Rarely does history announce itself when it arrives. Sometimes what looks like an ordinary moment is really a historical opportunity wrapped in fierce femininity.
There are moments in our lives when an election becomes more than just an election. It becomes a reflection of who we are, what we value and how far we have come.
Douglas Wilder elected in 1989 as governor in Virginia. Ann Richards elected in 1990 as governor in Texas. Barack Obama elected in 2008 as president of the United States.
This year, Georgia has a remarkable opportunity to elect women to the highest levels of statewide leadership. And for African American women, the significance is even greater.
On the ballot this November are former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms for governor, Judge Penny Brown Reynolds for secretary of state, state Rep. Tanya Miller for attorney general, Katherine Juhan-Arnold for agriculture commissioner, state Rep. Keisha Sean Waites for insurance commissioner, Nikki Porcher for labor commissioner, Dr. Lydia Powell for state school superintendent and Shelia Edwards for Public Service Commission.
In a time in our nation that feels bleak for so many, women, specifically African American women, their candidacies represent something much more than is being discussed in the broader context of opportunity, progress, equity and any buzzword you can assign to this seminal moment.
It represents hope, and they represent a glimmer of radiant light during a time that has felt dark for so many. Ultimately, they represent the possibility of authoring a new chapter in Georgia’s history.
We stand in gap when institutions fail to deliver
Credit: Handout
Credit: Handout
Perhaps we cannot fully embrace this moment because too many aren’t ready for a seismic shift to what journalist Henry Grady and pioneering former Atlanta Mayor Maynard Jackson Jr. called the “New South,” though for very different reasons.
But Georgia, bolstered by the vibrancy of Atlanta — the capital of the South — is positioned to lead this country into a new cultural dimension; one rooted in political possibility.
Let’s be clear — women have always led and have done so despite tremendous odds and unfavorable circumstances.
Often without titles, little recognition and absolutely without an equitable paycheck, women have accepted the responsibility of leading companies, ministries, households, organizing neighborhoods and building community.
Women hold things together when they seem to be falling apart. Women push through chaos and disappointment, finding pathways through storms and building bridges over calamity. And we often do this, at the sacrifice of ourselves for the betterment of others.
African American women understand this particularly well. The Nigerian proverb, “Ora n azu nwa” has found a home in Western vernacular as “it takes a village to raise a child,” but at its core, centers women — Black women — as leader, mother, teacher, caregiver and mentor.
Our history is filled with women who organized, nurtured and mobilized communities. We stand in the gap when institutions fail to deliver. We build businesses and we carry culture. We model grace and compassion while simultaneously fighting for dignity and our slice of the American Dream.
And yet, despite our demonstrated brilliance and competence, there has been a persistent disconnect between qualified women and the political power we have access to.
That is why 2026 matters.
Women are spiritual anchors of our communities
Credit: AP Photo/Bill Barrows
Credit: AP Photo/Bill Barrows
This election gives Georgia an opportunity to affirm at the ballot box what women have demonstrated throughout our lives.
Women bring a distinctive skill set to civic leadership. And while not every woman leads the same way, all women have had to develop capacities that are indispensable to effective leadership: emotional intelligence, resilience, discernment, empathy, patience, collaboration and the ability to see the human consequences behind institutional decisions.
Women know that a budget is not a simple aggregation of numbers. It is our family’s value system.
Women understand that a policy is more than legislation. It ultimately affects someone’s child, aging parent or loved one with a disability.
Women understand that a decision made by our government can determine whether a person has opportunity, whether a family has hope and whether a community can ascend.
Women have a unique perspective and consciousness that our political institutions have too often failed to fully recognize.
And there is another dimension that cannot be ignored: the spiritual. Just as the light of Christ transforms our lives, radiant women can illuminate a new trajectory amidst one of the darkest seasons our country has seen.
Women are the spiritual anchors of our families and communities. We pray for peace and strategy when solutions elude problems. We believe when circumstances give us every reason to doubt. We inspire when it seems too hard to dream beyond what we see in front of us.
That kind of spiritual resilience should matter in public leadership.
Because power without character is dangerous. Competence without compassion can become cold. Ambition without purpose will certainly become self-serving.
But leadership rooted in wisdom, love, humility, compassion and conviction can transform this world.
This is why the moment before Georgia is so powerful. Our state is being asked to decide whether women are ready to help move our people forward.
I believe we are.
Because when women lead, we bring our genius, innovation, faith, resilience, wisdom and our tenacity with us.
And perhaps that is the real power of this moment.
Georgia does not need to invent a new kind of leadership. Georgia simply needs to recognize the leadership women have been providing all along and embrace the space for it to thrive.
2026 gives us the opportunity to do that.
Georgia can show America that the highest offices in our state are not places women should merely aspire to — they are places we belong.
Dr. Karri Bryant is a pastor, author, entrepreneur and influencer. She serves at New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in Stonecrest.
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