Stacey Abrams believes the lack of representation of Black women in the U.S. Senate is a nationwide issue. Abrams shared this view with MSNBC while promoting her new crime thriller “Rogue Justice”. In her interview, she highlighted the importance of approaching the stark inequality in representation in the U.S. Senate. She said it is an issue that must be addressed by everyone concerned with seeing Black women make progress in the world of politics.

The Bigger Picture 

Only two Black women have ever served in the U.S. Senate in all of the country’s history. It is a damning statistic. One that Abrams believes to be “broader than a democratic issue, it’s an American conversation that we need to have.”

Abrams added that the political landscape is where many of the laws that directly affect Black women’s livelihoods are deliberated and passed. The lack of representation exists despite Black women being instrumental in the advancement of America’s socio-political landscape.

“Black women are seen as useful and necessary in propping up and supporting most of the facets of American society, but we are rarely seen as capable of actually leading. And part of our responsibility is to understand Black women can lead,” she said.

The Next Big Steps

In Abrams’s view, all hands must be on deck to address this issue.

“Just as every other community got into that position of leadership through support and endorsement and engagement the same must be made available to Black women,” she said

A number of Black female politicians have run for The Senate office without success. In 2022, North Carolina’s Cheri Beasley tried but failed to become the third Black woman in the U.S senate.

A New Crime Thriller

Along with sharing her thoughts on the state of political representation for Black women, Abrams also talked about her new novel “Rogue Justice” out May 23. 

“Avery Keene was so compelling in the first book that she got another story. She is a Supreme Court clerk who finds herself facing a blackmail threat to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court,” adding that, “ she’s got to unravel the mystery and try to save our lives,” Abrams said.

“Rogue Justice” is Stacey Abrams’ follow-up to the New York Times bestseller “While Justice Sleeps.”