Black women welcome allies, but we need accomplices

As a voluntary spokesperson for the International Black Women’s Delegation, I am taking this opportunity to share with you that we are exhausted from always having to be everything for everybody. And yet, once again, we are ready to show up and show out, donning our Superwoman capes in an effort to stand for humanity and justice in the 2024 elections.

Being a Black woman has never been an easy row to hoe, but — perhaps naively — we really thought things would be better by now.

For every advance, accomplishment, and groundbreaking first we’ve achieved, there have been an equal or greater number of setbacks, moments of public and private disrespect, and threats to our very lives.

Ask Sonya Massey’s family about how this sad reality works in practice, as they attempt to make sense of how a police officer viewed a statement about rebuking the devil and a pot of boiling water as justification for the use of lethal force.

» READ MORE: Add Sonya Massey to the long list of senseless killings of Black Americans at the hands of police | Editorial

And at the same time we are reading the Massey headlines, we are reading about Kamala Harris.

Harris, the Democratic nominee for president, is indeed a triumph, but the moment did not begin as hers outright. She stepped up after President Joe Biden stepped aside, and is now in the process of cleaning up a mess that she has inherited.

Cue Beyoncé's wind machine for her cape and the American flag, for the optics. Then turn up the volume on your reluctant fanfare.

She’s earned it. She’s now carrying the weight of the entire party on her back.

I had the pleasure of cohosting both a radio program and podcast with the Rev. Naomi Washington-Leapheart, who is the person I credit with instructing me about the difference between an ally and an accomplice.

Allies are those who will advocate for your rights and position, support you, and defend you in your time of need. But what Kamala needs — and, indeed, what all Black women need — is an army of accomplices.

Accomplices are not just your vocal advocates, but the people who willingly get in the trenches to fight alongside you. Not just your cheerleaders, but those who learn the routine and hold a place for you if you stumble, awaiting your return. Those who are most effective are the ones who volunteer to take a few hits for you, so you can be centered and clear to focus on victory.

We have seen this theory in action with the thousands of people who have begun to mobilize resources for Harris’ campaign.

Black women first, then Black men, then Asian American women formerly in support of Nikki Haley, and more recently white men signed up 75,000-plus to organize their support. Finally. Vocally. Present.

Are we ready to launch a new protocol to carry us into the future?

It is overdue.

White women, the brunt of expectation now lies firmly in your corner. Historically, your presence on the sidelines, or as an additional obstacle in the Black woman’s fight for equality has been noted and consistently disappoints.

As recently referenced in an MSNBC article from Khalilah Brown-Dean — dating back to the suffrage movement, Black women have had to work around you rather than work with you, attempting to establish an “accomplice mentality” that would benefit us both. Race has too often superseded gender as we both seek societal advances, to your own detriment.

Are we ready to launch a new protocol to carry us into the future?

There are some notable examples of support to be found on social media. Everyday people who have done the historical homework and are posting facts to rebut our nation’s selective memory, as well as to offer insight into Harris’ sorority customs and practices (which are not to be adopted by the general public) in the lead-up to the election or beyond.

» READ MORE: With Kamala Harris atop the ticket, I feel pride and anxiety — mixed with a realization: She can win | Opinion

It’s entertaining, sure, but it’s also surprisingly refreshing and needed. More, please. Unafraid, uncensored, unrelenting support. For Harris, certainly, but also for the millions of other women of color — Black women in particular — whom her lived experience represents.

Whether or not Kamala wins in November, those millions of others still need you as an accomplice. Having our backs. Doing what’s right. Again and again, ad infinitum.

Stephanie Renée is the CEO & VibeMistress of the nonprofit arts education foundation Soul Sanctuary (soul-sanctuary.net), a voice actor, and freelance creative. She and her Frenchie named Mojo reside in Upper Roxborough.