Women of Color Rally for Hillary Clinton’s White House Bid

By Edwina Pratt (Women of Color for Hillary)

One of the highest forms of praise any leader can ever hope to receive is the endorsement and support of other prominent leaders. That’s exactly what Secretary Hillary Clinton got when Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee (TX-18) joined ranks with Women of Color for Hillary in attempting to galvanize the support of Black and Brown women to elect the nation’s first woman president.

“America needs a vision now. Americans needs a leader that will give them the confidence that their issues, no matter what region of the country they are from, no matter their ethnic or religious background, no matter what employment needs they have, will be there, not only to listen to them, but she will have a plan to provide a pathway forward,” said Representative Jackson Lee, who’s been a member of congress for more than twenty years.

Jackson Lee is an influential and well-respected example of the kind of leadership Women of Color for Hillary, or @WoC4Hillary as the organization is known on social media, has brought to the fore this election season. Spearheaded by Reta Jo Lewis, who formerly served in the State Department under Secretary Clinton, @WoC4Hillary has orchestrated a national grassroots and digital advocacy campaign meant to spur folks to action based on the strength of Secretary Clinton’s conviction and the evidence of her long track record in supporting issues of critical importance to our communities. “Women of color will be a major force in this election for Hillary,” said Jackson Lee. “Women of color represent a group of women that she deeply respects. She will rely upon women of color in her Administration, and together as a team they will heal some of America’s pain and solve some of America’s most pressing problems.”

No stranger to advocacy and policymaking, Jackson Lee, who serves as the Ranking Member of the House Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, Homeland Security, and Investigations is particularly impressed with the Secretary’s justice agenda, an issue critical to many people of color. “Hillary Clinton will be a real reformer for criminal justice and she has been working with women of color, many of them mothers of victims of the criminal justice system, to find a way forward to the renewal of our criminal justice system so it is truly just and fair for all.” Further, “Hillary Clinton, standing on President Obama’s legacy and progress, is a dedicated public servant who has shown her skills and readiness to lead this nation, and her compassion for understanding the pains of individual Americans who need help now.”

Through their outreach a support, tireless campaign efforts, both online and on the ground, and active organizing work through rallies, phone banking, and other voter contact, both @WoC4Hillary and Representative Jackson Lee epitomize the power of strong, dedicated, focused women of color to ensuring the election of our first woman president.

“As a woman, she will be best suited to bring the nation together and to heal the impact of a divisive election,” Jackson Lee said. “We need an experienced leader that can begin to govern quickly, solve problems now, and comfort the nation. That is Hillary Clinton.”