On December 12, 2017, Democrat Doug Jones beat alleged child molester and former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Alabama, Republican Roy Moore for a seat on the Alabama Senate.
The fact that the results of this election are so shocking to so many-- myself included, is just another one of the many horrific wake-up calls that America has chosen to ignore over the past year in politics.
From empathizing with Neo-Nazis to alleged child molesters, none of the egregious claims that continue to rise from both political parties should be remotely controversial, and cannot continue to be normalized. While, in this case, we can all rejoice that "decency has won," this has been a dark, discouraging year in politics.
The worst thing is that nothing that is happening now is new or unheard of, it is simply irresponsible leadership and acceptance of hate that has encouraged an eruption of the undercurrent of such ideologies that have always existed in America.
That being said, black female voters can be thanked for showing up in force to prevent another racist, homophobic, alleged abuser an
As this graphic from The Washington Post shows, white women in Alabama clearly were not bothered enough by the many allegations against Moore, as 63% of them still voted for him.
This statistic can be explained not only by a lack of education (73% of non-college graduate women voted for Moore), but the fact that while white women have been viewed as a minority for hundreds of years, they have still directly benefited from the privileges their white husbands have always enjoyed, even at their own expense.
The majority of these women have, and always will continue to support candidates whose beliefs align with their way of life, no matter how misguided they may be.
Not only have black women saved Alabama from being represented by the face of pseudo-Christianity, they are working every day to restore a sense of humanity to politics. Political powerhouses Senator Kamala Harris and Congresswoman Maxine Waters are both strong black women who have been relentless in their fight against Donald Trump's agenda to reverse any and all Obama-era policies. They have been prominent voices on social media and in the courtroom, continuously asking the important, tough questions in various hearings for members of Trump's cabinet.
These women have become inspirations for young women of all ethnicities, and Maxine Waters was even a keynote speaker at the December 2nd first-ever Teen Vogue Summit. Black women are one of- if not the most under-appreciated demographic in America until it is seen the power we have to change the course of history. As voters and as politicians, it appears like women of color will continue to be the consistent driving force behind decency and humanity in our country.
