Leadership?

The sky is grey, foggy, and damp. The temperature at 52 degrees fahrenheit feels notably cooler. Today is Monday.

Could a Black woman lead a nation like this one? The answer is obviously, "Yes!" and there is no question that it is the case in 2024. And – this is not the question that people need to have front of mind.

There is no question that a woman who has spent her entire adult life in politics and winning race after race can lead. There is no question that such a Woman of Color (WoC) has the experience and ambition that is needed to seek the highest office in the country.

The question is whether such a woman can win today. The answer to that question, is "No." - unless this opportunity is also used to entirely change political play. Winning is what it is about in politics. The analysis and reality of organizing in a context of a racist, sexist, and more violent political reality says there will be defeat. It is interesting to listen to the pundits who are rallying around the woman who is being put forward as the nominee to challenge the former president seeking to win back the White House.

The sad reality is that the question of the day, and the most important question now, is one in which winning is key. Therefore, it is critical to carefully consider the conditions in which this particular race will be run. This is an invitation to identify new ways of bringing victory into reality for a WoC. The usual playbooks need to be burned. The usual use of surrogates needs to stop. Technology needs to be utilized in creative and new ways - beyond FB, IG, TT, and other existing platforms. There needs to be a target on the electoral college and ways in which the existing system can be forced to meet today's needs and environment.

There is no way to shift the racial divisions, the displacement of voters whose voices have been squelched, or the cynicism of our times in four months. A clear-eyed approach requires putting forth a historic candidate with a strategy to balance this opportunity with the fact of unprecedented racist, sexist sentiment driving today's politics. The reality is that this race is inviting violence and there is a way to prevent it.

Winning is the brass ring that people want and need in this moment of political play. The fact that the older candidate, the white male whose rhetoric suggests an abnormal personality and careless disregard for other lives unlike his own could win is an outcome that could alter the course of history for the entire world, not just this country.

This is an object lesson that allows us to examine "ego" at many levels. We just had a candidate drop out of the presidential race whose ego was beginning to warp the profile he built over a political lifetime. Now we have a candidate who appears not to understand that the "endorsement" received was a courtesy and the reality is one that requires entering a process where the choice needs to be authentically of the people, through a transparent selection process, and then fully supported by those who would want to vote for a WoC to rise to the pinnacle of political power.

Can you imagine the future consequences if this doesn't happen? Yikes.