After propelling Sen. Doug Jones to victory, black women have decided to use their power to put themselves into office.
Black women in Alabama are running for office at record numbers primarily as a retort to President Donald Trump's administration.
Thirty-five women have launched campaigns or re-election efforts in Birmingham, in state and county judicial races and for the state legislature, according to a recent NBC News report. One of those women is Jameria Moore, a 49-year-old attorney, who is running for a judgeship on the Jefferson County Probate Court.
"It's so important that we step up, that we show the nation that we can lead," Moore told NBC News in a recent interview, as a small team of volunteers bustled about her law office and prepared for the campaign ahead. "That, here in Alabama, we're ready to lead our state into the future."
The red state has been an uphill battle for Democrats over the past few decades. Jones is the first Democrat in 25 years to be elected to the Senate from Alabama. Now, Democrats see a pathway to more historic victories around the state. Those victories hinged on African American women, as they came out in droves for Jones — 98 percent of black women and 96 percent of black men voted for him.
"I have friends in other states who say, 'I don't know how you live in Alabama,' and I tell them, 'Why wouldn't I live in Alabama?'" Moore said. "This is an opportunity, that's how I look at it."
Many of the candidates have been encouraged to run because of the support of various Political Action Committees (PACs) and groups that want black women to hold office. Groups like Emerge Alabama, Woke Vote and other progressive grassroots organizations have played a role in organizing campaigns. The Me Too movement has proven that women need to be in positions of power to spark real change.
"This place that was so resistant to change, where, now, a group of women who were looked down upon and dealt first-hand with the vestiges of slavery and segregation are the ones who can lead us forward — it's monumental," said Quentin James, founder and director of the Collective PAC.
James truly believes that Trump's recent and constant attacks on black women have served as a motivator for many to run and to change the political landscape in the state and around the nation.
"You have a president who attacks black women," James said, pointing to recent criticism out of the White House of two Democratic congresswomen, Maxine Waters of California and Frederica Wilson of Florida. "They're fed up, we're fed up, and… it's crucial we have more voices on the public stage to fight back."
