This is an excerpt from Her Term’s white paper, Reaching the Tipping Point, authored by Lydia Johnson, a 2020 Her Term Research Fellow and published in October 2020.
I remember my mother, a banking professional and political activist, talking about her time working on campaigns of “strong women” throughout the late 80s and 90s. In her hometown of Cleveland, Ohio, she helped women get elected as district representatives, judges, and councilwomen. She would lament that she didn’t see the same dynamics in Georgia, and she was surprised that Georgia had so few women even running for office. Contributing to the election of women who looked like her and shared her background was some of the most meaningful work she’d done, but her daughter was growing up in a place that didn’t seem similar at all.
My experiences truly warranted her sentiments: even though I considered my preteen-self more politically aware than my average peer — meaning I was looking and paying attention — I still couldn’t find many examples of strong female political leaders. There was a framed photo of former Atlanta mayor, Mayor Shirley Franklin, in my church’s basement, and for most of my life, that was the pinnacle of women in politics to me. Outside of her presence, my understanding of Georgia’s political hierarchy was that it was very traditional, male, conservative, and status quo.
The legacy of American politics thus far has been dictated by mostly men — a status quo culture that is reflected in our state and local governments as well. Yet, my entire adult life, albeit short, the polarized nature of U.S. politics has undoubtedly become more stark. The basic rights of Americans — life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness — are, amazingly, being reevaluated and reinterpreted as we speak. We are at the cusp of a tipping point, and, now more than ever, we should be looking for candidates and elected officials to act in our, the people’s, best interests.
So, the question I ask is: where are we now, and what will it take for us to tip the scale in favor of a more representative society? Find out more by reading our white paper, Reaching the Tipping Point.
Lydia Johnson is an alumna of Howard University, where she received degrees in Political Science and Spanish, with minors in Japanese and French. She is a proud member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated, and was recently recognized as a Fulbright Finalist to Panama. Locally, she is involved in grassroots organizing around Georgia state politics. She has a deep interest in international education, politics, and global affairs, and has studied and volunteered abroad in several different countries. She wants to someday start her own non-profit to provide study abroad opportunities to low-income and minority students. She grew up in, and is a current resident of, Atlanta, Georgia and uses she/they pronouns.