In order to run for office, women and especially women of color face a huge gap in funding.

I’m sure you’ve seen the numbers. Kamala’s campaign has been breaking fundraising records since the day she became the party’s presumptive nominee.

As a Black woman in politics who has been campaigning – and winning – for over a decade, I can tell you why her fundraising numbers are so groundbreaking.

In order to run for office, women and especially women of color face a huge gap in funding. Donations aren't given freely, they're given conditionally, and we're asked to justify every dollar spent.

Still, Black women have been the architects of movements, have built new tables when they weren’t given a seat, and have delivered countless election victories. We’ve done all this by building grassroots power, by organizing our communities, and by putting in the sweat equity to move the needle forward.

Just look at Shirley Chisholm. Her presidential campaign was underfunded, she was denied support from her own party, and STILL she won the votes of 152 delegates across 12 states.

Her campaign is a clear case study. When Black women run for office, our records and credentials are questioned. We are held to higher standards. We have to work twice as hard with fewer resources. But our impact is undeniable.

You may remember in 2019 when Kamala had to suspend her campaign for President, she did so not because she wasn't a great candidate, but because she ran out of money. Today, with the full support of the party and big donors behind her, she has turned this election around and we are on a path to victory.

What if we invested in and supported Black women candidates up and down the ballot EVERY election cycle? What could our party look like? Not only would we build a representative body that looks more like the people it represents, but we could realize the bold transformative change our communities deserve.

We’ve made tremendous progress thanks to people like you who are investing in progressive causes and candidates of color at every level of government. We’ve got the organizing power and the momentum – but it takes real fundraising support to keep winning.

So if you’re able to, please make a donation between today to honor this historic moment — and provide the support we need to campaign, win, and lead.

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Onward,

Ayanna