A Night We Deserved: Why This Moment Matters for Black Women and Girls Everywhere

Here’s what I want you to sit with for a moment.

For a long time, we’ve been told to wait our turn. To be patient. To be grateful for a seat at the table — even if that seat was at the very end, even if it came with conditions, even if we had to shrink ourselves to fit into it.

But on Tuesday, November 4, 2025, something shifted.

Across the country, people didn’t just vote — they made history.

And for Black women, this wasn’t just political. This was personal.

Because when we see women who look like us leading cities and states, when we see our stories reflected in rooms where decisions are made, something inside us remembers: We belong here too. We’ve always belonged here.

This is the moment we’ve been working toward. Not because we needed permission, but because we finally stopped asking for it.

I’m just a girl from Camden, NJ who loves to share thoughts, feelings, and a little bit of everything in between. This week gave me a lot to think about. So, I’m writing this the way I’d say it to you if we were sitting together — honestly, warmly, and straight from the heart.

Now, honestly — there are moments in history that feel like a turning point. And this one? This one felt personal.

This Is Bigger Than a Single Election

On November 4th, voters across the country made history in ways we haven’t seen before.

We saw:

• Zohran Mamdani become New York City’s first Muslim mayor
• Abigail Spanberger become Virginia’s first female governor
• Mikie Sherrill become New Jersey’s second woman governor — and its first Democratic woman governor
• Ghazala Hashmi become Virginia’s first Muslim lieutenant governor — and the first Muslim woman ever elected to statewide office in the United States
• and seven Black women elected as mayors across the country — including Mary Sheffield in Detroit, Dorcey Applyrs in Albany, and Sharon Owens in Syracuse — joining leaders like Cherelle Parker, Philadelphia’s first woman mayor, who are already changing what leadership looks like in our cities.

These weren’t just wins on paper. These were wins that said: Representation matters. Leadership can look like us. And change can start in our own neighborhoods.

This wasn’t just about one city or one state. This was about a shift — in energy, in expectations, and in what people believe is possible when we show up.

Why This Win Hits Differently for Black Women

The truth is, Black women have always been the backbone of this country. We’ve carried families, communities, movements, and elections on our backs — often without recognition, often without rest.

So when we see Black women being elected in record numbers — when we see seven Black women mayors elected in a single night, when we see women like Abigail Spanberger, Mikie Sherrill, and Ghazala Hashmi breaking barriers in Virginia and New Jersey — it hits different. Because it means the work we’ve been doing behind the scenes is finally being seen at the front of the room.

For so long, we were told to be strong but not too loud. To be excellent but not too ambitious. To lead but not too visibly. But this election showed us that we don’t have to choose. We can be powerful and graceful. We can be bold and soft. We can lead with love and still take up space.

Listen, I won’t lie to you — this is what happens when Black women stop waiting to be chosen and start choosing themselves. When we stop asking for a seat and start building our own tables. When we decide that our dreams are not too big, too bold, or too much.

Dorothy — A Moment That Made Me Emotional

One of the moments that hit me the hardest was Dorothy’s.

You know that little girl who attended the polls in Richmond — telling her mother, “I am so proud to vote today” — she saw a winner who looked just like her.

And her mother just watched her. And she could imagine. “I hope that one day I can be mayor,” she tells her mom. Something softened in us for our young girls.

And to have her be loved, affirmed, and lifted in that moment — that is how we grow.

It wasn’t just about an election. It was about a little Black girl seeing herself in the future — in leadership, in power, in possibility.

And her mama smiling, her daughter smiling — it was the image we’ve been working for.

It made me think of my own daughter. I want her to grow up knowing that she belongs in rooms where decisions are made. I want her to know she doesn’t have to shrink herself to be loved, respected, or chosen for anything.

What This Win Means for Our Girls

These wins matter because they show our girls that the future can look like them.

There’s something so powerful about a little girl looking at a screen and seeing a mayor, a governor, a leader — and recognizing herself in their smile, their voice, their confidence.

And the pipeline keeps growing: 72 Black women were nominees for Congress and statewide offices in the 2026 midterms — a record number, and proof that this moment isn’t a one-time thing. It’s a movement.

When Black women dream, the world expands.

This Was a Lesson in Love and Legacy

Before this night, there were women who made it possible. I keep thinking about the women who carried us here — Michelle Obama, Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune, Shirley Chisholm, Fannie Lou Hamer, and Dorothy Height. They taught us:

1. Don’t Count Us Out — We’re a force, from the home and the workplace to the ballot box.
2. Don’t Police Our Joy — If we celebrate, if we dance — let us. We earned it.
3. When Black Women Dream, the World Expands
4. We Can’t Just Be Represented — We Can Be Visible
5. We Are the Secret to Victory

So What Does This Mean for Us?

This means that we can’t just celebrate and go home. We have to keep building.

Because this win was not just about Tuesday — it was about what comes next.

We have to keep showing up — at the polls, in our communities, in our friendships, in our families. We have to keep amplifying each other’s voices, supporting each other’s dreams, and making room for the next generation of Black girls who are watching us right now.

So this is what I want you to take with you: Don’t wait for someone else to make room for you. Make your own. Don’t wait for someone to tell you you’re worthy. You already are. And don’t let anyone tell you that your dreams are too big. They’re not — they’re just getting started.

But it’s also about ownership — in business, access to capital, equitable opportunities, safe communities, rest, joy, and the freedom to live lives that feel good to us. That’s the kind of collective growth I’m interested in. And that’s the future I hope we continue creating together. Not because we have something to prove. But because we deserve to experience the beautiful parts of the world we’re helping to build. 💗

What Comes Next…

This win was not just about Tuesday — it was about what comes next.

And what’s next is us. Together. Still building.

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Election reporting note: This article reflects reported results and historical milestones available as of November 4, 2025. Some election totals were preliminary at the time of writing. For updates, visit the Rutgers Center for American Women and Politics.