Min. Dale Edwards Executive Director, Call & Post | Vice President, Southern Christian Leadership Conference

ATLANTA — America, take notice! History has been made, barriers have been shattered, and women are stepping into some of the highest positions of political leadership in this country.

Keisha Lance Bottoms has defeated Republican Rick Jackson to become Georgia’s next governor, making history as the first Black woman ever elected governor of an American state and the first woman elected governor of Georgia.

Her victory also ends more than two decades of Republican control of Georgia’s governor’s office.

This is bigger than one candidate, one state or one political party. This is a moment that speaks to generations of women who were told they could not lead, could not govern and could not occupy the rooms where decisions about their lives were made.

But they did not stop knocking.

And now they are opening the doors.

I LOVE WOMEN — BECAUSE I KNOW WHAT A STRONG WOMAN CAN DO!

I take this election personally.

My mother was a single mother who raised seven children. I watched firsthand what it means for a woman to carry the weight of a family, sacrifice her own comfort, stretch limited resources and keep moving forward when the odds were against her.

I know what it means to be raised by a woman who refused to surrender.

My mother did not occupy the Governor’s Mansion. She did not have a political title, a campaign treasury or a staff of advisers. But she possessed something that no election can manufacture: determination, faith, courage and unconditional love.

I love women because I have witnessed their strength. I have watched women build families, hold communities together, fight for their children and overcome circumstances that would defeat many people.

When I look at Keisha Lance Bottoms, I see more than a political victory. I see another reminder that women who have carried families, communities and generations deserve the opportunity to lead this nation.

And this victory belongs to every mother who sacrificed, every grandmother who prayed, every daughter who dreamed and every woman who was told to wait her turn.

That time is now.

WOMEN ARE BREAKING GLASS CEILINGS ACROSS AMERICA!

Bottoms is not standing alone. The 2026 election has produced a remarkable wave of historic victories by women across the country.

Among the groundbreaking winners:

Keisha Lance Bottoms — Georgia: First Black woman elected governor of an American state.

Deb Haaland — New Mexico: First Native American woman elected governor.

Gina Hinojosa — Texas: First Latina elected governor of Texas.

Amy Acton — Ohio: First woman elected governor of Ohio.

Amy Klobuchar — Minnesota: First woman elected governor of Minnesota.

Marsha Blackburn — Tennessee: First woman elected governor of Tennessee.

These victories represent different backgrounds, experiences and political beliefs. But together, they demonstrate that America’s political leadership is changing.

The message is unmistakable: women are no longer simply asking for a place at the table. They are becoming the decision-makers.

And for Black women, Bottoms’ victory carries a particularly powerful significance. Generations of Black women fought for the right to vote, the right to participate and the right to be heard. Now, one of their own will occupy the governor’s office in Georgia.

We should never forget those who paved the way.

DR. KING’S POOR PEOPLE’S CAMPAIGN: THE PEOPLE ARE STILL HURTING!

But while America celebrates historic political victories, we must confront another reality.

Working people are hurting. Poor people are hurting. Rural America is hurting. Black and Hispanic communities are hurting. And too many families are one emergency away from financial disaster.

This is where I believe we must revisit the unfinished work of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

In 1968, Dr. King was preparing the Poor People’s Campaign because he understood that the struggle for civil rights could not be separated from the struggle against poverty.

He understood that freedom without economic opportunity was incomplete.

He understood that a person cannot fully participate in democracy when that person cannot afford food, transportation, housing or healthcare.

Look at America today!

Consider the rural farmer who must drive 40 miles to reach a market, hospital or essential service, facing diesel fuel prices of $6 a gallon.

Consider the Black or Hispanic family living in the inner city, struggling with gasoline at $4.40 a gallon, unable to afford to fill the tank.

These are the economic realities confronting families. And when you cannot afford to fill your gas tank, you begin making decisions about which bills will go unpaid.

Then comes the grocery store.

