Black women held only 336 of 520,000 elective offices

Evidence

Black females in America have more than doubled their presence among elected officials in the four years since 1969. Yet, even today, they account for only about 12% of black elected officials and are an “infinitesimally” small percentage of the elected office holders in the nation the survey revealed. The report continues by saying there are about seven million black women of voting age in the country, but they hold only 336 of the more than 520,000 elective offices in the country. Yet the total number of black women office holders today represent about 160% increase over their number four years ago. — bell hooks, Ain’t I a Woman_ Black Women and…, 219

Categorization

• QUESTION: Data points from roughly 1973 would need verification of current figures; useful baseline for how little has changed.
• SEED: An essay contrasting black women’s electoral representation in the early 1970s vs. today could quantify the pace of progress.
• corroborated: 2 independent passages support this claim — bell hooks, Ain’t I a Woman_ Black Women and…, 219