There’s a painful irony here—an irony that should be obvious to anyone watching. Black women, the backbone of the Democratic Party, who consistently turn out in record numbers and give over 90% of our votes to support progressive causes, are now under attack by some of those who claim to be our allies. The latest blow comes from “progressives” who, disappointed by recent election outcomes, have chosen to scapegoat Vice President Kamala Harris. But let’s be clear: this isn’t about political strategy. This is a thinly veiled attack on her as a powerful Black woman—a reality that too many so-called allies still struggle to accept.
I see it. My sorors in Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc., see it. And we feel the sting of this betrayal because we know firsthand what it’s like to be dismissed, overlooked, and scapegoated. As members of the Divine Nine, we are reminded daily of what it means to be Black women in America. We remember it when we think of our sister, Sandra Bland, who represents the challenges, struggles, and risks we face every day simply for existing in a society that sees us as expendable. This isn’t just politics—this is about the lived reality of every Black woman who’s been told she doesn’t belong, who’s been policed, doubted, and sidelined.
Consider the words of Victoria Hammett, the Deputy Executive Director, Programming Director for the organization Gen Z For Change, who recently tweeted, “People saying ‘Harris needed to go further right’ (whatever tf that means) don’t understand the difference between left-wing populism and the brand of liberalism we saw from Harris. She ran on an uninspiring platform and lost ground with the working class.” Let’s be real—“uninspiring” is code. It’s a word Black women know all too well, used to subtly question our presence, our worth, our leadership. This isn’t about whether her platform was progressive enough. It’s about discomfort—discomfort with a Black woman holding power in a space many believe she doesn’t “deserve.”
The truth is, Kamala Harris is a monumental figure for Black women, especially for Gen Z Black women like myself. Her run for president—a campaign shortened to an improbable 100 days—was a HERstoric act that showed every Black girl in America that she, too, has the right to dream big. For Black women, Harris represents something powerful. When she became the Presidential nominee, we once again went to work and made HERstory. Forty-four thousand Black women joined the largest Zoom call ever recorded, raising over $1.5 million in just three hours, because we believed in her, believed in what she represented for us and for future generations. That’s the level of inspiration she brings. That’s the impact she has.
And yet here we are, with some of these same progressives labeling her “uninspiring,” with Bernie Sanders openly criticizing the Democratic strategy in ways that target Harris more than any other figure. These attacks have little to do with Harris’s policies and everything to do with the discomfort her presence brings. By blaming her for election results, they’re not just attacking her; they’re attacking the Black women who support her, who showed up for the Democratic Party when it mattered most.
As Black women, we know these criticisms aren’t just disappointing—they’re a betrayal. We are the very foundation of the Democratic Party’s success. Without Black women, there’s no President Biden. There’s no Senator Warnock, no Senator Ossoff. We showed up and gave everything, yet here we are, facing resentment and critiques designed to make us doubt our worth. To call Harris “uninspiring” is to erase the value of her leadership and the inspiration she brings to so many of us who understand what it means to navigate spaces that weren’t made for us.
For my sisters in the Divine Nine and for Black women everywhere, we know what’s really at play. When people talk about Harris’s “brand of liberalism” as falling short, they’re saying that Black women—despite being the most loyal Democratic base—aren’t enough. They’re saying that our voices, our presence, don’t align with their vision of leadership. But the truth is, these so-called progressives need to confront their own biases, because these attacks on Kamala Harris are more than political critiques. They’re a dismissal of everything Black women have done to make the Democratic Party and progressive movement what it is today.
What’s truly “uninspiring” is that some so-called allies can’t see past their own discomfort with a Black woman in leadership. Without Black women, there is no Democratic victory, no progressive future. And if progressives truly want to see change, they need to stop undermining the very women who make that change possible.