Families walk through supermarket aisles watching the prices climb. Parents put items back because the money will not stretch far enough. Seniors choose between food and medicine.

Healthcare costs are through the roof. Insurance premiums and deductibles are swallowing family budgets.

And what about our hospitals?

Too many patients and families feel that the healthcare system is failing them. They go into emergency rooms seeking help, receive treatment, get patched up and are sent home before they feel ready, sometimes without adequate follow-up or the support they need.

We must demand better.

We cannot call ourselves the greatest nation on Earth while working families are afraid to get sick because they cannot afford the bill.

Dr. King did not march simply so people could have the right to vote. He marched because people needed the economic ability to live.

The Poor People’s Campaign was about the rural farmer, the unemployed worker, the struggling mother, the senior citizen, the hungry child and the families America too often overlooks.

That fight is not over.

THE ELECTION MUST BECOME A MOVEMENT FOR ECONOMIC JUSTICE

Keisha Lance Bottoms and the women who made history across America have an extraordinary opportunity.

They must understand that the people who elected them are not simply looking for historic photographs and celebratory speeches.

They are looking for relief.

They want affordable healthcare. They want good-paying jobs. They want affordable housing. They want safe neighborhoods. They want grocery prices they can manage. They want their children to have a future.

Bottoms has pledged to pursue Medicaid expansion, a $15 minimum wage, affordable housing initiatives and other measures aimed at reducing household costs. Those promises must now become measurable results.

And let me make one thing clear: Black voters, Hispanic voters, rural voters and working-class families must not be remembered only during election season.

They must be included when budgets are written, policies are developed and opportunities are distributed.

The people deserve more than political appreciation. They deserve economic participation.

A MESSAGE TO THE WOMEN WHO ARE LEADING AMERICA

To Keisha Lance Bottoms, Amy Acton, Deb Haaland, Gina Hinojosa, Amy Klobuchar and all the women who broke barriers in this election:

Congratulations!

But remember the women who came before you.

Remember the mothers who raised children alone. Remember the grandmothers who worked two jobs. Remember the women who organized churches, marched in the streets, registered voters and fought discrimination when the doors of opportunity were closed.

Remember my mother, who raised seven children without the privileges that come with political power.

Remember that leadership is not measured by the title you hold. It is measured by the lives you change.

I believe women have a special opportunity to bring a new level of compassion, determination and accountability to American government. But the responsibility belongs to every elected leader, regardless of gender or political party.

THE PEOPLE’S MARCH MUST CONTINUE!

As a minister, publisher, broadcaster and community advocate, I have spent decades witnessing the struggles and aspirations of working people.

I believe this election should be a wake-up call to America.

The victories are historic. The glass ceilings are breaking. The political landscape is changing.

But we cannot stop at celebrating who won.

We must ask what happens to the people who are still struggling after the campaign signs come down.

Dr. King envisioned a Poor People’s Campaign that brought together people across racial, geographic and economic lines to demand a government that recognized their humanity.

That vision remains urgent.

The farmer in rural America, the single mother in Cleveland, the Hispanic family in Atlanta, the senior citizen in a small town and the young person struggling to find work all have something in common.

They want a fair chance to live, work, raise families and enjoy the promise of America.

That is what this moment must be about.

My mother taught me that strength is not about how much money you have or what position you hold. Strength is about refusing to give up when life becomes difficult.

America’s women have demonstrated that strength.

Now let us see that same determination translated into economic justice for all.

THE GLASS CEILINGS ARE BREAKING. NOW LET’S BREAK THE CYCLE OF POVERTY!

The post SHE BROKE THE LAST GLASS CEILING! KEISHA LANCE BOTTOMS MAKES HISTORY — AND AMERICA’S WOMEN ARE RISING! FROM THE MOTHER’S STRUGGLE TO THE GOVERNOR’S MANSION: A NEW DAY FOR WOMEN, WORKING FAMILIES AND THE FORGOTTEN PEOPLE OF AMERICA! appeared first on Call and Post.