Member-only story
Biden Needs a Black Woman as His VP
Here’s the short list
The year was 1993: Stacey Abrams was a Spelman College student who’d been invited to speak at the 30th anniversary of the historic 1963 March on Washington. Standing before a crowd of thousands who had assembled on the National Mall that August day, she delivered a passionate speech about jobs, justice, peace, and public service.
“Today I come to you as a young person, as a young woman, as a young Black woman to ask you to use us,” Abrams said in remarks captured on C-SPAN video. “Use the young people of the United States of America to pave a road that will last forever… pave a road that will let us become the foot soldiers.”
More than two decades later, Abrams, who narrowly lost Georgia’s gubernatorial race in 2018, continues to offer her service. After former Vice President Joe Biden — now the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee — announced during a March debate that he would select a woman to be his running mate, speculation and anticipation have reached a fever pitch.
Abrams was recently quoted in Elle magazine as saying she would be “honored” to be a vice-presidential candidate. “I would be an excellent running mate,” the former Georgia Minority Leader, Yale-educated attorney, and founder of Fair Fight told the publication. “I have the capacity to attract voters by motivating typically ignored communities.”
She is far from the only one vying for the role. While there are countless qualified women from a range of backgrounds who might get the nod — among them Sens. Elizabeth Warren to Amy Klobuchar and Catherine Cortez Masto — many Black women voters are demanding respect for their votes on a much higher level.
“We don’t want just a ‘thank you,’ but want to see a Black woman chosen as the vice-presidential running mate for the ultimate Democratic nominee,” says Melanie Campbell, president and CEO of the National Coalition on Black Civic Participation. “Historically Black women have stood the test of time to not only be a key voting bloc for Democrats to win the White House and Congress, but Black women’s leadership has also helped in many of those victories.”
“African American women have been the most loyal supporters of the Democratic Party in the last…
