter leader, and the tireless work she
did to get voters out. I think of Melanie Campbell and the sisters of
the Black Women’s Roundtable. There are so many more Black
women and Black Women’s organizations that made a difference in
this election. President Biden has acknowledged the Black community
and Black women in particular.
It
is crucial, though, that our coalition continues to stay active and
connected. One Black woman, Kristen Clarke, has been nominated to
serve as Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights. Already, the
right-wing is going after her with their usual smear campaign
tactics, taking comments out of context and blowing them up. The same
coalition that worked to get the vote out now must work to support
this exceptional woman.
Similarly,
two other women of color are being smeared. Vanita Gupta, President
of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, has been
attacked by rabid right-wingers. Another woman of color, Neera
Tanden, who leads the Center for American Progress, has been attacked
for her tweets. Really? Her tweets, some say, are vicious. When have
tweets adhered to a civility protocol? The coalition of Black women
who have always made a difference must step up to support these
women, too.
Dr.
Mary McLeod Bethune, the founder of NCNW, was a firm believer in
diversity and inclusion. She reached out to white women who shared
our values and worked in coalition with them when she could, given
the constraints of the time. She would approve of supporting sisters
Gupta and Tanden, women of color just like us. While we might not be
on the same page as these sisters on everything, we have enough in
common to be passionate in their defense. The smear tactics that the
rabid right uses to smear these women are unacceptable. They are the
same tactics that these people use against Vice President Kamala
Harris. We need to make sure they don’t work.
I
often wonder what motivated Dr. Bethune to form an organization in
the middle of the Great Depression, when overall unemployment rates
soared to 25 percent and Black unemployment was two or three times
higher. In 1935, food lines snaked around city blocks and down dusty
roads in rural communities. Too many Black folks were pushed to the
back of the line or denied assistance altogether. The indignities
were innumerable, but Bethune shrugged them off to build a powerful
organization with unprecedented access to President Roosevelt. She
walked into Roosevelt’s office with the collective strength of
Black women in her fingers or her fist.
Black
women’s organizations don’t get the credit they are due,
so these organizations must be lifted in this Women’s History
Month. What would our nation be without these organizations who get
out the vote, raise money for scholarships, provide social and civic
services, and do so much more? I don’t want to know the answer.
All I know is that Black women’s organizations matter. We must
celebrate them!
|
