The granddaughter of a man who never had a chance to vote because he died before the 1965 Voting Rights Act. The daughter of parents who were so keen to vote that they allowed their Los Angeles home to be used as a voting place.
It is impossible to hear Congresswoman Shirley Weber tell her life story and not be thankful that Governor Gavin Newsom chose her to be the first black woman to serve as California’s secretary of state.
Unfortunately, it is also impossible not to see his historic nomination as a kind of consolation prize for the US Senate seat that black women have lost.
Long before Newsom appointed Weber to be Secretary of State, the San Diego Democrat was one of the main people who urged him to choose a black woman to replace Kamala Harris in the United States Senate, preferably by Congresswoman Barbara Lee or Congresswoman Karen Bass. Weber also warned the governor what could happen if he did not.
“Keep the Seat” was the rallying cry driven by the hashtag echoed by members of California’s Legislative Black Caucus, led by Weber, and a coalition of black politicians, lobbyists and activists from across the United States.
“If you don’t have a seat at the table,” she told me earlier this month, “then you’re on the menu.”
But on Tuesday morning, Newsom did exactly what the coalition hoped he would not do. He appointed Secretary of State Alex Padilla to replace Harris, making him the first Latin American senator from California. And then, on Tuesday afternoon, Newsom did what the coalition never expected him to do. He appointed Weber as secretary of state.
It didn’t take long for Black Twitter to explode in fair fury.
A fearless lawyer with unquestionable integrity and moral clarity – there is no one better suited for the post of Secretary of State than @AsmShirleyWeber.
With it, the CA will continue to be a model for the nation in expanding democratic participation and access to the polls. pic.twitter.com/fcpuZuYQ8e
– Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) December 22, 2020
“After all that black women did for democracy in the 2020 elections, and everything we are STILL doing for Georgia’s second round,” tweeted Jotaka Eaddy, a technology executive and strategist in Silicon Valley. “I don’t know how anyone thinks that a US Senate without a black woman’s voice is fine.”
“If I could summarize in one sentence what black women are thinking about not having representation in the United States Senate … ‘UNTIL YOU DO IT FOR ME …'” tweeted Dallas Fowler, Museum president and chairman African American art in southern Los Angeles
“Gavin Newsom does not # maintain the seat. So now, black women are not in the United States Senate, ”tweeted author and activist Brittney C. Cooper. “#BlackWomenWontForget when you run for president, Newsom.”
What is at issue is not so much Padilla or the 40% of California residents who are Latino and have long waited for a Latino to represent them in the United States Senate. The Los Angeles Democrat will be an excellent senator, and California is lucky to have him.
As I have already written, I firmly believe that we need both a Latin senator and a black senator to resolve the many racial inequalities in this state. I also firmly believe that California senior senator Dianne Feinstein should resign early to allow this to happen, but I digress.
No, the point is that when Harris becomes vice president in January, there will not be a single black woman in the United States Senate. This is a statistic that cannot be said about Latinos. And that this loss of representation is happening months after black voters, most of them women, turned over the White House to Democrats is particularly infuriating.
“With the stroke of a pen, one man, Gavin Newsom, effectively harmed black women and, in fact, all women,” said Kimberly Ellis, director of the San Francisco Department of Women’s Situation.
Harris was only the second black woman to serve in the United States Senate, after Carol Moseley Braun, of Illinois. And with Harris becoming vice president, there are now only three black women in the California Congressional delegation – all in the House.
“One thing I know for sure is that black women, not just in California, but across the country, will not forgive that,” added Ellis, a longtime progressive activist. “I think many of us were already – and that will only add up – reevaluating our relationship with the Democratic Party and with some of those who profess to be supporters and allies of ours. This decision will not help in that calculation. “
Kerman Maddox, a longtime political consultant involved in the #KeepTheSeat campaign, had similar thoughts, calling it “a terribly insensitive decision that will not be welcomed by African American voters in California and African American women across the country. “.
San Francisco Mayor London Breed described the appointment of Padilla instead of Lee or Bass as “a real blow” to the black community.
“It’s really challenging to put it into words, but it was definitely a surprise,” she said at a news conference. “And it is an unfortunate situation, as we are trying to move this country forward and make sure that the lives of black people really matter and that African Americans have a seat at the table.”
Some may call this green grapes. Or mistaken identity policies. Or, as a public relations professional said, the inability to see Padilla’s historic nomination as a victory for “the interracial quest for fairer representation.”
Whatever you call it, the Democratic Party should consider it a problem. At best, it is short-lived.
“One or two things can happen,” said Earl Ofari Hutchinson, president of the Los Angeles Urban Policy Roundtable. “One, it will be accepted (and) it will go away, no problem. Or it can generate resentment, it can backfire and people will say, ‘Wait a minute. We are not good enough for the Senate, but are we good enough for the Secretary of State? What the heck is that?’ “
Political consequences for Democrats can come in many forms and in many states.
Most likely, black voters recently disillusioned in California may turn against Newsom, who faces a possible revocation election. And if he does run for president someday, trust and believe that it will come as he tries to win over the crucial black women electoral bloc.
This is also likely to put more pressure on Harris and President-elect Joe Biden to keep his campaign promises to black voters and ensure that his administration is diverse. So far, Biden has appointed three black women to his office, including Cecilia Rouse as chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers, Linda Thomas-Greenfield as UN Ambassador and Marcia Fudge as secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Much less likely, but still possible, is that black voters in Georgia who have not yet voted will decide to stay home instead of supporting the Democratic Party in its quest to regain control of the U.S. Senate. The Republicans Sens. Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue must lose to Rev. Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff, respectively, for this to happen.
“I would bet the house on that,” said Hutchinson. “In the coming weeks, we’re going to hear this – definitely on social media and maybe even publicly – that, ‘Hey, now we have no representation in the Senate of a black woman. And we have (had) this for a while. ‘”
Earlier this month, I asked Weber what the reaction would be if Newsom decided not to appoint a Lee or Bass to succeed Harris.
“Women,” she said after a moment, “are going to be very, very, very upset and I would be very disappointed. Now what people do about it, I don’t know. And what he tries to do to make up for it is something he has to deal with. ”
In fact, Newsom has.