In 2014, when Higher Heights for America and the Center for American Women in Politics released our first report on the status of Black women in American politics, the data confirmed what we already knew: Black women were underrepresented at every level of government. But we were also organizing, running and winning, often without the institutional support our leadership deserved.

More than a decade later, our just-released 2025 Black Women in American Politics Report shows how far we’ve come. The United States has seen a steady increase in the number of Black women running, winning and leading in elected representation. As of this year, eight of the 37 women leading America’s 100 largest cities are Black. That’s more than a third of all women mayors in major cities, clear evidence of not just progress, but momentum.

Black women aren’t just running for office; we are building power, transforming institutions, and governing through some of our country’s most complex crises. In Charlotte, New Orleans, and Los Angeles, Black women mayors have led their cities through natural disasters, public health emergencies, and historic uprisings for racial justice — with calm, competence and community at the center of their leadership.

This moment didn’t happen by accident. It is the result of more than a decade of intentional investment in a leadership pipeline designed by and for Black women.

Many of today’s Black women mayors previously served as city council members, council presidents or congressional representatives. They now stand poised for higher office, backed by a strong, purpose-built pipeline. In Charlotte, Mayor Vi Lyles, a former city council president, is seeking her third term after decisive re-election victories. In Jersey City, Council President Joyce Waterman is running to become the city’s first Black woman mayor. In Detroit, two Black women, current Council President Mary Sheffield and former Council President Saunteel Jenkins, are vying to lead one of the country’s most iconic cities. And in our nation’s capital and the birthplace of American democracy, Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser and Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker both began their political careers on city councils before rising to lead their cities.

These women are more than candidates; they are crisis-tested leaders who govern at the intersection of policy and lived experience. They center equity, engage communities, and address not just the symptoms but the root causes of systemic injustice.

Yet despite this progress, the numbers still don’t match the need. Black women make up nearly eight percent of the U.S. population but hold a disproportionately small share of elected offices at every level of government. We are leading in spite of the system, not because of it.

So we must ask: What more could Black women do if we were fully resourced? Fully supported? Fully believed in?

The stakes are high. We are at a political crossroads where our democracy demands bold leadership grounded in accountability, justice and vision. Black women are already doing this work, but we cannot do it alone.

This is a call to action for political institutions, donors, and voters: Invest in Black women. Not just when we are breaking barriers or making history, but every day in between. Build and sustain the infrastructure that allows us not only to run but to win and to govern effectively.

Because here’s the truth: The future of American leadership is being shaped in city halls across this country by Black women. And if we stay the course, if we keep building, supporting and believing, the next decade won’t just be defined by “firsts.” It will be defined by Black women shaping a democracy as powerful, inclusive and visionary as we are.

The writer is the president and CEO of Higher Heights for America, an organization dedicated to expanding Black women’s political representation and leadership.