This week, President Biden is reaffirming his campaign promise to nominate the first Black woman to the U.S. Supreme Court.
It’s a commitment that holds major weight as Black women voters continue to grow as a powerful voting block.
“For me, it’s about time, the time is here and frankly, Black woman propelled the President to the White House and so there’s an expectation that he will deliver,” said Karundi Williams, Executive Director for Re:power, a national progressive training organization.
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Several national organizations working to mobilize black women in politics say there has been some progress with adding more diverse voices to the administration and within Congress but it’s still not enough.
“There is no limit to what we can do as Black women and we’ve always known that. Now it’s time for the country to actually reflect that,” said Williams.
She said it’s long overdue for Black women to have a voice in the nation’s highest court.
“We are poised to deliver on the promise that our communities have been asking for and our politics have not always served, even though we continue to show up,” she said.
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A recent national poll by Higher Heights for America shows more than 85 percent of Black women voters support making it a priority to nominate the first Black woman to the U.S. Supreme Court.
“This survey shows that black women are uniquely in tune to understanding that our day-to-day freedoms, our day-to-day aspirations to live in an economically thriving, educated, healthy, safe community, that we need to have representation at all levels,” said Glynda C. Carr, President, CEO and co-founder of Higher Heights for America.
Some Republican senators are planning to set a high bar for the vetting process.
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In a statement, Senator Mitch McConnell said in part, “The President must not outsource this important decision to the radical left.”
Carr said they want any nominee to have a fair hearing.
“We’re calling on Congress to do is to ensure that once there is a nominee, a nominee, who will be a Black woman, that she has a fair hearing nomination hearing, and that she is confirmed in a timely fashion,” said Carr. “We are very clear that there is a long list of qualified Black women and I look forward to advocating to ensure that she has a hearing and nomination process that is fair, and that we will be calling out any, any covert or overt intersection of racism and sexism in this process.”
President Biden said he plans to make his final decision on the nominee by the end of February.
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