The 2020 presidential election was monumental for many reasons. Gender and racial barriers were broken, as Kamala Harris became the first woman of color to be elected as vice president.
Now for the first time, women across the country have proper representation in one of the most powerful positions in the nation.
One of the most noteworthy factors that contributed to the election's historic nature was raw, unfiltered and passion-filled Black Girl Magic.
Exit poll results show 90% of Black women voted for President-elect Joe Biden.
Black women such as Stacey Abrams, former gubernatorial candidate in Georgia, were on the front lines and made sure this election was not impacted by voter suppression.
During the 2018 election, 53,000 Georgia voter registrations were suddenly switched to a pending status. This was due to the state's exact match law which requires citizens' names on their government-issued IDs to precisely match their names as listed on voter rolls, especially if handwritten.
Out of the 53,000 voters affected by this law, The Atlantic reported more than 80% were Black women.
The exact match law was largely put to an end in 2019 when current Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp signed House Bill 316. The bill lessened voter registration obstacles and was similar in nature to the Voting Rights Act of 1965 that enabled the Black American vote.
Abrams is not only credited for bringing light to the issue of voter suppression, but also for increasing the number of registered Democrats in Georgia. She launched Fair Fight, a voting organization that encourages voter participation and protects voting rights through eliminating voter suppression. The organization said it has registered 800,000 first time voters in the past two years.
Although the race has not been called yet in Georgia, politicians such as Susan Rice have credited Abrams’ work in being a contributing reason the margin between Biden and President Donald Trump is slim.
This election process was incredibly complex due to the abnormalities of the COVID-19 pandemic, therefore the celebration resulting in this win is a reflection of relief.
This victory is indicative of the demise of an administration that thrived on hate and division and used the oppression and marginalized of minority groups as leverage. It is the turning of a new leaf in the social climate in this country.
It marks the beginning of saving America’s soul thanks to Black women showing up and showing out — making history once a again.
