sisters are doin’ it for themselves

“I am a black woman in America. I learned a long time ago no one was going to do anything for me,” said Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot in an interview with Stephanie Ruhle on MSNBC this morning in response to Ruhle’s question concerning potential assistance from the federal government in the Chicago area for the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic. As of March 22, 2020 there are 290 cases of Covid-19 in the city that has had 4 deaths. The mayor then went on to explain the city’s proactive measures in establishing her priorities for testing and treatment: health care, health care workers, first responders, at-risk populations. She outlined her actions in converting empty hotels to treatment centers for the coronavirus in addition to a number of other measures for combatting the epidemic outlined on a comprehensive chicago.gov website updated regularly. Mayor Lightfoot also said her city had been making preparations for such emergencies for more than a year including stockpiling personal protective equipment in hospitals and other treatment centers.

Awesome. Amazing. Leadership. Determination. A woman making history – just one year ago I celebrated her victory with this post on April 09, 2019.

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If pictures are worth a thousand words, then you tube videos with the likes of Aretha Franklin and Eurythmics must be worth more than any amount of words available in the English language for me to describe my elation with the election results for mayor last night in our 3rd largest city, Chicago, when Pretty gave me the breaking news. Pretty is my personal Twitter crier.

By a vote of 74% of all votes cast in the run-off election Tuesday, Chicago elected its first African-American mayor, a mayor who identifies herself as “an out and proud black lesbian.”Mayor-elect Lori Lightfoot had this to say in her acceptance speech Tuesday night according to Bill Ruthhart of the Chicago Tribune:

“A lot of little girls and boys are out there watching us tonight, and they’re seeing the beginning of something, well, a little bit different,” Lightfoot said with a smile. “They’re seeing a city reborn, a city where it doesn’t matter what color you are, where it surely doesn’t matter how tall you are and where it doesn’t matter who you love, just as long as you love with all your heart.”

While Chicago captured the biggest news, other election results around the country were also, well, a little bit different. For example, the city of Madison, Wisconsin elected 47-year-old Satya Rhodes-Conway, its second female mayor in history, with 62% of the vote. Mayor-elect Rhodes-Conway became the first openly gay mayor of Madison. The results of the Madison School Board election were to add three more women to the four women currently serving which means all members of the School Board for the city of Madison will be female.

Sounds like countless sisters are getting the gavel, and I don’t believe any of them will be afraid to use it.

Lawdy, lawdy. I have lived long enough to see the revolution of the sisterhood.

Sisters are doin’ it for themselves. Girls do rock after all.

Onward.

Stay tuned.