Washington, DC– As the dramatic results of last week’s Special Senatorial election in Alabama continue to make news, and the pollsters and pundits try to make sense as to why Democrat Doug Jones upset Republican Roy Moore by a margin of 20,000 votes, the Black Women’s Roundtable (BWR) offers the simple answer, “Black women were the secret sauce” that made the difference.

States Melanie L. Campbell, President and CEO of the National Coalition on Black Civic Participation (NCBCP) and Convener of the Black Women’s Roundtable, “Not only did Black women vote at 98 percent for the winning candidate, they led the way in getting Black communities to vote in record numbers in rural and urban communities across the state of Alabama, especially in the Black Belt. And, in many cases, they led grassroots fundraising efforts to ‘get out the vote.’ For this and much more, we celebrate and thank the unsung sheroes, not just as one big group, but as individuals dedicated to building Black political power.”

Latosha Brown, NCBCP Board Member and a native of Alabama, helped to lead a highly successful fundraising effort, the Black Voters Matter Fund, that supported the Alabama Black Women’s Roundtable and several Black women-led organizations and others that mobilized the Black vote across the state in non-partisan GOTV efforts.  Ms. Brown shared, “I am so proud of Black women in the state of Alabama. Black women showed up and showed out in record numbers at the polls for the U.S. Senate special election. Most importantly, it was the leadership, hard work, tenacity and strategic organizing of Black women leaders that helped to mobilize black voters in unprecedented numbers all across the state. The world has witnessed the Power of the Sister Vote!” 

The NCBCP and the Black Women’s Roundtable salutes the unsung sheroes who led the way in Alabama:

Alabama Black Belt Women’s Roundtable

  • LaTosha Brown (NCBCP Board of Directors and Founding AL Convener)
  • Sheila Tyson (Alabama Black Women’s Roundtable, ACBCP)
  • Teresa Bettis (Mobile Black Women’s Roundtable)
  • Letetia Jackson (Dothan Black Women’s Roundtable)
  • Yvonne Cardona (Tuscaloosa Black Women’s Roundtable)
  • Rhonda Ridley (Alabama Black Women’s Roundtable)
  • Izandra Rudolph (Montgomery Network)
  • Cynthia Patton Carter (Lowndes County Network)
  • Atty. Ashley Smith (Lowndes County Network)
  • Helenor Bell (Lowndes County Network)
  • Roselyn Simmons (Lowndes County)
  • Rachel Bowick (Mobile County)
  • Nadira Pettway (Alabama Black Women’s Roundtable)

Alabama Sister Leaders and Partners

  • Faya Rose Toure (Vote or Die)
  • Esther Calhoun (Black Belt Citizens Fighting for Health and Justice)
  • Elaine Harrington (Macon County NAACP)
  • Muhjah Shakir (Black Belt Deliberative Dialogue)
  • Norma Jackson (21st Century Youth Leadership)
  • Brandy Bryant (The Ordinary Peoples Society)
  • Kenyetta Rich (Prodigal Child Project) 
  • Tina Glasgow (TOPS)
  • Shelley Fearson (Mind Over Vision)
  • Ainka Sanders (Selma Center for Nonviolence)
  • Felecia Lucky (Black Belt Community Foundation)
  • Sheryl Threadgill (Bama Kids)
  • Sheena Williams (M.A.D. Activist)
  • Tia Cardona (Black Youth Vote)
  • Abina Phillips (Vote or Die)
  • Catrena Carter (Vote or Die)
  • Ainka Sanders (Vote or Die)
  • Atty. Carmella Penn (Bullock County)  
  • Roselyn Simmons (Lowndes County)
  • Mia Raven (Powerhouse Reproductive Health Center)
  • Sarai Portillo Suarez (Alabama Coalition on Immigration Justice)
  • Yvonne Hatcher (Specialty Care Senior Program)
  • Anna Thomas (Birmingham Grassroots Coalition)
  • Jazyln Fuller (Tuskegee Alumni)
  • Aleeyah Sanders (Tuskegee University)
  • Andrea Stokes (Tuskegee University)
  • Atty. Ashley Smith (Standfirm)   
  • Cynthia Patton Carter (Community Activist)
  • Deborah Scott (Georgia Stand Up)